ED Management
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Delayed CT? ED Documentation Can Increase, or Mitigate, Risk
When CT scan delays occur, ED providers sometimes want to document in the chart all the factors beyond their control. “But trying to call out delays in the chart puts up a flag,” warns Bryan Baskin, DO, FACEP, vice chair of safety and quality at the Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Emergency Medicine and an assistant professor at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Documenting objectively, such as stating, “The CT scanner was down for two hours,” is probably appropriate, he says.
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Root Causes of Significantly Delayed CT Scans in ED Settings
EDs often experience delays obtaining computed tomography scans, with some patients waiting multiple hours for the test. This situation causes bottlenecks in patient flow, increasing length of stay and overall ED crowding.
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ED Hospice Referrals Improve Care and Decrease Length of Stay
Many ED patients who could benefit from hospice care are instead admitted to the hospital.
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Health System Debuts a Virtual ED to Improve Access to Care, Facilitate Load Balancing
Seeing all the ways technology could be leveraged to deliver care to patients remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency medicine leaders in the Manchester, NH-based Elliot Health System recently have considered how they might optimize their use of telemedicine going forward.
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Communication Is Major Contributing Factor to ED Malpractice Claims
Emergency department (ED) malpractice claims frequently contain allegations that delayed diagnoses led to poor outcomes or death. “Many times, the primary contributing factor is lack of communication,” according to Jacqueline Ross, RN, PhD, coding director in the department of patient safety and risk management at The Doctors Company.
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Experts Offer Roadmap for Improving Care of Patients with Sickle Cell Disease in the ED
When a patient with sickle cell disease (SCD) presents to the ED, it is likely because he or she is experiencing excruciating pain from a vaso-occlusive episode — a condition that occurs when sickle-shaped red blood cells get stuck while traveling through small blood vessels, impeding blood flow.
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Redesigned Processes Help System Better Manage Surge in Patients with Behavioral Health Concerns
While EDs across the country saw a surge in patients with behavioral health concerns during the pandemic, Norfolk, VA-based Sentara Health, a system which includes 15 hospitals across the state, faced added pressures contributing to the phenomenon.
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Clinical Pathways Combat Mental Health Stigma in EDs
Standardized, evidence-based clinical pathways are an effective approach to combat stigma toward individuals with mental illness in the ED setting, reports Nasuh Malas, MD, MPH, division director and service chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at University of Michigan Health System.
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Stigma Toward Mental Illness Poses Safety Risks for ED Patients
Stigma toward patients with mental illness is common among ED nurses, a recent study found.
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Emergency Physician Defendants Get Help from Peer Support Model
Many emergency physicians (EPs) named in lawsuits are emotionally derailed by the process, and experience anxiety, frustration, and insomnia as a result.