Emergency medicine clinics of North America
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Feb 2005
ReviewReflections on becoming a specialty and its impact on global emergency medical care: our challenge for the future.
International emergency medicine development includes many activities. Among them are efforts to establish and support the development of the specialty of emergency medicine. In carrying out such activities, it is important for emergency physicians to be aware of the story of the establishment and development of the specialty of emergency medicine in the United States and to seek ways to support similar efforts in other countries. The benefits of specialty development toward improving emergency care globally are likely to be immense.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Feb 2005
ReviewLessons learned from international emergency medicine development.
The lessons learned from development of EM around the world span several key areas including general development, systems comparisons, models of EM practice, and education and training. Neither definitive nor exhaustive, these lessons learned are intended to be viewed as sign posts along the road traveled at this point in international EM development. It is hoped that future participants in international EM development can assimilate these lessons learned, adopt the most relevant ones, and add their own insight and wisdom to this growing list. Most importantly, it is hoped that by whichever path future development takes, we all reach the same destination of providing the best possible emergency medical care for the people of the world.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Feb 2005
Historical ArticleHistory of the development of international emergency medicine.
A future challenge for international EM development is expanding the specialty to Africa, where it is non-existent. Another goal for international EM development is to assist in the peace process in the Middle East. ⋯ Development of international EM has been rapid, with most of the spread of development occurring in the last 10 years. There is great opportunity and reward for students, residents, and EM physicians to further promote and develop EM internationally.
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Blunt arterial injury provides a tremendous challenge to the emergency physician and traumatologist. The overall incidence of these injuries, even with more modern and aggressive screening, is low. Often, they are clinically occult on initial presentation, and untreated, they frequently result in devastating consequences. Great potential exists, however, for averting these deadly consequences by recognizing patterns of injury, prompting expedient diagnosis by rapidly obtaining the appropriate diagnostic study and providing opportunity for specific therapy under the direction of the trauma surgeon.
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TAD and AAA are two of the highest risk disease entities in emergency medicine. Emergency physicians should be vigilant in their approach to patients who have symptoms compatible with acute aortic disease. ⋯ Emergency physicians cannot diagnose every case of acute aortic disease; what they can do is practice with a sound understanding of risk management principles and consider these diagnoses in all patients with chest, back, or abdominal pain. Ultimately, this strategy would provide protection for the patient and the physician.