The American journal of emergency medicine
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The aim of this study was to compare the distribution and frequency of forensic medical events in a refugee group with that of the general population, and thus, extrapolate the problems encountered in the immigrant population. ⋯ In general, the forensic event frequency in the refugee group was lower (p = 0.001); however, this was a single center study, and there could have been unrecorded cases due to an inability to access healthcare assistance, so these results may not be reliable.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
A study of time saved by emergency medicine physicians through working with clinical pharmacists in the emergency department.
To describe quantitatively the impact on physician efficiency when an Emergency Medicine Clinical Pharmacist (EMCP) is available to Emergency Department (ED) physicians while working under a collaborative care agreement in a Michigan-based Health System. ⋯ EMCPs in the ED save physicians a significant amount of time per shift, and categorically the most time saved was in fielding general questions, time spent with critically ill patients, and following up on urine cultures. The time saved by physicians could translate into more patients seen per shift.
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that seat belt use results in a significant decrease in MVC mortality. The rate of obesity is currently extensive. There is limited data on the impact of seat belt use and body mass index (BMI) on mortality and trauma outcomes following MVCs. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of seat belt use and BMI on outcomes in adult trauma patients. ⋯ Use of a seat belt reduced Trauma Center mortality regardless of BMI. Seat belts should be used by all patients as a mechanism to significantly reduce mortality.
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Observational Study
The effect of practice settings on individual Doctor Press Ganey scores: A retrospective cohort review.
The Press Ganey (PG) survey is a patient experience survey mailed to patients upon discharge from the emergency department (ED). It is a nationally recognized survey that is commonly used to measure patient's perception of the healthcare delivered. Emergency medicine physicians at Staten Island University Hospital staff two distinct sites: a tertiary-care setting (SIUH-N) and a community setting (SIUH-S). The goal of our study was to compare the effect of different ED practice settings, within the same hospital and healthcare system, on individual attending physician PG scores. ⋯ Variables other than the individual doctor may be influencing the PG survey responses and perceptions of care. The PG survey may underestimate the impact of different practice settings on individual doctor PG scores.
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Spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) that increases intracranial pressure (ICP) is a life-threatening emergency often requiring intubation in Emergency Departments (ED). A previous study of intubated ED patients found that providing ≥5 interventions after initiating mechanical ventilation (pMVI) reduced mortality rate. We hypothesized that pMVIs would lower blood pressure variability (BPV) in patients with sICH and thus improve survival rates and neurologic outcomes. ⋯ In addition to disease severity, individual pMVIs were significantly associated with BPV and patient outcomes. Emergency physicians should perform pMVIs more frequently to prevent BPV and improve patients' outcomes.