The western journal of emergency medicine
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An increasing number of behavioral health (BH) patients are presenting to the emergency department (ED) while BH resources continue to decline. This situation-may lead to more external transfers to find care. ⋯ Patients requiring external transfer for inpatient psychiatric care were found to have prolonged ED lengths of stay. Patients with suicidal and homicidal ideation as well as children and adults older than 65 years are more likely to require transfer.
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Our study sought to examine the opioid analgesic (OA) prescribing decisions of emergency department (ED) providers who have themselves used OA therapeutically and those who have not. A second objective was to determine if OA prescribing decisions would differ based on the patient's relationship to the provider. ⋯ No consistent differences in prescribing decisions were found between ED providers based on their prior therapeutic use of OA. When making OA prescribing decisions, ED providers report that they are less likely to prescribe opioids to their family members, or themselves, than to an ED patient with the same painful condition.
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Case Reports
Role of Ultrasound in the Identification of Longitudinal Axis in Soft-Tissue Foreign Body Extraction.
Identification and retrieval of soft-tissue foreign bodies (STFB) poses significant challenges in the emergency department. Prior studies have demonstrated the utility of ultrasound (US) in identification and retrieval of STFBs, including radiolucent objects such as wood. ⋯ With the longitudinal axis identified, the foreign body can be excised by making an incision where the foreign body is closest to the skin. The importance of this technique as it pertains to minimizing surrounding tissue destruction and discomfort for patients has not been previously reported.
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Observational Study
Use of Physician Concerns and Patient Complaints as Quality Assurance Markers in Emergency Medicine.
The value of using patient- and physician-identified quality assurance (QA) issues in emergency medicine remains poorly characterized as a marker for emergency department (ED) QA. The objective of this study was to determine whether evaluation of patient and physician concerns is useful for identifying medical errors resulting in either an adverse event or a near-miss event. ⋯ Screening and systemized evaluation of ED patient and physician complaints may be an underutilized QA tool. Patient complaints demonstrated a trend to identify medical errors that result in preventable adverse events, while physician QA concerns may be more likely to uncover a near miss.