Annals of emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effect of a Double Check on the Detection of Medication Errors.
The use of a double check by 2 nurses has been advocated as a key error-prevention strategy. This study aims to determine how often a double check is used for high-alert medications and whether it increases error detection. ⋯ Our study demonstrates that nurses use double checks before administering high-alert medications. Use of a double check increases certain error detection rates in some circumstances, but not others. Both techniques missed many errors. In some cases, the second nurse actually dissuaded the first nurse from acting on the error.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Subgroup Analysis of Antibiotic Treatment for Skin Abscesses.
Two large randomized trials recently demonstrated efficacy of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-active antibiotics for drained skin abscesses. We determine whether outcome advantages observed in one trial exist across lesion sizes and among subgroups with and without guideline-recommended antibiotic indications. ⋯ Treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was associated with improved outcomes regardless of lesion size or guideline antibiotic criteria.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Levocetirizine and Prednisone Are Not Superior to Levocetirizine Alone for the Treatment of Acute Urticaria: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial.
We evaluate the efficacy of a 4-day course of prednisone added to antihistamine for the management of acute urticaria in an emergency department (ED). ⋯ The addition of a prednisone burst did not improve the symptomatic and clinical response of acute urticaria to levocetirizine. This study does not support the addition of corticosteroid to H1 antihistamine as first-line treatment of acute urticaria without angioedema.