Articles: emergency-medicine.
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Comparative Study
Evaluation of hemoperitoneum using a single- vs multiple-view ultrasonographic examination.
To compare the sensitivities, specificities, and accuracies between a single-view ultrasonography (US) technique and a multiple-view technique for identifying hemoperitoneum in multiple-trauma patients. ⋯ An initial trauma US examination using a multiple-view technique is more sensitive than that using a single-view technique for detecting hemoperitoneum in trauma patients.
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Much of today's medical care relies on experience unsupported by investigation, and emergency medical care is no exception; research is necessary to improve this care. Critically ill and injured patients are the patients who will benefit the most from improvements in emergency medical diagnostic and treatment methods. Yet, the federal bureaucracy has effectively banned research on these patients, since they cannot generally give "informed consent." We argue that, with the proper safeguards, research on critically ill and injured patients should be performed in the emergency medicine (EDs and EMS) settings without informed consent. To require such consent when not obtainable compromises both the researchers who must get such consent and the patients who must continue to endure old, and often untested therapies.
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To assess the proficiency of emergency medicine (EM) trainees in the recognition of physical findings pertinent to the care of the critically ill patient. ⋯ These data confirm the recently reported deficiencies of physical diagnosis skills among physicians in training. The results are particularly disturbing because they relate to EM trainees and concern skills useful in the ED. Physical diagnosis should gain more attention in both medical schools and residency programs.
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To quantify one aspect of emergency medicine (EM) training by determining the proportion of emergency procedures performed by emergency physicians (EPs) in EDs with EM residency programs (EMRPs). ⋯ EPs in EDs of institutions that have EMRPs perform, on average, 50% of all index procedures (95% CI 47%, 52%). This information may assist EM programs experiencing difficulty in ensuring that their residents receive an equitable share of those procedures that are critical to their training.