Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
-
Comparative Study
Comparison of the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Scale and the Emergency Department Work Index for quantifying emergency department crowding.
Emergency department (ED) crowding is just beginning to be quantified. The only two scales presently available are the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Scale (NEDOCS) and the Emergency Department Work Index (EDWIN). ⋯ Both scales had high AUCs, correlated well with each other, and showed good discrimination for predicting ED overcrowding. This establishes construct validity for these scales as measures of overcrowding. Which scale is used in an ED is dependent on which set of data is most readily available, with the favored scale being the NEDOCS.
-
To describe the prevalence of depressive symptoms in adolescents presenting to the emergency department (ED) and to describe their demographics and outcomes compared with adolescents endorsing low levels of depressive symptoms. ⋯ Depressive symptoms are prevalent in this screening sample, regardless of presenting complaint. A substantial proportion of patients with nonpsychiatric chief complaints endorsed moderate or severe depressive symptoms. A screening program might allow earlier identification and referral of patients at risk for depression.
-
To report on the sixth survey of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) of emergency medicine faculty salaries, benefits, work hours, and department demographics for all programs accredited by the Residency Review Committee for Emergency Medicine (RRC-EM). ⋯ Reported salaries for full-time emergency medicine residency faculty continue to rise overall but fell for the first time in one region (the Midwest). Academic rank continues to correlate directly with salary. Fellowship training continues to show a negative correlation with salary. Significant regional differences in salaries have been present in all six SAEM surveys.
-
To assess waiting times in emergency departments (EDs) for on-call specialist response and how these might vary by facility or neighborhood characteristics. Limited availability of on-call specialists is thought to contribute to ED overcrowding. ⋯ Although the majority of on-call specialists met the federal recommendation of a 30-minute response, those in poor neighborhoods were less likely to do so. One in ten on-call specialists did not respond at all. State and federal policies should focus on making more funding available for on-call specialist panels in poor areas.
-
To compare the demographic and injury characteristics of children visiting the emergency department (ED) for nonfatal injuries occurring at school with those of same-aged children who were injured outside of school. ⋯ A significant proportion of injuries to school-aged children occur at school. Notable differences exist between the epidemiology of in- and out-of-school injuries. The nature of these injuries differs by age group. Efforts to reduce school injuries will require that these differences be examined further and incorporated into prevention initiatives.