A patient holding the hand of a family member.

Emergency Department Solutions

Your patient’s journey starts here, in this fast-paced environment where decisions need to be made quickly and with confidence. The emergency department admits approximately 60% of all hospital admissions in Canada1 and is the first interaction your patient will have with the health care system. The decisions made from here will impact each patient’s journey to recovery and discharge.

Emergency Department Stats

14.5 hours

is the average length of stay in Emergency Departments across Canada. 2
15,083,398

people visited Emergency Departments across Canada during the 2018 and 2019 fiscal year. 2
739,471

patients receive care from the Emergency Departments four times or more in the fiscal year. 2

Solutions for Emergency Department Challenges

There are four common challenges patients will face as they are admitted to the Emergency Department (ED): normothermia, peripheral IVs, wounds, and infection control. 3M has a wide breadth of products and solutions built to enhance patient outcomes and help reduce the length of stay.

Normothermia toggle

The Problem

Temperature management remains a significant component of care throughout the hospital including in the ED and the intensive care unit. When a patient’s core temperature falls outside of normal ranges they become hypothermic or hyperthermic.

It is estimated that 43% of trauma patients are hypothermic upon arrival in the ED.3

Hypothermia associated with trauma is part of the well-known Lethal Triad and is an independent predictor of mortality.4,5 On the other end of the spectrum, core body temperature remains a critical vital sign for diagnosing patients presenting to the ED, and observational research suggests that febrile (hyperthermia) patients are missed almost 80% of the time due to inaccurate measuring devices.6

The Solution

Standardizing with one temperature monitoring system can help improve consistency, reduce opportunity for error, and eliminate the duplication of effort required to purchase and carry multiple products. The 3M™ Bair Hugger™ Temperature Monitoring System provides clinicians with a single temperature monitoring method that can be used through each phase of the patient’s journey, improving clinical efficiency by streamlining the patient temperature monitoring process. Trauma patients require warming during assessment and resuscitation. Passive warming techniques have proven ineffective or obstructive during assessment.7 Active modalities such as over the body forced-air warming systems, while effective, also can be constructive during assessment because the warming device is repeatedly moved to gain access to the patient.

Product Solutions for Temperature Management

The 3M™ Bair Hugger™ Normothermia System

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Peripheral IV toggle

80% of all hospital admissions require a PIV.

The Problem

A peripheral intravenous (PIV) insertion is the most common invasive health care procedure. PIVs contain many risks for the patient and should be inserted and maintained following national standards and guidelines for care.

If a PIV catheter migrates or become dislodged the patient will have increased risks of phlebitis or catheter-related blood stream infections.9

The Solution

Having a protocol that works to reduce the bacteria around the site, maintain skin integrity, secure the IV line, as well as protect every port of entrance against bacteria will lead to a decrease in PIV failure. CVAA guidelines suggested using bordered securement dressings for any peripheral vascular access device (PVAD) dwelling longer than six hours in place in order to maintain the integrity of the PVAD10. This will result in a decrease of unscheduled restarts and allow more PIVs to reach a 72 hour dwell time.11

Product Solutions for Peripheral IV

Vascular access and safe securement

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Wound Care toggle

Wound care spending in Canada is estimated at 3.9 billion annually.

The Problem

Successful wound management requires a multilevel approach that helps nurses address acute lacerations all the way through to chronic wounds with delayed healing.

Managing wounds starts with assessing the patient’s general health and condition in order to implement the right solutions for each patient.

The Solution

There are two buckets that wound management can fall under as patients enter the emergency room: acute wounds or chronic wounds. Acute wounds are wounds that can be quickly resolved and lead to patient discharge. Wounds in this category include lacerations, skin abrasions, or any wound that can be resolved with minor intervention. Chronic wounds are slow healing or stalled wounds and require intervention from wound specialist. 3M has a wide range of solutions from basic wound care to advanced solutions that help manage and intervene with wound care healing.

Product Solutions for Wound Care

Wound care solutions

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Infection Control toggle

A study sample of 24 bedside tape rolls at 1.5 and 7 days in a 16-bed ICU at a 560-bed teaching hospital.

