Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) need frequent emergency care due to flares of their disease. However, understanding which patients are most vulnerable to repeat emergency care due to recurrent flares of their disease remains poor. ⋯ Our study identified multiple patient characteristics associated with higher recurrent short-term use of the ED for IBD care. Although we did not find prompt outpatient follow-up after initial ED visit to be protective, targeted interventions directed at high-risk individuals based on mood disorders, opiate use, or steroid use may help to optimize care and health care utilization.
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During acute health deterioration, emergency medicine and palliative care clinicians routinely discuss code status (e.g., shared decision making about mechanical ventilation) with seriously ill patients. Little is known about their approaches. We sought to elucidate how code status conversations are conducted by emergency medicine and palliative care clinicians and why their approaches are different. ⋯ Emergency medicine and palliative care clinicians reported conducting code status conversations differently. The rationales may be shaped by their clinical practices and experiences.
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This study aims to assess the change in cervical spine (C-spine) immobilization frequency in trauma patients over time. We hypothesize that the frequency of unnecessary C-spine immobilization has decreased. ⋯ Unnecessary C-spine stabilization has decreased from 2014 to 2021. However, c-collars are still being applied to patients who do not need them, both in blunt and in penetrating trauma cases, while not being applied to patients who would benefit from them.