Annals of emergency medicine
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Although almost 2 decades have passed since the International Headache Society first introduced its International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD), the applicability of this classification scheme in the emergency department (ED) has not been assessed. As a first step toward identifying the role the ICHD should play in the ED, we address 2 questions: Can a structured interview and adherence to the ICHD allow ED headache patients to be classified in a reproducible manner? With the ICHD, how often can one specific diagnosis be assigned to each ED headache presentation? ⋯ Although a detailed structured interview in the ED and adherence to the ICHD resulted in reproducible classification of headache patients, more than one third of acute headache patients could not readily be given a specific ICHD diagnosis in the ED.
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Comparative Study
Intimate partner violence and emergency department screening: computerized screening versus usual care.
To compare a computer-based method of screening for intimate partner violence (intimate partner violence) with usual care in an emergency department (ED) setting. ⋯ We found that a computer-based approach led to significantly higher intimate partner violence screening and detection rates compared to usual care. Receipt of intimate partner violence services was also higher than usual care but was not optimal. Computer technology makes routine screening easier and allows us to redirect our energies to addressing patients' intimate partner violence problems.
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Ultrasonographic confirmation of intraosseous needle placement in an adult unembalmed cadaver model.
Intraosseous access is widely used in pediatric and adult resuscitations when vascular access cannot be promptly established. Confirmation of intraosseous needle placement has traditionally relied on the ability to aspirate blood or marrow or infuse crystalloid easily. This study's aim is to determine the value of bedside ultrasonography as a means of confirming intraosseous needle placement by visualizing the flow of crystalloid within the intraosseous space. ⋯ In freshly frozen cadavers, ultrasonographic visualization of flow within the intraosseous space may be a reliable method of confirming intraosseous placement. The observation of flow into the drip reservoir appears to be an unreliable indicator of intraosseous placement in fresh frozen cadavers.