Annals of emergency medicine
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Review Practice Guideline
Clinical Policy: Critical Issues in the Management of Adult Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With Community-Acquired Pneumonia.
This clinical policy from the American College of Emergency Physicians is a revision of the 2009 "Clinical Policy: Critical Issues in the Management of Adult Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With Community-Acquired Pneumonia." A writing subcommittee conducted a systematic review of the literature to derive evidence-based recommendations to answer the following clinical questions: (1) In the adult emergency department patient diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia, what clinical decision aids can inform the determination of patient disposition? (2) In the adult emergency department patient with community-acquired pneumonia, what biomarkers can be used to direct initial antimicrobial therapy? (3) In the adult emergency department patient diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia, does a single dose of parenteral antibiotics in the emergency department followed by oral treatment versus oral treatment alone improve outcomes? Evidence was graded and recommendations were made based on the strength of the available data.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Video or Telephone? A Natural Experiment on the Added Value of Video Communication in Community Paramedic Responses.
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of video versus telephonic communication between community paramedics and online medical control physicians on odds of patient transport to a hospital emergency department (ED). ⋯ We found support that video is considered an enhancement by physicians overseeing a community paramedicine response, but is not associated with a statistically significant difference in transport to the ED compared with telephonic communication in this nonrandom sample. These results have implications for new models of out-of-hospital care that allow patients to be evaluated and treated in the home.
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This study sought to describe the clinical presentation of normocellular community-acquired bacterial meningitis in adults. ⋯ Normocellular community-acquired bacterial meningitis is not very common, but it is important to consider and may be associated with a pneumococcal cause.
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The number of freestanding emergency departments (EDs) has increased rapidly in the United States, and there is concern that such entities are located near existing EDs rather than in areas lacking emergency care. In 2018, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommended a reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates to freestanding EDs located within 6 miles of the nearest hospital-based ED. We aim to assess the potential effect of this proposal. ⋯ We found that most freestanding EDs (76%) are within 6 miles of the nearest hospital-based ED, and most visits (67%) to freestanding EDs are to those within that proximity, indicating that many freestanding EDs would be affected by this Medicare Payment Advisory Commission proposal, if implemented.
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Observational Study
Emergence of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase Urinary Tract Infections Among Hospitalized Emergency Department Patients in the United States.
Enterobacteriaceae resistant to ceftriaxone, mediated through extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), commonly cause urinary tract infections worldwide, but have been less prevalent in North America. Current US rates are unknown. We determine Enterobacteriaceae antimicrobial resistance rates among US emergency department (ED) patients hospitalized for urinary tract infection. ⋯ Among adults hospitalized for urinary tract infection in many US locations, ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae have emerged as a common cause of infection that is often not initially treated with an in vitro-active antibiotic.