Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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To evaluate probabilistic matching for linking a cohort of cardiac arrest (CA) patients identified in the Metro Toronto Ambulance (MTA) database in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to their appropriate record in either the Vital Statistics Information System (VSIS) or the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) databases and thus establish their clinical outcomes. ⋯ Probabilistic matching is an effective method by which researchers can use existing administrative data to determine outcomes of population cohorts. This is especially valuable in situations where controlled intervention studies are not feasible or may be inappropriate. In this analysis, in-hospital management of admitted CA patients, as determined by hospital-specific survival rates and length of stay, suggests no measurable differences in the care provided to these patients by hospitals in Toronto.
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Faculty development is an important, multifaceted topic in academic medicine. In this article, academic emergency physicians discuss aspects of faculty development, including: 1) a department chair's method for developing individual faculty members, 2) the traditional university approach to promotion and tenure, 3) faculty development in a new department, and 4) personal development.
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There is a rapidly growing interest in emergency medicine (EM) and emergency out-of-hospital care throughout the world. In most countries, the specialty of EM is either nonexistent or in an early stage of development. Many countries have recognized the need for, and value of, establishing a quality emergency health care system and are striving to create the specialty. ⋯ Since the United States has an advanced emergency health care system and the longest history of recognizing EM as a distinct medical specialty, lessons learned in the United States may benefit other countries. In order to provide appropriate advice to countries in the early phase of emergency health care development, careful assessment of national resources, governmental structure, population demographics, culture, and health care needs is necessary. This paper lists specific recommendations for EM organizations and physicians seeking to assist the development of the specialty of EM internationally.