Articles: emergency-medicine.
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Proc Annu Symp Comput Appl Med Care · Jan 1995
Comparative StudyThe impact of a guideline-driven computer charting system on the emergency care of patients with acute low back pain.
Federal guidelines for the treatment of acute low back pain were locally modified and made more specific. These guidelines were then programmed into a rule-based computer charting system which provides real-time advice regarding documentation, testing, treatment, and disposition of emergency department patients with this condition. ⋯ These findings contrast with our previous experiment using a similar program for the care of health care workers exposed to body fluids. In that study both the appropriateness of care and the cost-effectiveness of care were substantially improved.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a mannequin for training emergency caregivers in the technique of retrograde intubation. This was a descriptive study using duration of time needed for completion of intubation as a measure of success. A cohort of 88 Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel included prehospital caregivers, registered nurses, and respiratory care practitioners. ⋯ It was concluded that retrograde intubation can be taught easily with a mannequin and that this skill can be learned by emergency caregivers by modeling. Bag-valve-mask ventilation can be performed at any time without the need to restart or interrupt the procedure. Retrograde intubation can be introduced as an intubation technique for the difficult airway encountered by EMS personnel.
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To assess the effectiveness of a specific, targeted clinical policy regarding the evaluation of nontraumatic chest pain in the emergency department (ED) to modify physician evaluation and management. ⋯ We conclude that the dissemination of the ACEP chest pain clinical policy has not significantly modified the behavior of our metropolitan area emergency physicians regarding the evaluation and management of patients who present to the ED with a chief complaint of nontraumatic chest pain.