Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Worsening renal function in patients admitted with heart failure is associated with increased morbidity. These changes are not usually apparent initially and often take up to 48 hours to be detected. Using the novel technique of metabolomic analysis, this study aims to determine if markers of renal injury are identifiable at presentation that are associated with the development of worsening renal function in high-risk patients with heart failure. ⋯ Urinary metabolites found at the time of presentation may be markers of early renal injury. It is therefore possible that the process of renal injury is initiated prior to ED arrival in patients with suspected heart failure, and these may be used to identify a high-risk patient population.
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Systematic evaluation of prehospital provider performance during actual resuscitations is difficult. Although prior studies reported pediatric drug-dosing mistakes and other types of management errors, the underlying causes of those errors were not investigated. The objective of this study was to identify causes of errors during a simulated, prehospital pediatric emergency. ⋯ Simulation, followed immediately by facilitated debriefing, uncovered underlying causes of active cognitive, procedural, affective, and teamwork errors, latent errors, and error-producing conditions in EMS pediatric care.
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The technical errors of physicians learning to perform focused assessment with sonography in trauma.
The objective was to assess the incidence of various technical errors committed by emergency physicians (EPs) learning to perform focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST). ⋯ The incidence of specific technical errors of EPs learning to perform FAST at our institution improved with hands-on experience. Interpretive skills improved more rapidly than image acquisition skills.
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The benefits of mentorship for the protégé are well established and include increased career satisfaction, advancement, and income. Mentors can derive satisfaction from personal and professional networks within their institutions and specialties. However, the advantages of being a mentor are underreported in the medical literature. ⋯ Organizations enjoy worker longevity from both members of the partnership and benefit from the formation of networks. In the K-12 education model, master teachers who train novices are more likely to remain in the classroom or advance to an administrative role. Application of the principles from these disciplines to academic medicine is likely to produce similarly positive outcomes of personal satisfaction, collaboration, and academic and institutional advancement.