Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A health promotion intervention for families in a Medicaid managed care plan.
To determine whether implementation of an intervention based on a model of health promotion will encourage patients to seek care from their primary care provider (PCP) and reduce visits to the pediatric ED (PED) for minor illness. ⋯ There was no difference in health care utilization between the intervention and control groups at 12-month follow-up. The health promotion intervention did not alter utilization habits.
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To determine the utility of the ED physical examination and laboratory analysis in screening hospitalized pediatric blunt trauma patients for intra-abdominal injuries (IAIs). ⋯ In children hospitalized for blunt torso trauma who are at moderate risk for IAI, ED findings of abdominal abrasions, an abnormal chest examination, and microscopic hematuria as well as elevated levels of AST and ALT, and elevated WBC count are associated with IAI.
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Editorial Comment Review
Can acutely ill patients consent to research? Resolving an ethical dilemma with facts.
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To establish the prevalence of domestic violence committed by women against male patients presenting to an urban ED for any reason. ⋯ Almost 13% of men in this sample population had been victims of domestic violence committed by a female intimate partner within the previous year. Further attention to the recognition and management of domestic violence committed by women against men may be warranted.
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Because of stress and illness, conscious emergency medicine (EM) patients may be temporarily cognitively impaired and thus incapable of participating in the informed consent process for acute care research. This pilot study sought to assess the mental capacity of ED patients during their evaluation and treatment for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). ⋯ This pilot study suggests that some patients with AMI may have difficulty processing information necessary to give informed consent for acute care research. Routine clinical evaluation may not detect this cognitive defect.