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Musculoskeletal and connective tissue complaints are the third most common chief complaint in the emergency department (ED), comprising nearly 20% of all ED visits.1 While the diagnosis and management of acute injuries are well delineated in the emergency medicine literature, pain from lower extremity overuse injuries is less commonly addressed.
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Experts urge administrators to guard against excessive overtime, consecutive 12-hour shifts, and rotating between day and night shifts
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Providers of emergency medicine fully understand the importance of time when caring for potential stroke patients.
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A new study suggests that stroke may be affecting people at a younger age than used to be the case.
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Many EDs have found ways to streamline their triage processes and slash door-to-provider times.
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New research comparing mental health-related ED visits between children with and without autism spectrum disorders has found that pediatric ED visits are nine times more likely to be for psychiatric reasons if the child has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis.
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Have you ever had parents bring their teenage daughter into the ED to be checked out? So, how do you approach this? There are conflicting imperatives. Some are possibly your personal feelings if you are a parent yourself. Then there is your duty as a physician to provide the best care to the patient, the adolescent female. But also, there are the state laws and regulations that apply to this situation, especially if the patient is refusing an evaluation. The issues of sexual activity and parental authority are controversial and potentially divisive issues in society.
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Identifying and managing agitated pediatric patients in the emergency department (ED) can be stressful and challenging for patients, families, and providers.
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AIDS- and HIV-related infections have changed significantly over the last decade. Although the overall incidence has declined, young adults have shown an increase in AIDS, with 50% of all new HIV infections in this age group. Many of these new HIV infections are in patients who are late presenters. These patients have received less care and are more likely to have unknowingly transmitted the infection. Routine screening identifies patients earlier, decreases the stigma associated with HIV testing, and increases the likelihood of future testing during risky behavior periods. The authors review the current role of the ED provider in identifying and managing patients with potential HIV.
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All across the country, states, hospital associations, communities, and emergency departments (EDs) are attempting to deal with the growing incidence of prescription pain medication abuse, overdoses, and deaths.1 Opioid pain medications now kill more Americans than cocaine and heroin combined, and over the past five years, there have been more drug-induced deaths than motor vehicle accident deaths.2
