Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Differences in interpretation of the residency review committee (RRC) directive concerning resident scholarly activity have resulted in inconsistencies in the practical fulfillment of this responsibility among the various training programs in emergency medicine. During a workshop organized by the SAEM Research Directors' Interest Group (RDIG), a consensus statement was developed regarding the scope, definition, and purpose of the scholarly project requirement. ⋯ While each residency program must implement the RRC residency requirements in a manner that best suits the needs and culture of its individual environment, a concurrence of definition and approach to satisfying the scholarly project requirement would provide better consistency in resident training. Guidelines developed by consensus during the SAEM RDIG workshop may serve as a general recipe that can be used to fulfill the goals of the scholarly project and the spirit of the RRC directive.
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This article seeks to provide readers with a framework to enable them to assess the quality of the published description or evaluation of a triage system. Similarities between the triage process and the process of diagnosis and the nature of clinical decision rules are noted. Criteria that triage evaluations should meet are recommended, based on methodology suggested from evidence-based medicine, the development of clinical decision rules, and evaluation of diagnostic tests.
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Comparative Study
Fast track and the pediatric emergency department: resource utilization and patients outcomes.
To examine differences in the evaluation, management, and outcomes for patients seen in an on-site "fast track" (FT) vs the main ED. ⋯ Compared with those in the main ED, the study patients seen in the FT had fewer tests ordered and had briefer lengths of stay. These findings were not explained by differences in patient ages, vital signs, or demographic characteristics. No difference in final outcomes or satisfaction was detected among the families contacted for follow-up.
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Comparative Study
The effects of acute and chronic alcohol ingestion on outcome following multiple episodes of mild traumatic brain injury in rats.
Recent studies suggest that in some circumstances, alcohol intoxication at the time of severe head injury may be neuroprotective. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of acute and chronic alcohol ingestion on outcome in rodents sustaining multiple episodes of mild traumatic brain injury while intoxicated. ⋯ The injured intoxicated CA animals had a more rapid recovery of reflexes compared with the injured intoxicated NA animals. Despite initial MWM deficits, the injured NA rodents eventually began to learn the MWM. The injured CA rats never learned the maze. Under the conditions of this study, acute alcohol intoxication at the time of multiple episodes of minor head trauma did not provide neuroprotection for NA or CA rodents.
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To describe and compare national trends in ED use by statistical analyses on data from the 1992 to 1996 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) with a special interest in factors related to nonurgent visits. ⋯ Analyses of data from the NHAMCS identify trends in ED use. The study of nonurgent ED visits with this database has inherent methodologic problems such as retrospective coding and geographic coding inconsistency. Since the nonurgent visit is clearly linked to certain social-demographic factors, addressing these underlying issues by establishing a comprehensive health care system is a priority.