CJEM
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Intersex people make up 1.7-4% of the population of North America. A recent scoping review of emergency department (ED) relevant literature for the care of sexual and gender minorities found almost no representation of this population. Intersex people have unique equity, diversity, and inclusion needs in the ED, so we undertook a review of international guidelines to identify ED-relevant recommendations. ⋯ A systematic review of the literature for ED-relevant guidelines for the care of Intersex populations returned no results. Given the risk of increasing barriers to care for intersex people, and the increasing use of the ED for primary care, the requirements of Intersex people need to be investigated and integrated into future development of a CPG for care of sexual and gender minority populations in the ED.
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Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a rapidly evolving and clinically significant skill set that has potential for improving patient care for the approximately 7 million Canadians living in rural and under-resourced environments. A national appraisal of rural POCUS training and utilization is needed to understand barriers to funding and training for rural emergency physicians in Canada. The primary objective of this study was to determine the current level of training and types of POCUS utilization by rural emergency physicians in Canada. The secondary objective was to describe the barriers to POCUS use. ⋯ POCUS is used daily for patient care in rural Canadian emergency departments. Despite widespread access to POCUS, rural emergency physicians face significant barriers in training and utilization.
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The primary objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of telemedicine for improving clinical follow-up for survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence after an emergency department (ED) visit. The Sexual Assault and Partner Abuse Care Program (SAPACP) is an ED-based clinic for survivors of sexual assault/intimate partner violence. Virtual Visit, a telemedicine platform, was introduced at SAPACP in January 2020, allowing patients to attend follow-up virtually. ⋯ The implementation of Virtual Visit led to an immediate 10% increase in the proportion of overall follow-ups, which was sustained over a two-year period, while accounting for pre-Virtual Visit trends. These findings indicate that telemedicine can help improve clinical follow-up among survivors of sexual assault/intimate partner violence.