Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Given reported increases in antibiotic resistance among elders with urinary tract infection (UTI) and pyelonephritis, the authors identified national rates and trends in emergency department (ED) trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) and fluoroquinolone prescribing for older adults from 1996 to 2005. ⋯ From 1996 to 2005, TMP-SMX monotherapy in elder ED patients decreased while fluoroquinolone therapy increased. The majority of older patients receiving fluoroquinolone therapy received a single agent. Given the continued prevalence of monotherapy for elder ED patients with UTI or pyelonephritis, antibiotic resistance patterns in these patients should be better characterized to ensure institution of appropriate empiric therapy.
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Prescriptions for controlled substances decrease when regulatory barriers are put in place. The converse has not been studied. ⋯ Patients were more likely to receive a prescription for a Schedule II opioid or a benzodiazepine after a more streamlined computer-generated prescription writing process was introduced in this ED.
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This study sought to account for trends in medical student specialty choice by examining the importance of lifestyle factors. Emergency medicine (EM) is among several medical specialties classified as having a "controllable lifestyle." The primary objective of this study was to determine if medical students choosing careers in EM have a different profile of influences, values, and expectations from students choosing other specialties or specialty groups. Of secondary interest was how much lifestyle influenced students choosing EM compared to students choosing controllable lifestyle (CL) specialties. ⋯ Students choosing a career in EM have distinctly different priorities and influences than students entering PC and SS. The profile of students who choose EM is very similar to those choosing traditional CL specialties. A more thorough understanding of the values and priorities that shape medical student career selection may allow educators to provide better career counseling.
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Historical Article
Get out of my emergency room: thirty years spent inside The house of God.