Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Observational Study
Emergency Department Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) Incidence in the Era of Prevention Practices.
The incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) attributed to central venous catheters (CVCs) inserted in the emergency department (ED) is not widely reported. The goal was to report the incidence of ED CLABSI. Secondary goals included determining the effect of a CVC bundle introduced by the hospital infection prevention department to decrease CLABSI during the surveillance period. ⋯ The CLABSI rates in this academic medical center ED were in the range of those reported by the ICU. The effect of ED CLABSI prevention practices requires further research dedicated to surveying ED CLABSI rates.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Just-in-Time to Save Lives: A Pilot Study of Layperson Tourniquet Application.
The objective was to determine whether just-in-time (JiT) instructions increase successful tourniquet application by laypersons. ⋯ Just-in-time instructions increase laypeople's successful application of C-A-T. This pilot study provides evidence that JiT instructions may assist the lay public in providing effective point-of-injury hemorrhage control.
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Constipation is a common and potentially serious side effect of oral opioids. Accordingly, most clinical guidelines suggest routine use of laxatives to prevent opioid-induced constipation. The objective was to characterize emergency provider prescribing of laxatives to prevent constipation among adults initiating outpatient opioid treatment. ⋯ In this nationally representative sample, laxatives were not routinely prescribed to adults discharged from the ED with prescriptions for opioid pain medications. Routine prescribing of laxatives for ED visits may improve the safety and effectiveness of outpatient opioid pain management.
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Qualitative methods are increasingly being used in emergency care research. Rigorous qualitative methods can play a critical role in advancing the emergency care research agenda by allowing investigators to generate hypotheses, gain an in-depth understanding of health problems or specific populations, create expert consensus, and develop new intervention and dissemination strategies. ⋯ These elements include building the research team, preparing data collection guides, defining and obtaining an adequate sample, collecting and organizing qualitative data, and coding and analyzing the data. We also discuss potential ethical considerations unique to qualitative research as it relates to emergency care research.
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In non-emergency department (ED) settings, women with atrial fibrillation and flutter (AFF) have different presentations, treatments, and outcomes than men: they are older, less likely to be treated with rhythm control strategies or appropriate anticoagulation, and more likely to have strokes. This has not been investigated in ED patients. ⋯ Female ED AFF patients were older, had more comorbidities, and were more likely to be admitted. However, the overall management and outcomes, including 30-day revisits, appeared to be similar to that of males, indicating that there appeared to be little sex-based discrepancy in ED care and outcomes.