Demographic data of the responders
| Number of answers = 168 | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Professional category: | |
| Senior physician | 72 (42.9) |
| Junior physician | 41 (24.4) |
| 5th year resident | 25 (14.9) |
| 4th year resident | 30 (17.9) |
| Specialty: | |
| Emergency Medicine | 160 (95.2) |
| Family Medicine | 3 (1.8) |
| Anaesthesia and Intensive Care | 0 (0) |
| Paediatrics | 4 (2.4) |
| Other specialty | 1 (0.6) |
| Professional experience (including residency): | |
| 1–5 years | 50 (29.8) |
| 6–10 years | 40 (23.8) |
| 11–15 years | 27 (16.1) |
| 16–20 years | 21 (12.5) |
| 21 years or more | 30 (17.9) |
| Gender | |
| Male | 53 (31.5) |
| Female | 113 (67.3) |
| Prefer not to disclose | 2 (1.2) |
| Age | |
| 20–30 years | 27 (16.1) |
| 31–40 years | 66 (39.3) |
| 41–50 years | 51 (30.4) |
| 51–60 years | 24 (14.3) |
| Type of emergency service | |
| Emergency Department | 148 (88.1) |
| Emergency Reception Unit | 20 (11.9) |
| Type of work setting: | |
| Public system | 164 (97.6) |
| Private system | 1 (0.6) |
| Both | 3 (1.8) |
| Type of hospital | |
| County | 113 (67.3) |
| Municipal | 42 (25) |
| City | 3 (1.8) |
| Military Hospital | 4(2.4) |
| Other Hospital | 6 (3.6) |
| Is the hospital where you work a university hospital (involved in training residents/students)? | |
| Yes | 141 (83.9) |
| No | 27 (16.1) |
Reasons for not using biomarkers currently in clinical practice
| Number of answers = 168 | n (%) |
|---|---|
| What are the biggest challenges you face in using biomarkers in your practice? | |
| High cost of biomarker kits | 93 (55.4) |
| Limited availability (testing kits are not always available) | 70 (41.7) |
| False positive results | 63 (37.5) |
| The lack of specific guidelines | 49 (29.2) |
| Difficult interpretation of results | 9 (5.4) |
| Lengthy processing times | 7 (4.2) |
Current practice
| Number of answers = 168 | Likert scale | Median (IQR) |
|---|---|---|
| How frequently do you use biomarkers in your daily practice? | 1 – 5 | 5 (4 – 5) |
| How often do you consider it necessary to use biomarkers other than those available in your hospital? | 1 – 5 | 3 (3 – 4) |
| What is the method for biomarker testing in the department where you work? | 1 – 5 | |
| The hospital’s central laboratory | ||
| The department’s own laboratory with Point of Care devices Both | 1 – 3 | 2 (2 – 3) |
| How frequently do you use point of care biomarkers? | 1 – 5 | 4 (4 – 5) |
| How often do you use biomarkers for the diagnosis of the following critical conditions? | ||
| Acute myocardial infarction | 1 – 5 | 5 (5 – 5) |
| Pulmonary embolism | 1 – 5 | 5 (4 – 5) |
| Aortic dissection | 1 – 5 | 5 (4 – 5) |
| Sepsis and septic shock | 1 – 5 | 5 (4 – 5) |
| Acute heart failure | 1 – 5 | 4 (4 – 5) |
| Cerebral hypoxia | 1 – 5 | 3 (1 – 5) |
| Traumatic brain injury | 1 – 5 | 3 (1 – 4) |
| Stroke | 1 – 5 | 3 (1 – 4) |
| Please rank the following biomarkers according to their utility in daily practice: | ||
| Troponin | 1 – 5 | 5 (5 – 5) |
| D-dimer | 1 – 5 | 5 (4 – 5) |
| Brain natriuretic peptide or N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide | 1 – 5 | 5 (4 – 5) |
| Procalcitonin | 1 – 5 | 5 (4 – 5) |
| C - reactive protein | 1 – 5 | 4 (4 – 5) |
| Presepsin | 1 – 5 | 4 (3 – 5) |
| Interleukin - 6 | 1 – 5 | 3 (2 – 4) |
Advantages and emerging biomarker demands in ED
| Number of answers = 168 | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Biomarkers are useful in: | |
| Differential diagnosis | 145 (86.3) |
| Rapid diagnosis of a condition | 145 (86.3) |
| Enhancing the quality of medical care | 127 (75.6) |
| Assessing the severity of a condition | 108 (64.3) |
| Prognosis | 73 (43.5) |
| Avoiding the administration of unnecessary treatments | 72 (42.9) |
| Streamlining patient flow | 71 (42.3) |
| What is the method for biomarker testing in the department where you work? | |
| The department’s own laboratory with Point of Care (POC) devices | 81 (48.2) |
| The hospital’s central laboratory | 12 (7.1) |
| Both | 75 (44.6) |
| Which biomarkers do you consider would be necessary to be introduced in your practice? | |
| Neuron-Specific Enolase | 78 (46.4) |
| Interleukin - 6 | 70 (41.7) |
| Procalcitonin | 58 (34.5) |
| Presepsin | 43 (25.6) |
| S100B | 42 (25) |
| Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) | 38 (22.6) |
| Resistin | 35 (20.8) |
| C - reactive protein | 33 (19.6) |
| D-dimer | 33 (19.6) |
| Troponin | 32 (19) |
| None of the above | 14 (8.3) |