Emergency Medicine - Adult and Pediatric
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The Agitated Patient in the Emergency Department
Agitation is a common presentation to the emergency department worldwide, as either the chief complaint or as a component of another medical problem. Agitation may be a manifestation of behavioral and mental health issues, have an organic medical or traumatic etiology, or be a result of substance abuse or withdrawal.
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Using Trained Observers to Keep At-Risk Patients Safe
A background as a personal care attendant, medical assistant, or mental health worker is a plus.
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Safety Protocol Can Prevent Self-Harm Incidents
Precautions include a focus on creating safe bathrooms, increasing the number of trained observers to monitor patients at risk, and managing access to belongings and clothing.
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TJC: Support Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic
The Joint Commission has issued the first in a series of special bulletins aimed at addressing concerns raised by healthcare workers as they respond to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
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Surge of HIV Patients Present to EDs, Leaders Call for Expanded Screening
Investigators discovered a more than twofold increase in cases of acute HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of an ED-based screening program at UChicago Medicine. The cause of the increase remains unknown, but it underscores the importance of screening despite the fact the pandemic has strained all resources.
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EDs Administer Monoclonal Antibody Therapy to High-Risk COVID-19 Patients
Clinicians can use new monoclonal antibody therapies to treat high-risk patients presenting with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. However, despite the promise to depress viral loads, logistical and other challenges continue to stand in the way of larger-scale use. Still, some EDs are trying the therapeutics, with promising results.
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Reversal of Direct Oral Anticoagulants
Given the growing use of direct oral anticoagulants, particularly in the elderly population, it is important as an emergency physician to be well versed on the methods of emergent reversal of these agents in the bleeding patient.
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Frail Older Patients Receiving Higher-Intensity End-of-Life Care
There is an opportunity for targeted interventions for all older patients, especially frail older adults, undergoing emergency general surgery to establish better prognostic understanding and discuss advance care planning before hospital discharge.
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Routine Ethics Consults Helpful if ECMO Is Considered
When a patient is placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), usually emergently, families have begun to face the gravity of the situation. Suddenly, ECMO offers new hope. Even though the primary team explains ECMO will be a time-limited trial and a bridge to recovery, transplant, or device, many families remain focused only on the possibility of hope.
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Febrile and First-Time Seizures
The sudden appearance of COVID-19 has created an additional challenge to the evaluation of children with "flu-like" symptoms. This article compares and contrasts influenza and coronavirus and provides a critical update on a timely topic.