Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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To study changes in ED utilization over a ten-year period; and to try to identify factors that affect utilization. ⋯ For the study hospital there was a direct relationship between the ED utilization and population size as well as a historical trend toward increased patient acuity. These trends quantified at one hospital may reflect trends occurring throughout the United States that would affect ED staffing, space, and resource needs.
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To determine which neurologic signs or symptoms are predictive of new focal lesions on head CT in HIV-infected patients. ⋯ Specific clinical signs and symptoms were associated with the presence of new intracranial lesions in a group of HIV-infected patients who presented to the ED with neurologic complaints. These clinical findings can be incorporated into guidelines for determining the need for emergent head CT. Validation and widespread application of these guidelines could result in limiting the use of emergent neuroimaging to a more well-defined HIV-infected patient population.
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To investigate the epidemiologic characteristics of potentially infectious occupational exposures to blood among emergency medicine (EM) residents. ⋯ Emergency medicine residents are frequently exposed to blood, most commonly due to puncture injuries by sharp objects. The rate of exposure reporting is low, which may compromise appropriate postexposure counseling and prophylaxis.
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Pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellows who entered training after January 1995 are required to complete three years of fellowship training. Additionally, they are required to receive instruction in related basic sciences and to demonstrate research competence. ⋯ More than half of surveyed PEM fellows and program directors perceived important deficiencies in research education within their training programs. Further research is necessary in order to evaluate the validity of these perceptions.