Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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To assess the change in prevalence of bioterrorism training among emergency medicine (EM) residencies from 1998 to 2005, to characterize current training, and to identify characteristics of programs that have implemented more intensive training methods. ⋯ Training of EM residents in bioterrorism preparedness has increased markedly since 1998. However, training is often of low intensity, relying mainly on nonexperiential instruction such as lectures. Although current recommendations are that training in bioterrorism include experiential learning experiences, the authors found the rate of these experiences to be low.
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Elder patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are less likely to receive cardiac catheterization. The reasons for this are unclear. ⋯ Elder patients with ACS residing in extended care facilities or who are DNR-DNI are less likely to receive cardiac catheterization. Future studies concerning the quality of ACS care for elders should take these variables into account.
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To quantify the impact of input and output factors on emergency department (ED) process outcomes while controlling for patient-level variables. ⋯ Achieving significant improvement in ED throughput is unlikely without determining the most important factors on process outcomes and taking measures to address variations in ED input and bottlenecks in the ED output stream.
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Comparative Study
Duplex ultrasound in the emergency department for the diagnostic management of clinically suspected deep vein thrombosis.
To evaluate the accuracy and safety of an emergency duplex ultrasound (EDUS) evaluation performed by emergency physicians in the emergency department. ⋯ EDUS examination yielded a high negative predictive value and good positive predictive value, allowing rapid discharge and avoiding improper anticoagulant treatment.