Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
A novel online didactic curriculum helps improve knowledge acquisition among non-emergency medicine rotating residents.
Rotating residents represent a significant proportion of housestaff in academic emergency departments (EDs), yet they rarely receive targeted didactic education during their emergency medicine (EM) rotations. The goals of this study were: 1) to determine the effectiveness of an online didactic curriculum in improving EM knowledge among rotating residents and 2) to assess rotating resident satisfaction with this curriculum. ⋯ After exposure to an online didactic curriculum, rotating residents demonstrated a significant increase in EM knowledge and reported a high level of satisfaction with the didactic program.
-
As the specialty of emergency medicine evolves in countries around the world, and as interest in international emergency medicine (IEM) grows within the United States, the IEM Literature Review Group recognizes an ongoing need for a high-quality, consolidated, and easily accessible evidence base of literature. The IEM Literature Review Group produces an annual publication that strives to provide readers with access to the highest quality and most relevant IEM research from the previous year. ⋯ Articles were selected for the review according to explicit, predetermined criteria that emphasize both methodologic quality and impact of the research. It is our hope that this annual review acts as a forum for disseminating best practices, while also stimulating further research in the field of IEM.
-
Emergency medicine (EM) in North America has been undergoing significant transformation since the new century. Recent health care reform has put it center stage. Access demand for acute care is increasing at the same time the number of qualified emergency physicians entering service has reached a plateau. Physician assistants (PAs), one alternative, are employed in emergency departments (EDs), but little is known about the impact of their role. ⋯ The use of PAs in EDs is increasing, and this expansion is due to necessity in staffing and economy of scale. Unique uses of PAs include wound management, acute care transfer management to the wards, and rural health emergency staffing. While their role seems to be expanding, this assessment identified gaps in deployment research using appropriate outcome measures in the area of clinical effectiveness of PAs.
-
Comparative Study
Comparison of succinylcholine and rocuronium for first-attempt intubation success in the emergency department.
The objective was to determine the effect of paralytic type and dose on first-attempt rapid sequence intubation (RSI) success in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Succinylcholine and rocuronium are equivalent with regard to first-attempt intubation success in the ED when dosed according to the ranges used in this study.
-
Observational studies of patients with cocaine-associated myocardial infarction have suggested more coronary disease than expected on the basis of patient age. The study objective was to determine whether cocaine use is associated with coronary disease in low- to intermediate-risk emergency department (ED) patients with potential acute coronary syndrome (ACS). ⋯ In symptomatic ED patients at low to intermediate risk of an ACS, cocaine use was not associated with an increased likelihood of coronary disease after adjustment for age, race, sex, and other risk factors for coronary disease.