ED Management
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As Opioid Epidemic Continues Unabated, EDs Mobilize to Save Lives
Investigators have made remarkable progress in identifying patients with opioid use disorder when they present to the ED, and convincing frontline providers to initiate these patients on medication-assisted treatment. Further, they have been regularly documenting their ongoing improvement efforts to offer other EDs a potential roadmap for how to improve in this area and sustain that progress.
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Missed STEMI Time Frames Will Complicate ED Malpractice Defense
Recently updated guidelines drive home the urgency of early ECG testing and rapid treatment.
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Family Violence Implicated in Injury-Related ED Visits
ED-based efforts to screen and intervene can be critical to preventing future violence. This is important not only for family and peer violence, but also for contributory factors — mainly, access to alcohol, drugs, and weapons. In addition to obtaining thorough patient and family interviews, using standardized instruments to screen for these factors can help identify youth at risk, and link them to appropriate interventions and care.
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Abnormal Vitals Linked to Unanticipated Death After ED Discharge
Repeating vital signs before discharge is key to averting disaster.
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Uncertainty Over Health Plan Coverage Affects EDs
Patients are right to worry about out-of-pocket costs or whether their health plan will cover the visit. An expert explains more about what this means for EDs and about the current state of reimbursement for ED visits.
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Many Patients Worried Health Plan Will Not Cover ED Visit
Patients, not staff, should initiate discussions regarding payment for services. Train staff to carefully document discussions with patients regarding billing or payment questions. Ensure staff members understand patients are never implicitly discouraged from seeking emergency care in the ED.
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Dangerously Understaffed EDs Can Legally Expose Hospital
If litigation occurs, providers are better served by testifying honestly about staffing levels and the ED’s capacity while avoiding opinions on how these factors affected their ability to provide adequate care.
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Researchers to Test Groundbreaking Treatment for Intracerebral Hemorrhage-Type Strokes
Clot-busting drugs can be used to treat patients with ischemic strokes, but there are no good pharmacological alternatives for patients with intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH). This is a concerning treatment gap because ICH-type stroke outcomes can be dire. The creators of a new trial are testing whether a drug already used in other applications can offer benefits to patients with ICH strokes.
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ED Is Focus of Reduction in Sepsis-Related Mortality
Using a sepsis alert, combined with nursing protocols and physician order set usage, can improve core measure compliance and related mortality rates.
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Rapid-Access Psychiatry Encounter Might Reduce ED Use Rate
The lack of access to outpatient psychiatric care could contribute to the medical emergencies seen in EDs. Most emergency providers are well aware of the shortage of available mental healthcare providers in both inpatient and outpatient settings.