ED Management – January 1, 2024

Health Worker Burnout Is a Crisis; CDC Calls for Science-Based Steps to Improve Worker Well-Being

It is hardly a news flash to providers and staff in the ED that they often work long hours in a highly stressful environment, but according to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the levels of fatigue and burnout that all healthcare workers are experiencing have reached crisis levels, and administrators there are calling for urgent action to address the problem.

AMA: Burnout Is Causing an Increasingly Serious Physician Shortage

In a related development to the rollout of the CDC’s new “Impact Wellbeing” program, the American Medical Association is warning that physician burnout is causing well-trained clinicians to leave their medical careers, leading to a physician shortage that is about to get much worse.

ED Nurses Lack Knowledge of Legal Implications of OB Cases

Staffing challenges and low birth volumes are leading health systems to close their obstetric services, particularly in rural areas. More than one-third of counties nationwide have become “maternity care deserts” with no birth centers or obstetric hospitals and no obstetric providers.

OB Emergencies Pose Patient Safety, Legal Risks

Patients with pregnancy complications presenting to EDs with little or no obstetric services may require transfer to another facility. This situation poses multiple risks for emergency physicians.

EDs Are Getting Clarity on State Abortion Laws

After the Dobbs decision, clinical practices changed in some EDs in states with abortion bans. The changes did not come about directly because of state laws, per se, but more so over uncertainty about how the laws could be interpreted.

EDs Need Processes for Transfer of Pediatric Mental Health Patients

ED visits by children and adolescents with mental health disorders are unique in many ways, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

Behavioral Flags in ED Charts Have Unintended Consequences

If a patient attacked an ED nurse, the next ED nurse caring for that individual probably would want to know specifics about what happened. Some EDs place behavioral flags in ED charts to warn other providers.

New Sepsis Rule Puts Teeth Behind the SEP-1 Bundle, Putting Revenue at Risk for Providers Who Fail to Meet Benchmarks

A coalition of large healthcare associations, including the American College of Emergency Physicians, is taking issue with a new rule from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services that will require hospitals to meet the provisions outlined in the Severe Sepsis/Septic Shock Management Bundle, a series of labs, measurements, and therapies often referred to as SEP-1.

Many Patients Perceive Discrimination at ED Visit

Is a patient unhappy with the way they were treated in the ED? Some patients might assume they received poor care because of their race, gender, or age, or because of their appearance, income, or health literacy level.