Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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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.
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Comparative Study
Emergency department characteristics of male sexual assault.
To characterize the nature, frequency, and treatment of male sexual assault encountered by physicians in an ED. A minor objective compared the lengths of time the victim knew the assailant between males and females to determine whether there were differences between male and female victims. ⋯ The percentage of total sexual assaults occurring in males who present to an ED is now more than 10% of all sexual assaults seen in this urban ED. These assaults are associated with a high proportion of patients with documented trauma. Although the treatment of traditional sexually transmitted diseases appears to be covered well, the need for HIV documentation, counseling, and possible HIV prophylaxis should be addressed more aggressively. In comparing the lengths of the relationships between the victim and the assailant, it appears twice as likely that the female victim will not know her assailant compared with the male, and twice as likely that the male victim will know his assailant less than 24 hours compared with the female.
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Editorial Comment Review
Can acutely ill patients consent to research? Resolving an ethical dilemma with facts.