Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Emergency departments (EDs) provide care to ethnically diverse populations with multiple health-related risk factors, many of which are associated with intimate partner violence (IPV). This paper examines ethnic-specific 12-month rates of physical IPV by severity and their association with drinking and other sociodemographic and personality correlates in an urban ED sample. ⋯ There was considerable variation in IPV rates across ethnic groups in the sample. The null results for the association between respondents' drinking and IPV was surprising and may stem from the relatively moderate levels of drinking in the sample. Results for ethnicity, showing blacks as more likely than Hispanics to report IPV, support prior literature.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomized placebo-controlled trial of droperidol and ondansetron for adult emergency department patients with nausea.
The objective was to separately compare effectiveness of 1.25 mg of intravenous (IV) droperidol and 8 mg of IV ondansetron with 0.9% saline placebo for adult emergency department (ED) patients with nausea. A novel primary outcome measure, expected to aid clinical interpretation of reported results, was employed. ⋯ For adult ED patients with nausea, superiority was not demonstrated for droperidol or ondansetron over placebo.
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Multicenter Study
Variation in Emergency Department Adherence to Treatment Guidelines for Inpatient Pneumonia and Sepsis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for the treatment of pneumonia and sepsis have existed for many years with multiple studies suggesting improved patient outcomes. Despite their importance, little is known about variation in emergency department (ED) adherence to these CPGs. Our objectives were to estimate variation in ED adherence across CPGs for pneumonia and sepsis and identify patient, provider, and environmental factors associated with adherence. ⋯ Adherence to ED infectious CPGs for pneumonia and sepsis varies significantly across diseases and types of institutions with significant room for improvement, especially in light of a significant association with in-hospital mortality.
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Ketamine has been studied as an alternative to opioids for acute pain in the emergency department setting. This review compares the effectives of intravenous ketamine at a dose of <0.5mg/kg to opioids for acute pain in adult patients. ⋯ Ketamine was found to have similar effectiveness to opioids. Increased, but short-lived, side effects were seen with ketamine.