The American journal of emergency medicine
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The Emergency Department (ED) is known for its high rates of medication errors secondary to many characteristics such as unfamiliar patients, lack of continuity of care, increasing patient volumes, reliance on verbal orders, and fewer safety mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to quantify and characterize the medication errors that occur in patients discharged from the ED. ⋯ This review identified a 16.5% error rate among all prescriptions provided to patients upon ED discharge that varied among different subcategories of medications. This is consistent with the limited literature that is currently available on the topic. These results could assist institutions in developing targeted mitigation strategies to limit medication misadventures in patients discharged from the ED.
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Elderly people, defined by age 65 years and older, made up 18.45% of the Swiss Population in 2018 and their number is projected to rise continuously. Data investigating specific characteristics of this patient subgroup, especially in the emergency setting, is scarce. ⋯ The number of elderly patients admitted to our ED is continuously rising. There was no difference in overall disease burden, number of medications and hospital length of stay between octogenarians and nonagenarians. We identified risk factors for mortality, long hospitalizations and need of placement in a nursing facility.
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Difficult intravenous access (DIVA) is a common problem in Emergency Departments (EDs), yet the prevalence and clinical impact of this condition is poorly understood. Ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous catheter (USGPIV) insertion is a successful modality for obtaining intravenous (IV) access in patients with DIVA. ⋯ DIVA affects many ED patients and leads to delays in PIV access-related care. Nurse insertion of USGPIVs improves care in patients with DIVA.
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Inferior hip dislocations are the least common form of hip dislocation. They require a high energy mechanism of injury and are often associated with other traumatic limb and life threatening injuries. ⋯ On arrival he was diagnosed with a right inferior hip dislocation among other critical findings. This case report provides a brief literature review of this poorly studied clinical entity and seeks to educate physicians providing emergency, traumatic, orthopedic or critical care to patients who present with acute inferior hip dislocations.