Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Historical Article
What Emergency Physicians Should Know About Informed Consent: Legal Scenarios, Cases, and Caveats.
The basic concept of obtaining informed consent is familiar to emergency physicians, and many consider themselves well versed on the topic; however, lack of obtaining proper informed consent is a frequent source of lawsuits. The legal definitions and nuances of informed consent might surprise even the most experienced physician. ⋯ Special scenarios, caveats, and documentation recommendations are discussed. After reading this article the emergency physician will know how to practice and document the appropriate aspects of informed consent in emergency medicine, as well as understand available legal defenses if a lawsuit should arise.
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Review Meta Analysis
Point-of-care Ultrasonography for the Diagnosis of Acute Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema in Patients Presenting With Acute Dyspnea: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Acute dyspnea is a common presenting complaint to the emergency department (ED), and point-of-care (POC) lung ultrasound (US) has shown promise as a diagnostic tool in this setting. The primary objective of this systematic review was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of US using B-lines in diagnosing acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema (ACPE) in patients presenting to the ED with acute dyspnea. ⋯ This study suggests that in patients with a moderate to high pretest probability for ACPE, an US study showing B-lines can be used to strengthen an emergency physician's working diagnosis of ACPE. In patients with a low pretest probability for ACPE, a negative US study can almost exclude the possibility of ACPE. Further studies including large numbers of ED patients presenting with undifferentiated dyspnea are required to gain more valid and reliable estimates of test accuracy in ED patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Efficacy of AccuVein to Facilitate Peripheral Intravenous Placement in Adults Presenting to an Emergency Department: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
In the emergency department (ED), intravenous (IV) catheter placement is one of the most frequent interventions and may be a real challenge in some conditions. Improvement of the success rate with new technology represents a great opportunity. This randomized controlled trial aimed to show the superiority of AccuVein to cannulate veins in adults compared to routine care. ⋯ Use of the AccuVein did not improve IV cannulation in nonselected ED patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Asynchronous E-learning: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Solomon Four-group Study.
Asynchronous e-learning allows for targeted teaching, particularly advantageous when bedside and didactic education is insufficient. An asynchronous e-learning curriculum has not been studied across multiple centers in the context of a clinical rotation. We hypothesize that an asynchronous e-learning curriculum during the pediatric emergency medicine (EM) rotation improves medical knowledge among residents and students across multiple participating centers. ⋯ Asynchronous e-learning is an effective educational tool to improve knowledge in a clinical rotation. Web-based asynchronous e-learning is a promising modality to standardize education among multiple institutions with common curricula, particularly in clinical rotations where scheduling difficulties, seasonality, and variable experiences limit in-hospital learning.