Abdominal pain in childhood is a common presentation to the emergency department (ED). While most cases are benign, they frequently create a diagnostic dilemma. The spectrum of disease varies widely from neonates to infants, children, and adolescents, and requires the clinician to rapidly differentiate between a benign medical diagnosis versus a potential surgical abdomen to minimize morbidity and mortality.
Imagine being sued by a patient for an alleged act of malpractice, but evidence is introduced in the courtroom that leads the jury to believe another practitioner not yourself is the one who is truly at fault.
Some EDs are now offering online updates on current wait times, with the stated expectation that patients will use this information to make better decisions on where to go for care.
Whether the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) ends upon admission or extends indefinitely until the admitted patient is eventually discharged or transferred has been debated by the courts, government agencies, and EMTALA pundits for years without definitive resolution.