Emergency
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Four Thrombocytopenic Emergencies
Thrombocytopenia is encountered commonly in the emergency department. In most instances, the emergency physician will not be able to determine the definitive diagnosis, but it is important that the initial evaluation be started in a timely manner and that appropriate specialists be consulted from the emergency department.
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Overtesting for Medical Clearance Not Only Wasteful, It’s Also Dangerous
Still, many psychiatric facilities won’t accept patients transferred from an ED until extensive testing is complete.
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Study: Constant ED Interruptions Source of Med/Mal Exposure
EPs were interrupted 12.5 times every hour on average, according to a recent study. EPs rejected or delayed interruptions less than 2% of the time.
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Settlement Likely for Missed Diagnosis Case, Even if ED Chart Shows It’s ‘Reasonable’
Defensible cases are settled sometimes because the plaintiff is sympathetic or because the dollar value of damages is high.
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Did EP Override Safety Prompt for No Apparent Reason? It’s a Hurdle for Defense
Emergency physicians routinely override safety prompts in clinical decision support systems for very good reasons. However, a skilled plaintiff attorney can depict it as a rogue physician’s negligence.
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ED Staffing Scrutinized if Patient Experiences Bad Outcome in Waiting Room
Plaintiff attorneys allege inadequate ED staffing contributed to patients’ bad outcomes in medical malpractice cases. Typically, accusers allege the hospital allowed dangerously low staffing levels despite concerns and that triage nurses were inadequately trained.
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The Fourth Amendment: Coming to an ED Near You
ED staff work closely with municipal and state law enforcement officials as well as in-house security workers. That relationship is critical to patient, public, and provider safety. The maintenance of a cordial and functional relationship is imperative. However, it cannot happen at the expense of patients’ health, dignity, and constitutional rights.
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ED-based Universal Screening Helps Identify Patients at Risk for Suicide
The ED at Parkland Hospital & Health System in Dallas has implemented a universal screening program to identify patients at risk for suicide. A six-item suicide screen is administered at triage, with patients stratified into three risk groups based on their answers: no risk identified, moderate risk identified, and high risk identified. Patients receive specific interventions based on their risk group.
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Lack of Concussion Diagnoses in Dedicated Pediatric ED Raises Concerns
A new study by investigators from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s department of emergency medicine suggests that concussions are “grossly” underdiagnosed in pediatric patients who present to the ED, but it is not clear why or what the ramifications are for patients who do not receive an explicit diagnosis of concussion. The single-center study involved chart reviews of patients who presented to the pediatric ED at University Hospital in Newark, NJ, during an 18-month study period.
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ED-based Screening Efforts Help Identify Patients With HIV, Reduce Risk of Transmissions
Although an estimated 85% of people infected with HIV in the United States are aware of their diagnosis, more than 160,000 people remain unaware, leaving them without needed treatment and raising the risk of further transmissions. Experts note there are many missed opportunities to diagnose these patients and connect them to care, as patients at high risk for the virus often are not offered tests when they visit a healthcare provider. However, ED-based HIV screening programs are making progress in this area, with some using new-generation tests to identify more cases, even at the earliest acute stage.