Annals of emergency medicine
-
Interemergency department pediatric transfers can be costly, involve risk, and may be disruptive to patients and families. Telehealth could be a way to safely reduce the number of transfers. We made an estimate of the proportion of transfers of pediatric patients to our emergency department (ED) that may have been avoidable using telehealth. ⋯ Our results suggest that depending on available telehealth and initial ED resources, between 9% and 33% of pediatric inter-ED transfers may have been avoidable. This information may guide health system design and PED operations when considering implementing pediatric telehealth.
-
Emergency physicians are highly trained to deliver acute unscheduled care. The emergency physician core skillset gained during emergency medicine residency can be applied to many other roles that benefit patients and extend and diversify emergency physician careers. In 2022, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) convened the New Practice Models Task Force to describe new care models and emergency physician opportunities outside the 4 walls of the emergency department. ⋯ Advocacy recommendations focused on removing state and federal regulatory and legislative barriers to the expansion of new and emerging roles. Educational recommendations focused on aggregating available resources, developing a centralized resource for career guidance, and new educational content for emerging roles. The Task Force also recommended promoting research on potential advantages (eg, improved outcomes, lower cost) of emergency physicians in certain roles and new care models (eg, emergency physician remote supervision in rural settings).