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This article will review and dispute some commonly held beliefs about dogma in the practice of emergency medicine.
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Few chief complaints cause more apprehension and dread for emergency physicians than dizziness. It is a common condition seen in the emergency department, is understood poorly, and has potentially malignant etiologies. Dizziness cannot be measured. It can mean different things to different patients and is often difficult to precisely characterize. Unfortunately, it is the ability to obtain a precise history and perform an exacting examination that allows a diagnosis to be made and appropriate treatment instituted. This article examines some of the different causes of dizziness, how they can be differentiated via history and physical examination, and their appropriate treatments and dispositions.
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The authors discuss radiographic imaging, specific management of different types of commonly seen injuries, and appropriate consultation and disposition of patients who have sustained maxillofacial trauma.
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Barriers to the informed consent process may exist among emergency patients, including impaired decisional capacity, impaired cognition, language barriers, illiteracy, insufficient time and communication, and numerous others. Because of the inherent vulnerability of ED patients, particular attention should be paid to addressing barriers to adequate informed consent, and steps should be taken to ensure adequate delivery of information, understanding of the proposed intervention and its risks and benefits, and voluntariness of the informed consent.
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Its 3 a.m., and a well-dressed man and woman approach the triage nurse with official-looking clipboards in hand. They claim to be surveyors from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and they demand to be shown your medication storage areas.
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ED nurses will face even greater responsibility for compliance under the 2006 National Patient Safety Goals just unveiled by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).
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Overworked ED nurses at McKay-Dee Hospital Center in Ogden, UT, were frustrated with spending hours looking through charts to figure out charges for procedures.
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A man walks into your ED screaming at the top of his lungs and waving his arms wildly. Its clear that sedation is needed, but the safety of this patient and the ED staff is very much at risk.
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An 8-year-old boy with a fractured arm was grimacing in pain when he arrived at the ED at Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta. Nurses quickly learned about his love for dinosaurs, cars, and superheroes and talked to him about his interests.
