Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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This article provides information supporting the need for new outcome measures in emergency care. It also addresses the use of these measures in emergency care, the impact of emergency care, identification of at-risk groups, new approaches to measuring patient satisfaction, quality of life, and cost-effectiveness, and the related unique implications for emergency medicine.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Intramuscular ketorolac vs oral ibuprofen in emergency department patients with acute pain.
To determine whether i.m. ketorolac is superior to oral ibuprofen in patients presenting to an ED in moderate to severe pain. ⋯ I.m. ketorolac and oral ibuprofen provide comparable levels of analgesia in ED patients presenting with moderate to severe pain. Unfortunately, 40% of all the patients had inadequate pain relief (pain score > or = 5) from either ketorolac or ibuprofen.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effectiveness of 50% nitrous oxide/50% oxygen during laceration repair in children.
To determine the effect of an inhaled 50% nitrous oxide/50% oxygen mixture on measures of observed anxiety in children during laceration repair. ⋯ Administration of a 50% nitrous oxide/50% oxygen mixture to children during their laceration repair resulted in a significant decrease in measures of anxiety when compared with inhalation of 100% oxygen.
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1) To assess Canadian emergency physicians' (EPs') use of and attitudes toward 2 radiographic clinical decision rules that have recently been developed and to identify physician characteristics associated with decision rule use; 2) to determine the use of CT head and cervical spine radiography by EPs and their beliefs about the appropriateness of expert recommendations supporting the routine use of these radiographic procedures; and 3) to determine the potential acceptance of clinical decision rules for CT scan in patients with minor head injury and cervical spine radiography in trauma patients. ⋯ Canadian EPs are generally supportive of clinical decision rules and, in particular, have very positive attitudes toward the Ottawa Ankle and Knee Rules. Furthermore, EPs disagree with recommendations for routine use of CT head and cervical spine radiography and strongly support the development of well-validated decision rules for the use of CT head and cervical spine radiography. Most EPs expected the latter rules to be 100% sensitive for acute clinically significant lesions.
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To examine the consistency of Australasian National Triage Scale (NTS) categorization in a large hospital ED, especially in relation to daily activity. ⋯ In this ED, triage categorization according to the Australasian NTS does not vary with daily activity and has been consistent over time. Further study in other settings is required, particularly to identify variation dependent on the presenting population.