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Holding admitted patients waiting for an available bed not only hinders your ability to provide quality care, frustrates staff, and hurts your bottom line, but it also is the single biggest factor resulting in overcrowded EDs, according to a just-released report from the Washington, DC-based General Accounting Office.
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Every month, up to 20 hours of overtime are saved in the ED at Paradise Valley Hospital in National City, CA, by videotaping staff meetings and
inservices.
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Only half of ED staff would report a near-miss drug error if the patient was not harmed, according to this study from the Naval Hospital Jacksonville (FL).
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Whether a bite or sting results in an anaphylactic reaction, impressive
local effects, or a life-threatening systemic reaction, the emergency
physician must be able to institute appropriate and effective
treatment. Emergency physicians also must be able to recognize clinical
envenomation patterns, since some critically ill patients may not be
able to convey the details of the attack. Since all areas of the
country are represented in the envenomation statistics, all emergency
physicians should be familiar with identification and stabilization of
envenomated patients and know what resources are available locally for
further management of these often complicated patients.
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Medication errors have been publicized as among the most dangerous risks to emergency department and hospitalized patients. Newspaper and magazine articles have leaped on the issue. While physicians and hospitals would like to believe this is just news propaganda to increase sales, they are wrong. Studies have shown that patients are dying from preventable adverse drug events (ADEs). Although hospitals, physicians, nurses, risk managers, and pharmacists have made attempts to reduce risks and prevent ADEs, there is much more that must be done. This months ED Legal Letter describes different types of ADEs and develops risk management strategies to reduce the chance of medication error. Adopting the guidelines provided in this issue will create a safer environment for our patients.
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Newbornsinfants younger than 28 days of ageare particularly challenging to emergency medicine physicians. The most important tool for recognizing a newborn with a problem or potential problem is a strong foundation of knowledge about normal infant rashes, feeding patterns, and expected variations. The authors review common newborn problems with an emphasis on normal variations and deviations that require a more thorough evaluation.
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"EMTALA: The Essential Guide to Compliance" from Thomson American Health Consultants, publisher of Trauma Reports, explains how the changes to EMTALA will affect emergency departments and off-campus clinics.
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Emergency department physicians must be vigilant to accurately assess, rapidly stabilize, and appropriately transport a severely injured patient to the level of trauma care the patient requires. Instead of viewing missed injuries as occurrences that result from inexperience or incompetence, strategies to minimize the occurrence of missed injuries and the resulting consequences are needed. All aspects of a trauma system must work together to improve patient care.
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Emergency department physicians must be vigilant to accurately assess,
rapidly stabilize, and appropriately transport a severely injured
patient to the level of trauma care the patient requires. Instead of
viewing missed injuries as occurrences that result from inexperience or
incompetence, strategies to minimize the occurrence of missed injuries
and the resulting consequences are needed. All aspects of a trauma
system must work together to improve patient care.
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The final version of the recently proposed changes to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) takes effect on Nov. 10. To provide you with critical information on the updated regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Thomson American Health Consultants offers "New EMTALA Regulations: Are They Too Good to be True?" an audio conference on Tuesday, Oct. 21, from 2:30-3:30 p.m., EST.
