Emergency Medicine Topics
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Real-Time Capacity Data Help Cut LWBS Rates, Speed Care
Some adverse outcomes in ED patients could be prevented if actions had happened faster — if someone had been moved to the cardiac catheterization lab faster, secured an inpatient bed sooner, or undergone stroke treatment swiftly. If the patient or families sue for malpractice, plaintiff attorneys will scrutinize those time frames.
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Instituting Pediatric Readiness Standards Saves Lives
Emergency departments that fully adopted national guidelines reported lower mortality rates.
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Congress Formally Ends X-Waiver Requirement
Lawmakers remove this barrier to treating opioid use disorder.
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Leverage Telemedicine to Speed Care for Lower-Acuity Patients
By leveraging telemedicine technology, the ED at Stanford Hospital established a Virtual Visit Track, a solution that accelerated care for lower-acuity patients and helped staff effectively manage at least some of its pandemic-related challenges. Furthermore, it is an approach that might even be more applicable for health systems that operate multiple EDs.
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During Patient Surges, Rapid Assessment Zone Reduces Risk for EDs
Using this approach, an ED reported declines in the rate of patients who leave without seeing clinicians, along with shorter median arrival-to-provider and length of stay times.
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Concerned About Understaffing, ED Nurse Calls 911 for Help
Although ill-advised, this extreme move underscores healthcare providers' feelings of desperation amid ongoing staffing problems.
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EMS-Driven Protocol Delivers a Low-Barrier Pathway to OUD Treatment
What if pre-hospital providers were empowered to both initiate overdose patients onto medication-assisted treatment in the field and also schedule follow-up appointments for ongoing care?
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Trauma Patients at Risk for Developing Opioid Use Disorder
Better identification and referral of patients with opioid use disorder could enhance the quality and continuity of care these patients receive, while also reducing reliance on EDs and the crowding that ensues.
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Effectively Intervening with Patients Facing Housing Instability
There is a moral and humanitarian case for healthcare organizations to engage on the housing issue, but there also is a business case.
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To Understand a Patient’s Housing Status, Ask the Right Questions
Staff at every point of contact should be alert to relevant patient needs, including housing status, food insecurity, and ability to pay. All these go into making medicine human.