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According to the nursing notes, a 15-year-old boy presented to the ED with headache, neck pain, nausea, and vomiting.
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Did an emergency department (ED) experience a sudden surge in volume at the same time a particular patient presented, who later filed a malpractice suit?
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Chart could shift responsibility for bad outcomes
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There is much myth, controversy, and misunderstanding surrounding the safe and medical legally sound disposition of patients who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
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While EDs are designed to respond to acute care needs, they are often inundated by patients with complex medical, social, and behavioral health problems that require comprehensive solutions. Not surprisingly, the results of this mismatch can involve long wait times, inefficient care, and less than satisfactory outcomes.
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A new study strongly suggests that for children who present to the ED with minor blunt head traumas, a short period of observation can make an important difference in helping clinicians determine whether to order computed tomography (CT) scans or not.
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There are specific injury mechanisms that should lead the practitioner to suspect the presence of intra-abdominal injury, such as a handlebar injury to the upper abdomen and seat belt signs from a motor vehicle accident.
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The most common scenario in malpractice lawsuits involving frequent ED patients is failure to adequately diagnose, treat, and stabilize an emergent medical condition, says John Burton, MD, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, VA.
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Even if a patient with a suspected stroke meets the criteria for tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), emergency physicians (EPs) are sometimes reluctant to administer it without having a neurologist evaluate the patient, says Joseph Shiber, MD, FACEP, FACP, FCCM, associate professor of emergency medicine and critical care at University of Florida College of Medicine Jacksonville.
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After a patient on a psychiatric hold managed to escape restraints, he ran out of the emergency department (ED) and was hit by a truck.