Annals of emergency medicine
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Information needs for emergency medicine research and for practice are closely related. A well-developed information system can serve both, allowing data gathered in one setting to be used for the other. To produce the best environment for emergency medicine research, providers should support data standards, promote education in data analysis, and understand the informational structure of emergency medicine practice.
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To measure tuberculosis (TB) conversion rates among staff of an urban emergency department compared with other hospital employees (OHEs) and to evaluate the effectiveness of new TB control measures. ⋯ TB conversion rates were 5.9 times greater in ED staff members than OHEs before engineering controls were implemented. The ED TB conversion rate fell dramatically in the year following new TB controls. Many EDs are high-risk sites for TB exposure and may benefit from similar measures.
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Establishing the efficacy of emergency care for patients--what should or should not be done in the emergency department--requires patients to come to an ED under close-to-ideal situations, and on leaving the ED to be treated under ideal circumstances. Randomized, controlled clinical trials are needed to answer the efficacy question.