Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Impact of a triage liaison physician on emergency department overcrowding and throughput: a randomized controlled trial.
Triage liaison physicians (TLPs) have been employed in overcrowded emergency departments (EDs); however, their effectiveness remains unclear. ⋯ A TLP improved important outcomes in an overcrowded ED and could improve delivery of emergency medical care in similar tertiary care EDs.
-
To validate the Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis (MEDS) score, the Confusion, Urea nitrogen, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, 65 years of age and older (CURB-65) score, and a modified Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (mREMS) in patients with suspected infection. ⋯ In this large cohort of patients with clinically suspected infection, MEDS, mREMS, and CURB-65 all correlated well with 28-day in-hospital mortality.
-
Ectopic pregnancies are frequently present in women who present to the emergency department with pregnancy and abdominal pain or bleeding, a subset of whom may require operative intervention. ⋯ Free intraperitoneal fluid found in Morison's pouch in patients with suspected ectopic pregnancy may be rapidly identified at the bedside by EP-performed US and predicts the need for operative intervention.
-
Tracking medical student clinical encounters is now an accreditation requirement of medical schools. The use of handheld computers for electronic logging is emerging as a strategy to achieve this. ⋯ Electronic logging by medical students during their emergency medicine clerkship has many potential benefits as a method to document clinical encounters and procedures performed. However, this study demonstrated poor compliance and dissatisfaction with the process. In order for electronic logging using handheld computers to be a beneficial educational tool for both learners and educators, obstacles to effective implementation need to be addressed.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Midazolam vs. diphenhydramine for the treatment of metoclopramide-induced akathisia: a randomized controlled trial.
To compare the effects of midazolam, which is a fast and short-acting benzodiazepine, and diphenhydramine, which is a widely used anticholinergic agent, in clinical practice for the treatment of metoclopramide-induced akathisia. ⋯ Midazolam can correct the symptoms of metoclopramide-induced akathisia faster than diphenhydramine, but it causes more sedation.