Annals of emergency medicine
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To examine in children the relationship of wheezing to measurable environmental factors. ⋯ A high incidence of pediatric emergency department presentations for wheezing are associated with weather, infections, and months of the year.
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Interest in pediatric emergency medicine has grown steadily during the past decade among pediatricians and emergency physicians. With the rapid proliferation of pediatric emergency medicine programs for pediatricians has come extensive and valuable experience with this type of fellowship education. As a result, the structure and scope of these programs have become increasingly well established. ⋯ The recent establishment of guidelines for pediatric emergency medicine subspecialty certification by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics brings new importance to fostering such standards for the training for emergency physicians. To this end, we present a proposed pediatric emergency medicine fellowship program developed during a retreat that included physicians from an emergency medicine program and two pediatric hospitals. We also review some of the significant events that have occurred in the evolution of pediatric emergency care.
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To describe the characteristics of malpractice claims against emergency physicians and to identify causes and potential preventability of such claims. ⋯ Emergency physicians must have a particular awareness of their great risk exposure for missed myocardial infarction. Addition of dictation or voice-activated record generation systems, departmental protocols for radiograph follow-ups, and holding and re-evaluation of the intoxicated patient will help provide systems supports for reducing the liability of individual emergency physicians.
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Patient satisfaction with emergency department care is enhanced by information distributed to patients on ED arrival. ⋯ ED information has a significant effect on patients' perceptions of the quality of care and overall satisfaction.
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To identify factors associated with outpatient follow-up of emergency department visits. ⋯ Compliance with follow-up is multifactorial. Consultant contact at the time of initial patient evaluation and provision of a return visit appointment at the time of ED release should improve compliance in a university hospital setting.