Emergency Medicine Topics
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Blunt Abdominal Trauma
Blunt abdominal trauma is commonly encountered in any acute care center. Prompt recognition, assessment, diagnostic evaluation, and disposition are critical aspects that must be a part of every clinician’s expertise.
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Epistaxis: Evaluation and Management in Patients Taking Antiplatelet Drugs
Although the complaint of epistaxis may be perceived as less severe when compared to other emergency department complaints, it still poses a challenge requiring expertise in its acute management.
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Palliative Care Integrated into Critical Care Settings, Including EDs
Although palliative care is integral to providing quality care, in the ED the focus tends to be on aggressive and life-saving measures. More education and training is needed to make ED providers more comfortable with integrating palliative care there.
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‘Blatant Wrongdoing’: Wrongful Prolongation of Life Cases Surge
An expert witness who has testified in multiple wrongful prolongation of life cases and has advised health systems on how to avoid these cases shares helpful advice in the Q&A.
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Hospitals Sued for Wrongful Prolongation of Life: Ethicists Offer Unique Expertise
The point of the litigation is it is a medical error to provide too much treatment, just as it is to provide too little treatment. If it is clear patients did not want it, then clinicians should not provide it.
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Analysis: Few EMTALA Violations for Vascular-Related Issues
The most frequent vascular-related violations specifically involved lack of vascular specialist availability. Developing specialist networks and maintaining adequate call coverage can help improve patient access to emergency services.
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Lawsuits May Allege Failure to Obtain Dermatology Consults
Shutting out dermatologists can leave a gap in specialty care. This might lead to other specialists consulting and managing conditions outside their scope, or they might transfer patients to a different, distant center.
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Emergency Medicine Trainees More Likely Sued Than Radiology Trainees
Expanding the frequency and improving the quality of communication between radiologists and emergency physicians about imaging studies is always a good practice to facilitate patient care and mitigate mutual risk.
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New Data on Opioid Prescribing Guidelines and ED Practice
Opioid prescribing guidelines were linked to small changes in morphine equivalent units ordered in the ED, according to the authors of a study.
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Legal Standard of Care Is Evolving for ED Patients with Opioid Use Disorder
An ED visit from someone with opioid use disorder is an opportunity to put that person in treatment. People do not present to the ED when things are going well; they present at times of crisis. Sometimes, in that crisis, there is a wakeup. If the system offers some approaches and a treatment pathway, then everybody benefits.