Emergency Medicine - Adult and Pediatric
RSSArticles
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Updates on Zika Virus Disease
Zika virus disease is a global issue. While not technically an emergency, concerned patients will come to our departments seeking advice and diagnostic testing.
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Anaphylaxis: An Underrecognized Killer
Prompt diagnosis and treatment improve outcomes
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Systolic and Diastolic Heart Failure
Acute decompensated heart failure is a serious condition that presents in the emergency department and the intensive care unit. The causes of heart failure are multifactorial, making it, at times, difficult to diagnose and treat.
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Sexually Transmitted Infections in Adolescents
Unfortunately, adolescents are at increased risk for sexually transmitted infections secondary to high-risk sexual behavior, victims of commercial sexual exploitation, or sexual experimentation. The consequences can be devastating in the long term. Clinicians must maintain a high degree of suspicion and sensitivity (since most teenagers are reluctant to seek medical care and may not share all the information the clinician needs) to make this diagnosis, minimize complications, and optimize outcome for this vulnerable population.
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Excessive Wait Times Common Issue in ED Malpractice Litigation
Attorneys allege patient should have been seen immediately.
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Unexpected Legal Risks of ED Patients With ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ Orders
Patients or families could sue for unwanted interventions or for withholding resuscitative efforts.
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Psych Patients Awaiting Transfer From ED Are High Legal Risks
Legal risks include security, deterioration of the patient’s condition, and unsafe handoffs.
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Recent Cases Spotlight Pressure to Admit ED Patients
Anything not in patient’s best interest ‘unacceptable.’
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ED Patients in Observation Status Are Focus of Recent Med/Mal Cases
Sending a patient to an observation unit is not legally analogous to admitting a patient to the hospital.
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Deconstructing the Duty to Warn Doctrine
It has been the generally accepted standard that a provider must warn a third party of the potential harm from a patient when there is significant threat of harm toward a reasonably identifiable person. However, the delicate balance of these ethical challenges has come under recent assault.