Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of patient-controlled analgesia for patients with acute abdominal pain in the emergency department: a randomized trial.
The objective was to assess the efficacy of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) in the emergency department (ED) and to compare two PCA dosing regimens. ⋯ This study provides support for efficacy of PCA when applied to the ED setting. Future studies designed to assess implementation of this modality in the context of conditions of actual ED staffing and competing patient demands are warranted.
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The objective was to evaluate the process of using existing data sources, probabilistic linkage, and multiple imputation to create large population-based injury databases matched to outcomes. ⋯ This project demonstrates the feasibility and describes the process of constructing population-based injury databases across multiple phases of care using existing data sources and commonly available analytic methods. Attention to key linkage variables and decisions for handling missing values can be used to increase match rates between data sources, minimize bias, and preserve sampling design.
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The objective was to identify predictive factors and outcomes associated with patients who leave emergency departments (EDs) without being seen in Victoria, Australia. ⋯ Patients who leave EDs in Victoria, Australia, without being seen are at lower risk of hospital admission and at no greater risk of mortality, but are at higher risk of re-presenting to an ED compared to patients who complete treatment and are discharged home.
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The recent enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, and the ongoing debate over reform of the U. S. health care system, raise numerous important ethical issues. ⋯ S. health care reform debate; and addresses health care reform's likely effects on access to care, emergency department (ED) crowding, and end-of-life care. The article concludes with several suggested actions that emergency physicians (EPs) should take to contribute to the success of health care reform in America.
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While knee injuries are treated by a wide range of clinicians, patients with knee injuries frequently present to emergency departments (EDs). The knee is the most commonly injured joint by adolescent athletes with an estimated 2.5 million sports-related injuries presenting to EDs annually. ⋯ Rates and patterns of knee injuries vary by sex and age. Although knee injuries will likely continue to occur most frequently among youth and young adult athletes, anticipating and responding to trends such as an increase in the incidence of knee injuries among adult and senior patients will enable clinicians to better anticipate caseloads, allocate resources, and determine best practices for diagnosis and treatment of knee injuries in different age groups.