Comparison of emergency department personnel across the trauma system in northern Alberta between January 2017 and September 2018
| Variable | January 2017 | September 2018 | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency department | |||
| 24-h ED physician coverage, % | 92 | 98 | 0.08 |
| ED physicians with ATLS certification, % | 34 | 36 | 0.32 |
| Proportion of providers with emergency airway management training/certification, % | 84 | 92 | 0.04 |
| 24-h availability to provide emergency airway intervention, % | 84 | 90 | 0.18 |
| Provider availability within 30 min, % | 88 | 96 | 0.04 |
| Facilities with adequate ED nursing coverage, % | 58 | 76 | 0.01 |
| ED nurses with TNCC certification or equivalent, % | 50 | 54 | 0.32 |
| No. of ED beds, median | 7 | 7 | NA |
| Radiology access | |||
| Board-certified radiologist on staff, % | 26 | 28 | 0.66 |
| Available within 30 min, % | 22 | 32 | 0.06 |
| Conventional radiology available 24 h, % | 78 | 90 | 0.03 |
| CT available 24 h, % | 12 | 20 | 0.04 |
| Access to tele-radiology, % | 56 | 60 | 0.32 |
| Anesthesia and medicine | |||
| Access to board-certified anesthesiologist or certified | 36 | 38 | 0.32 |
| RN anesthetist, % | |||
| Access to internal medicine physician, % | 18 | 28 | 0.06 |
| Access to family physician, % | 80 | 88 | 0.04 |
| Laboratory access | |||
| 24-h access to laboratory services, % | 86 | 90 | 0.32 |
| 24-h access to blood bank, % | 62 | 66 | 0.42 |
| Massive transfusion protocol established, % | 24 | 22 | 0.66 |
| Adequate supply of blood products, % | 66 | 56 | 0.06 |
| Allied health professions | |||
| Physical therapist, % | 76 | 84 | 0.10 |
| Social worker, % | 60 | 62 | 0.57 |
| Occupational therapist, % | 76 | 80 | 0.42 |
| Speech/language pathologist, % | 58 | 68 | 0.06 |
| Teleconferencing | |||
| Telehealth, % | 92 | 100 | 0.04 |
| Teleconferencing, % | 90 | 98 | 0.04 |
| Web conferencing, % | 80 | 84 | 0.32 |
ATLS = Advanced Trauma Life Support; CT = computed tomography; ED = emergency department; NA = not applicable; RN = registered nurse; TNCC = Trauma Nursing Core Course.