The American journal of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study
Forecast modeling to identify changes in pediatric emergency department utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To identify trends in pediatric emergency department (ED) utilization following the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Pediatric ED utilization has remained low following the COVID-19 pandemic, and below forecasted utilization for most diagnoses. Nearly all conditions demonstrated substantial declines below forecasted rates from the prior decade and which persisted through the end of the year. Some declines in non-communicable diseases may represent unmet healthcare needs among children. Further study is warranted to understand the impact of policies aimed at curbing pandemic disease on children.
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The year 2020 was not easy for Emergency Medicine (EM) clinicians with the burden of tackling a pandemic. A large focus, rightfully so, was placed on the evolving diagnosis and management of patients with COVID-19 and, as such, the ability of clinicians to remain up to date on key EM pharmacotherapy literature may have been compromised. ⋯ A total of fifteen articles, eleven trials and four meta-analyses, were identified. This review provides a summary of each study, along with a commentary on the impact to the EM literature and EM clinician.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Association between patients' body mass index and emergency department wait times: A multicenter observational cohort investigation by the reducing disparities increasing equity in emergency medicine (REDEEM) study group.
Numerous studies have demonstrated evidence of obesity bias in healthcare settings, however, little is known about obesity bias in the Emergency Department (ED). The objective of this study was to investigate obesity bias in an ED setting by assessing the association between body mass index (BMI) and door-to-room (DTR) or door-to-provider (DTP) times among ED patients. ⋯ We did not find evidence of longer wait times experienced by people with obesity. Rather, patients with obesity often experienced wait times that were shorter than patients of normal weight.
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The initial surge of critically ill patients in the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted processes at acute care hospitals. This study examines the frequency and causes for patients upgraded to intensive care unit (ICU) level care following admission from the emergency department (ED) to non-critical care units. ⋯ Consistent with the behavioral literature, this suggests that stressful ambient conditions affect cognitive reasoning processes.
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Case Reports
Reduced pain perception in patients with schizophrenia; A missed case of hand fracture.
Altered pain perception among patients with schizophrenia is often underrecognized in the medical community. The cause is not known, and medical professionals are not sure whether these patients experience less pain or are simply unable to express it. ⋯ We report a case of a patient with schizophrenia who presented voluntarily to the emergency department (ED) with a hand fracture that went unrecognized in the ED and further discuss the implications of reduced pain perception. Additionally, we summarize existing hypotheses regarding the source of this reduced pain perception in this population.