ED Management – May 1, 2024

Measles: Identify Potential Cases, Move Swiftly to Prevent Exposures

In just the first three months of this year, there were already more confirmed measles cases in the United States than in all of 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Emergency Physician Defendants Get Help from Peer Support Model

Many emergency physicians (EPs) named in lawsuits are emotionally derailed by the process, and experience anxiety, frustration, and insomnia as a result.

Stigma Toward Mental Illness Poses Safety Risks for ED Patients

Stigma toward patients with mental illness is common among ED nurses, a recent study found.

Clinical Pathways Combat Mental Health Stigma in EDs

Standardized, evidence-based clinical pathways are an effective approach to combat stigma toward individuals with mental illness in the ED setting, reports Nasuh Malas, MD, MPH, division director and service chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at University of Michigan Health System.

Redesigned Processes Help System Better Manage Surge in Patients with Behavioral Health Concerns

While EDs across the country saw a surge in patients with behavioral health concerns during the pandemic, Norfolk, VA-based Sentara Health, a system which includes 15 hospitals across the state, faced added pressures contributing to the phenomenon.

Experts Offer Roadmap for Improving Care of Patients with Sickle Cell Disease in the ED

When a patient with sickle cell disease (SCD) presents to the ED, it is likely because he or she is experiencing excruciating pain from a vaso-occlusive episode — a condition that occurs when sickle-shaped red blood cells get stuck while traveling through small blood vessels, impeding blood flow.

Communication Is Major Contributing Factor to ED Malpractice Claims

Emergency department (ED) malpractice claims frequently contain allegations that delayed diagnoses led to poor outcomes or death. “Many times, the primary contributing factor is lack of communication,” according to Jacqueline Ross, RN, PhD, coding director in the department of patient safety and risk management at The Doctors Company.

Health System Debuts a Virtual ED to Improve Access to Care, Facilitate Load Balancing

Seeing all the ways technology could be leveraged to deliver care to patients remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency medicine leaders in the Manchester, NH-based Elliot Health System recently have considered how they might optimize their use of telemedicine going forward.

ED Hospice Referrals Improve Care and Decrease Length of Stay

Many ED patients who could benefit from hospice care are instead admitted to the hospital.