Articles: emergency-medicine.
-
Comparative Study
Level of training, wound care practices, and infection rates.
This prospective, nonrandomized descriptive study compares the traumatic wound infection rates in patients based on level of training of emergency department (ED) practitioners. Wounds were evaluated in 1,163 patients. A wound registry data sheet was prospectively completed on all patients sutured in the ED. ⋯ Patient wound infection rates by practitioner level of training were: medical students, 0/60 (0%); all resident physicians, 17/547 (3.1%); physician assistants, 11/305 (3.6%); and attending physicians 14/251 (5.6%), P was not significant. Comparison of junior (medical students and interns) to senior practitioners (all other practitioners) found no difference in infection rates (8/262 [3.1%] v 34/901 [3.8%], P = .58). In conclusion, carefully selected patients sutured by closely supervised medical students and junior residents have infection rates as low as those sutured by more experienced practitioners.
-
To assess the effectiveness of an international emergency medical services (EMS) train-the-trainer program. ⋯ Despite differences in language, culture, technology, and resources, an international train-the-trainer program can be evaluated. In addition to standard testing, a retrospective before-and-after self-assessment instrument provides corroborative evidence of program success.
-
Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · May 1995
Historical ArticlePediatric emergency medicine. The history of a growing discipline.
Pediatric emergency medicine is evolving into a more clearly described area of medical care. The historical development and future challenges of this subspecialty are discussed. In addition, emergency care for children is reviewed closely, citing differences in the pediatric populations seen in pediatric emergency departments and general emergency departments.
-
To determine whether family members of recently deceased emergency department patients would consent to the performance of a cricothyrotomy on the deceased for educational purposes. ⋯ Although there are difficulties in obtaining consent to perform invasive procedures on the recently deceased in the ED for educational purposes, our study demonstrates that many families will consent to such procedures if adequate information and explanation are provided. The results of this study may not be applicable to institutions serving patients with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
-
This is the thirty-second article in a continuing series of objectives to direct emergency medicine resident experiences on off-service rotations. Instruction during rotations in traumatology may be conducted at the bedside in difficult and demanding clinical settings. Yet, residents must not only obtain an essential fund of knowledge, but also become comfortable with a variety of life-saving and diagnostic procedures. It is essential for residents to have specific goals and objectives to guide their acquisition of knowledge and skills required to manage major trauma effectively.