-
An elderly man presented to an emergency department (ED) with new-onset chest pain. In reviewing the patient's electronic medical record (EMR), the emergency physician (EP) noted a history of "PE," but the patient denied ever having a pulmonary embolus.
-
My mother was on warfarin for a number of years and her degree of anticoagulation was difficult to manage. She had a number of complications, including bleeding episodes. So, I was enthusiastic about these new anticoagulants with their more predictable therapeutic effect. As with all new drugs, there are downsides; currently the lack of a readily available coagulation test to assess if there is a significant coagulopathy and an effective reversal agent. As these drugs are increasingly used, emergency physicians will see patients such as the three cases presented below.
-
Procedural sedation is an important skill for emergency physicians to possess to mitigate the patient's intense physical and emotional reactions to painful and threatening procedures.
-
In early March, a swath of deadly tornadoes plowed across the nation's Midwest and South, once again underscoring the importance of hospital disaster planning.
-
Getting an entire staff of physicians, nurses, and techs to do things differently is never easy, but you can clear away hurdles by giving them the ability to formulate some of their own solutions.
-
With surging demand from patients with both medical and mental health needs, and continuing pressure to reduce costs, ED managers have a full plate of concerns to contend with.
-
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, many hard-hit hospitals along the northeast coast were putting in calls to colleagues in New Orleans for advice on how best to pick up the pieces and, perhaps more importantly, bolster their defenses for future disasters. While hospitals along the Gulf Coast are much more accustomed to preparing for hurricanes than facilities in the Northeast, Hurricane Katrina knocked even the best-prepared facilities on their heels when it devastated the region in August of 2005.
-
A new study, led by researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) in Ann Arbor, MI, suggests that clinicians might not be spending enough time discussing some of the most complex patients when they are handing-off these cases during shift changes. And there is a simple reason why, according to Michael Cohen, PhD, professor of complex systems, information, and public policy at UM.
-
While blood transfusions are often essential in the care of trauma patients, several prominent health care organizations recognize that too often providers are ordering blood transfusions when they are not medically necessary. This drives up costs and exposes patients to unnecessary risks, according to experts. And it also essentially wastes precious blood supplies.
-
While 2012 has been a year of uncertainty in health care, as both the Supreme Court and voters made judgments on whether provisions of the Accountable Care Act will continue to unfold, salaries for ED leaders have remained relatively stable, according to the results of the 2012 ED Management Salary Survey.
