CJEM
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Multicenter Study
Pathways to cancer care after a suspected cancer diagnosis in the emergency department: a survey of emergency physicians across Ontario.
Little is known about how patients are managed after a suspected cancer diagnosis through the emergency department. The objective of this study was to examine the ED management, specifically referral practices, for ten suspected cancer diagnoses by emergency physicians across Ontario and to explore variability in management by cancer-type and centre. ⋯ Physician management of new suspected cancer varies between EDs and is specific to cancer type. Strategies to standardize access to cancer care in a timely and equitable way for patients with newly suspected cancer in the ED are needed.
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A new limp or refusal to weight-bear are common symptoms in children presenting to the pediatric emergency department (ED). This poses a diagnostic challenge, particularly among toddlers and nonverbal patients. Point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) used by pediatric emergency medicine physicians may detect hip effusion, which dramatically aids diagnostic workup and management. There is limited literature regarding the accuracy of hip PoCUS conducted by pediatric emergency medicine physicians. This study aims to assess the diagnostic performance of pediatric emergency medicine physician-performed PoCUS in identifying hip effusion. ⋯ PoCUS performed by pediatric emergency medicine physicians has reasonably high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing hip effusion among pediatric patients presenting to the pediatric ED with a limp or leg pain. This practice may potentially expedite both diagnosis and treatment within this patient population.
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Multicenter Study
The impact of various learner arrangements on emergency department staff productivity.
This study aimed to examine how different learner arrangements affect the number of patients seen per hour by staff emergency physicians in ambulatory and non-ambulatory zones of two tertiary teaching hospitals in Ottawa, Canada. ⋯ This study highlights the significant impact that learner arrangements have on staff physician productivity in the ED. These findings underscore the importance of strategic scheduling to optimize patient throughput.