Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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To determine the rate of error in emergency physician (EP) interpretation of the cause of electrocardiographic (ECG) ST-segment elevation (STE) in adult chest pain patients. ⋯ Emergency physicians show a low rate of ECG misinterpretation in the patient with chest pain and STE. The clinical consequences of this misinterpretation are minimal.
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Case Reports
Clinical errors in emergency medicine: experience at the emergency department of an Italian teaching hospital.
The level of commitment in the analysis of clinical errors made in the emergency department (ED) is currently focused on organization and processes rather than on individual action. Four major cases of clinical errors made in the ED of a teaching hospital were investigated. ⋯ The authors have initiated a systematic analysis of errors made during the diagnostic workup in their ED, and the rate of clinically significant errors is tracked. A file is being created with the purpose to use it for teaching and orientation of all new staff.
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An unacceptably high rate of medical error occurs in the emergency department (ED). Professional accountability requires that EDs be managed to systematically eliminate error. This requires advocacy and leadership at every level of the specialty and at each institution in order to be effective and sustainable. ⋯ Such efforts should be coupled to systematic analysis of errors that occur. Reliable reporting is likely only if the system is based within the specialty to help ensure proper analysis and decrease threat. Ultimate success will require dedicated effort, continued advocacy, and promotion of research.