Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
-
To determine the prevalence of performing procedures on the recently deceased for training purposes in emergency departments (EDs) with emergency medicine (EM) training programs. ⋯ The performance of procedures on the recently deceased is a common and important practice in EM training programs. Consent is infrequently obtained and policies concerning this practice are rare and restrictive when present.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Intramuscular droperidol versus intramuscular dimenhydrinate for the treatment of acute peripheral vertigo in the emergency department: a randomized clinical trial.
The emergency department (ED) treatment of acute peripheral vertigo (APV) has not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of intramuscular (IM) droperidol vs IM dimenhydrinate, in the treatment of ED patients with APV. ⋯ The authors found no difference between the therapeutic efficacies of IM droperidol and dimenhydrinate for the treatment of acute peripheral vertigo.
-
Visual analog pain scales are reliable measures in older children and adults; however, pain studies that include young children often rely on parental or practitioner assessments for measuring pain severity. The authors correlated patient, parental, and practitioner pain assessments for young children with acute pain. ⋯ There is poor agreement between pain ratings by children, parents, and practitioners. It is unclear which assessment best approximates the true degree of pain the child is experiencing.
-
To examine the impact primary care referral has on subsequent emergency department (ED) utilization. ⋯ For uninsured patients with no regular health care provider, improving access to primary care services is not enough to reduce their visits to the ED.
-
An equitable and effective compensation system is essential to the smooth and productive operation of any academic department. While academic departments of emergency medicine must meet clinical, teaching, research, and administrative missions, they are disproportionately reliant on funds derived from clinical activities. The Department of Emergency Medicine at UCSD is a freestanding academic hospital department with responsibility and accountability for its own finances. ⋯ Faculty have the option of adjusting clinical workload with resultant formulaic modification of departmental salary support. Salary adjustment fosters the core value of clinical service and provides incentive for senior faculty to remain clinically active. The system has been in place for more than six years and has been associated with an excellent record of patient care, teaching, academic productivity, administrative service, faculty stability, and fiscal integrity.