Articles: emergency-medicine.
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The goal of workforce planning should be to match the supply of providers with the nation's demand. Whatever workforce planning process evolves, it will be necessary for the specialty to portray accurately our workforce needs. Because this portrait requires a clear understanding of the development of and funding mechanisms for graduate medical education and specific data describing both the supply and demand for emergency physicians, we address these issues.
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Multicenter Study
Computed tomography scanning and delirium in elder patients.
1) To examine the ordering of head CT scans in elder patients with delirium and cognitive impairment; and 2) to report CT scan findings associated with these conditions. ⋯ Considerable variability in ED CT scan ordering exists for elder patients with neurologic findings. Impaired consciousness and/or new focal neurologic signs are associated with acute findings on CT scan in elder patients. Acute CT abnormalities are uncommon in elder ED patients with other neurologic findings. Additional prospective evaluation is warranted prior to guideline development for CT scans in this patient population.
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EDs and emergency physicians play a critical role in health care delivery--providing care to those with life-threatening conditions, as well as serving as provider of last resort to those without options for primary care. This diversity of functions provides unique opportunities for identifying important unmet community needs and developing solutions to address these needs. Future challenges for emergency medicine include assessing and improving the quality of care provided within the ED and identifying the role of the ED in systems of care. Health services research can help define the optimal functions of emergency medicine in enhancing population health.