Annals of emergency medicine
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The 1994 basic-EMT (EMT-B) curriculum recommended teaching EMT-Bs the skill of endotracheal intubation. In this study we assessed the success and complication rates of endotracheal intubations in the field by EMT-Bs. ⋯ EMT-Bs trained in a short course successfully intubated about half the patients they encountered in this study. This low intubation success rate calls into question the validity of the endotracheal-intubation training module in the 1994 EMT-B national curriculum. [Sayre MR, Sakles JC, Mistler AF, Evans JL, Kramer AT, Pancioli AM: Field trial of endotracheal intubation by basic EMTs. Ann Emerg Med February 1998;31:228-233.].
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Comparative Study
Interrater reliability of cervical spine injury criteria in patients with blunt trauma.
To determine the interrater reliability of previously defined risk criteria for cervical spine injury. ⋯ The combined cervical spine injury criteria have substantial interrater reliability. Individual criteria are slightly less reliable.
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[Hughes MG: Wings. Ann Emerg Med February 1998;31:283-284.].
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This article provides information supporting the need for new outcome measures in emergency care. It also addresses the use of outcome measures in emergency care, the impact of emergency care, identification of at-risk groups, new approaches to measuring patient satisfaction, quality of life and cost-effectiveness, and the unique related implications for emergency medicine.
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Comparative Study
Emergency department hypertension and regression to the mean.
To evaluate the importance of regression to the mean in the assessment of asymptomatic hypertension in the emergency department. ⋯ Patients who present with asymptomatic hypertension in the ED on average experience a spontaneous decline in blood pressure after they arrive. Most of this effect can be explained by regression to the mean. A small amount of this drop may represent attenuation of an initial alerting reaction.