Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
-
Diagnosing stroke in dizzy patients remains a challenge in emergency medicine. The accuracy of the neuroophthalmologic examination HINTS performed by emergency physicians (EPs) is unknown. Our objective was to determine the accuracy of the HINTS examination performed by trained EPs for diagnosing central cause of acute vertigo and unsteadiness and to compare it with another bedside clinical tool, STANDING, and with the history-based score ABCD2. ⋯ In the hands of EPs, HINTS and STANDING tests outperformed ABCD2 in identifying central causes of vertigo. For diagnosing peripheral disorders, the STANDING algorithm is more specific than the HINTS test. HINTS and STANDING could be useful tools saving both time and costs related to unnecessary neuroimaging use.
-
Observational Study
Feasibility of a screening tool for sex trafficking in an adult emergency department.
Human trafficking (HT) is a human rights violation and public health issue. People with a history of HT are likely to see a physician during their exploitation. A screening tool was developed and implemented in a busy urban emergency department (ED) to aid in the identification of this population. ⋯ Through the implementation of this screening tool, providers in a busy urban ED were able to identify patients with an experience of sex trafficking and offer them resources using a trauma-informed approach. This study demonstrates the feasibility of implementation of screening in the ED and identifies seven of the questions used as predictive of likely sex trafficking.