Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Multicenter Study
A Simple Clinical Decision Rule To Rule Out Appendicitis In Patients With Nondiagnostic Ultrasound Results.
The objective was to identify a set of clinical features that can rule out appendicitis in patients with suspected acute appendicitis and nondiagnostic ultrasound (US) results, allowing safe discharge and next-day reevaluation without initial computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). ⋯ This newly developed CDR significantly reduces the probability of appendicitis in a large subgroup of patients with negative or inconclusive US results. These patients can be safely discharged for outpatient reevaluation without further initial imaging if proper follow-up is available. This could assist in lowering the number of ED imaging investigations in patients with suspected appendicitis.
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Multicenter Study
The Massachusetts Abscess Rule: A Clinical Decision Rule Using Ultrasound to Identify Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Skin Abscesses.
Treatment failure rates for incision and drainage (I&D) of skin abscesses have increased in recent years and may be attributable to an increased prevalence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). Previous authors have described sonographic features of abscesses, such as the presence of interstitial fluid, characteristics of abscess debris, and depth of abscess cavity. It is possible that the sonographic features are associated with MRSA and can be used to predict the presence of MRSA. The authors describe a potential clinical decision rule (CDR) using sonographic images to predict the presence of CA-MRSA. ⋯ According to our putative CDR, patients with skin abscesses that are small, irregularly shaped, or indistinct, with ill-defined edges, are seven times more likely to demonstrate MRSA on culture.
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Emergency medical services (EMS) providers deliver the initial care for millions of people in the United States each year. The Institute of Medicine noted a deficit in research necessary to improve prehospital care, created by the existence of data silos, absence of long-term outcomes, and limited stakeholder engagement in research. This article describes a regional effort to create a high-performing infrastructure in southwestern Pennsylvania addressing these fundamental barriers. ⋯ A prehospital comparative effectiveness research infrastructure composed of patient-level EMS data, EHRs at multiple hospitals, long-term outcomes, and community stakeholder perspectives is feasible and may be scalable to larger regions and networks. The lessons learned and barriers identified offer a roadmap to answering community and policy-relevant research questions in prehospital care.
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Emergency department (ED) crowding is an increasing problem associated with adverse patient outcomes. ED expansion is one method advocated to reduce ED crowding. The objective of this analysis was to determine the effect of ED expansion on measures of ED crowding. ⋯ An increase in ED bed capacity was associated with no significant change in the percentage of patients who LWBT, but had an unintended consequence of an increase in ED boarding hours. ED expansion alone does not appear to be an adequate solution to ED crowding.
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The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program is a four-step process that includes the Continuous Certification (ConCert) examination. The ConCert examination is a validated, summative examination that assesses medical knowledge and clinical reasoning. ABEM began administering the ConCert examination in 1989. The ConCert examination must be passed at least every 10 years to maintain certification. This study was undertaken to determine longitudinal physician performance on the ConCert examination. ⋯ Over time, EP performance on the ConCert examination was maintained. These results suggest that EPs maintain medical knowledge over the course of their careers as measured by a validated, summative medical knowledge assessment.