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New data suggest there is a huge opportunity for EDs to identify patients with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and link them into care before downstream complications lead to higher medical costs and adverse outcomes.
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Can patients truthfully claim that ED staff ignored their complaints and communicated poorly with one another?
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In Georgia, statutory protections for emergency physicians (EPs) have survived two constitutional challenges.
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Malpractice litigation often arises from a psychiatric patient discharged from the ED against medical advice (AMA), according to Robert Berg, JD, an attorney at Epstein Becker Green in Atlanta, GA.
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A new peer review and quality improvement process at the University of Michigan Hospital and Health Systems in Ann Arbor methodically samples patient safety indicators in the emergency department (ED) to spot trends that signal problems.
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If a nurse asks the emergency physician (EP) whether an arterial blood gas (ABG) is needed because a boarded patients pulse oximetry is dropping, a busy EPs response might be to tell the nurse to order the test and let the admitting physician know about it.
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Does a malpractice suit filed by a boarded ED patient allege he or she was being monitored differently in the ED than would have occurred in the intensive care unit (ICU)? In one claim that included this allegation, the ED nurses notes clearly showed that the same standard was followed in the ED.
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Were you called by the intensive care unit (ICU) because a patient needs emergent intubation due to a dislodged tube or deterioration of the patients status?
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Traumatic injury remains one of the most important and persistent causes for morbidity and mortality in the United States. The establishment of a trauma team that is available to evaluate and manage trauma quickly and efficiently during the very critical first minutes after the injured patient arrives at the hospital has significantly improved survival and dramatically reduced sequelae from these injuries. An important component of this expedited evaluation has been the recognition of the utility of ultrasound to augment the imaging and triage of the injured patient. In this well-researched monograph, the authors describe this rapidly growing modality and its many applications. All members of the trauma team should be familiar with the indications and limitations of this important trauma tool.
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It is entirely understandable for emergency providers to question any new task or responsibility handed down by regulators or administrators. Busy providers are already stressed with burgeoning patient volumes and all the pressures associated with handling acute care crises.