Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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During acute health deterioration, emergency medicine and palliative care clinicians routinely discuss code status (e.g., shared decision making about mechanical ventilation) with seriously ill patients. Little is known about their approaches. We sought to elucidate how code status conversations are conducted by emergency medicine and palliative care clinicians and why their approaches are different. ⋯ Emergency medicine and palliative care clinicians reported conducting code status conversations differently. The rationales may be shaped by their clinical practices and experiences.
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This study aims to assess the change in cervical spine (C-spine) immobilization frequency in trauma patients over time. We hypothesize that the frequency of unnecessary C-spine immobilization has decreased. ⋯ Unnecessary C-spine stabilization has decreased from 2014 to 2021. However, c-collars are still being applied to patients who do not need them, both in blunt and in penetrating trauma cases, while not being applied to patients who would benefit from them.
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Recent reports have identified associations between patient race and ethnicity and use of physical restraint while receiving care in the emergency department (ED). However, no study has assessed this relationship in hospitals primarily treating patients of color and underserved populations. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the association between race/ethnicity and the use of restraints in an ED population at a minority-serving, safety-net institution. ⋯ Racial disparities exist in restraint utilization at this minority-serving safety-net hospital; however, these disparities are modified by sex and by behavioral health diagnoses. The reasons for these disparities may be multifactorial and warrant further investigation.