Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Substance use disorder (SUD) among women of reproductive age is a complex public health problem affecting a diverse spectrum of women and their families, with potential consequences across generations. The goals of this study were 1) to describe and compare the prevalence of patterns of injury requiring emergency department (ED) visits among SUD-positive and SUD-negative women and 2) among SUD-positive women, to investigate the association of specific categories of injury with type of substance used. ⋯ The presence of SUD increases the likelihood that women in the 15- to 49-year age group will present to the ED with injury. Conversely, women with injury may be more likely to be involved in alcohol abuse or other substance use. The high rates of injury that we identified among women with SUD suggest the utility of including a brief, validated screen for substance use as part of an ED injury treatment protocol and referring injured women for assessment and/or treatment when scores indicate the likelihood of SUD.
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Sex and gender affect all aspects of health and disease, including pathophysiology, epidemiology, presentation, treatment, and outcomes. Sex- and gender-specific medicine (SGM) is a rapidly developing field rooted in women's health; however, inclusion of SGM in emergency medicine (EM) is currently lacking. ⋯ This article describes methods used to establish a new multidisciplinary training program in sex, gender, and women's health based in a department of EM. Women's health and SGM program initiatives span clinical care, patient education, clinical research, resident and fellow training, and faculty development.
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Over the past two decades, a burgeoning interest in women's health, the direct consequence of the feminist movement, has inspired a worldwide interest in the differences between the normal function of men and women and their unique experiences of the same illnesses. The scope and significance of what we have discovered and continue to find has fundamentally changed the way we prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases. Important questions remain, however, and deserve specific investigation and analysis.
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The 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference has taken the first step in identifying gender-specific care as an area of importance to both emergency medicine (EM) and research. To improve patient care, we need to address educational gaps in this area concurrent with research gaps. ⋯ Specific examples of incorporating this content into grand rounds, simulation, bedside teaching, and journal club sessions are reviewed. Future challenges and strategies to fill the gaps in the current education model are also described.
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Editorial Comment
Women's Health: Essential Curriculum in Emergency Medicine.