The Problem

In Canada, there are more than 220,000 cases of health care acquired infections (HAI), which have resulted in at least 8,000 deaths.14

Cross-contamination can happen between people, products and practice.15,16,17 Health care workers are not immune to the microorganisms that can transfer from products and patients to staff. There are many studies with evidence showing products like medical tape can become contaminated as they move between clinicians and patients.18

The Solution

Reducing health care acquired infections cannot be achieved with a single initiative, process or technology. All avenues of infection prevention must be explored and implemented. Whether it is using single-patient use products or protecting your work surfaces with technology found in 3M products, there are many facets to reducing health care acquired infections. Change starts with following evidence-based protocols outlined in standards and guidelines for best practice. Ensuring every clinician is committed to proper training and personal accountability for every patient, every time. Using the right mix of products and technology proven to be effective at reducing your risk for infection.

Product Solutions for Infection Control

Medical tapes Sterilization and device reprocessing

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A doctor wearing a stethoscope, speaking with a patient.

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References

Canadian Institute for Health Information, Understanding Emergency Department Wait Times: Access to Inpatient Beds and Patient Flow (Ottawa: CIHI, 2007).
Canadian Institute for Health Information. NACRS Emergency Department Visits and Length of Stay by Province/Territory, 2018–2019. Ottawa, ON: CIHI; 2019.
Duchesne, J.C.; McSwain Jr., N.E.; Cotton, B.A.; Hunt, J.P.; Dellavolpe, J.; Lafaro, K.; Marr, A.B.; Gonzalez, E.A.; Phelan, H.A.; Bilski, T. Damage control resuscitation: the new face of damage control. Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. 2010; 69(4): 976-990.
Trentzsch, H.; Huber-Wagner, S.; Hildebrand, F.; Kanz, K-G.; Faist, E.; Piltz, S.; Lefering, R.; Trauma Registry D. Hypothermia for prediction of death in severely injured blunt trauma patients. Shock. 2012; 37(2): 131-139.
Kashuk, J.L.; Moore, E.E.; Millikan, J.S.; Moore, J.B. Major abdominal vascular trauma – a unified approach. The Journal of Trauma. 1982; 22(8): 672-679.
Walker, G.A.; Runde, D.; Rolston, D.M.; Wiener, D.; Lee, J. Emergency department rectal temperatures in over 10 years: A retrospective observational study. World Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2013; 4(2): 107.
Smith C, Yamat R. Avoiding hypothermia in the trauma patient. Anesthesiology. 2000; 13:167-174.
Stuart RL, Cameron DR, Scott C, et al. Peripheral intravenous catheter-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia: more than 5 years of prospective data from two tertiary health services. Med J Aust 2013; 198:551–3.
O’Grady NP, Alexander M, Burns LM, et al. Guideline for the prevention of intravascular catheter-related infections. Clin Infect Dis 2011; 52:e162-e193.
Canadian Vascular Access Association. (2019). Canadian Vascular Access and Infusion Therapy Guidelines. Pembroke, ON: Pappin Communications.
Jackson A. Retrospective comparative audit of two peripheral IV securement dressings. British J of Nurs. 2012; 21. 10-5.
Wound Care Alliance Canada: http://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/411/FINA/WebDoc/WD5709773/411_FINA_PBC2012_Briefs/WoundCareAllianceCanadaE.pdf
Berkowitz, D.M.; Lee, W.S.; Pazin, G.J.; Yee, R.B.; Ho, M. Adhesive Tape: Potential. Source of Nosocomial Bacteria. Appl Microbiol. 1974;28(4):651-654.
Zoutman, D.E.; Ford, B.D.; Bryce, E.; Gourdeau, M.; et al. (2003). The state of infection surveillance and control in Canadian acute care hospitals. American Journal of Infection Control, 31(5), 266-273.
Canadian Committee on Antibiotic Resistance. (2007). Infection Prevention and Control Best Practices for Long Term Care, Home and Community Care including Health Care Offices and Ambulatory Clinics
Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance. (n.d.). Comprehensive Overview of Antibiotic Resistance in Canada.
Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee. (2009). Best Practices for Environmental Cleaning for Prevention and Control of Infections in All Healthcare Settings. (Toronto: Government of Ontario).
McClusky, J.; Davis, M.; Dahl, K. A gap in patient tape storage and use practices puts patients at risk for cutaneous fungal infections. Am. J. Infect. Control. 2015; 43(2): 182-184.

Emergency Department Solutions

Emergency Department Stats

14.5 hours

15,083,398

739,471

Solutions for Emergency Department Challenges

Normothermia toggle

The Problem

The Solution

Product Solutions for Temperature Management

Peripheral IV toggle

The Problem

The Solution

Product Solutions for Peripheral IV

Wound Care toggle

The Problem

The Solution

Product Solutions for Wound Care

Infection Control toggle

The Problem

The Solution

Product Solutions for Infection Control

Get the answers you need.

References