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Sample records for emergency medicine ultrasonography

  1. Ultrasonography in abdominal emergencies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Risi, D.; Alessi, G.; Meli, C.; Marzano, M.; Fiori, E.; Caterino, S.

    1989-01-01

    From February 1986 to March 1988 113 abdominal US exams were performed in emergency situation to evaluate the accuracy of this methodology: 13 were blunt traumas, 18 post-operative complications. A real-time scanner with a linear probe of 5 MHz was employed. The results were confirmed by surgical and/or clinical and instrumental evaluation. In 81% of the examinations, ultrasonography allowed a diagnosis to be made. Gallbladder and biliary pathologies were the most common findings. The results (sensibility 96%, specificity 88%, accuracy 95%) confirm the affidability of ultrasonography in abdominal emergencies, as shown in literature

  2. Emergency surgeon-performed hepatobiliary ultrasonography.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Kell, M R

    2012-02-03

    BACKGROUND: Acute hepatobiliary pathology is a common general surgical emergency referral. Diagnosis requires imaging of the biliary tree by ultrasonography. The accuracy and impact of surgeon-performed ultrasonography (SUS) on the diagnosis of emergent hepatobiliary pathology was examined. METHODS: A prospective study, over a 6-month period, enrolled all patients with symptoms or signs of acute hepatobiliary pathology. Patients provided informed consent and underwent both SUS and standard radiology-performed ultrasonography (RUS). SUS was performed using a 2-5-MHz broadband portable ultrasound probe by two surgeons trained in ultrasonography, and RUS using a 2-5-MHz fixed unit. SUS results were correlated with those of RUS and pathological diagnoses. RESULTS: Fifty-three consecutive patients underwent 106 ultrasonographic investigations. SUS agreed with RUS in 50 (94.3 per cent) of 53 patients. SUS accurately detected cholelithiasis in all but two cases and no patient was inaccurately diagnosed as having cholelithiasis at SUS (95.2 per cent sensitivity and 100 per cent specificity). As an overall complementary diagnostic tool SUS provided the correct diagnosis in 96.2 per cent of patients. Time to scan was significantly shorter following SUS (3.1 versus 12.0 h, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: SUS provides a rapid and accurate diagnosis of emergency hepatobiliary pathology and may contribute to the emergency management of hepatobiliary disease.

  3. Point-of-care ultrasonography as a training milestone for internal medicine residents: the time is now.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabath, Bruce F; Singh, Gurkeerat

    2016-01-01

    Point-of-care (POC) ultrasonography is considered fundamental in emergency medicine training and recently has become a milestone in critical care fellowship programs as well. Currently, there is no such standard requirement for internal medicine residency programs in the United States. We present a new case and briefly review another case at our institution - a community hospital - in which internal medicine house staff trained in ultrasonography were able to uncover unexpected and critical diagnoses that significantly changed patient care and outcomes. We also review the growing evidence of the application of ultrasound in the diagnosis of a myriad of conditions encountered in general internal medicine as well as the mounting data on the ability of internal medicine residents to apply this technology accurately at the bedside. We advocate that the literature has sufficiently established the role of POC ultrasonography in general internal medicine that there should no longer be any delay in giving this an official place in the development of internal medicine trainees. This may be particularly useful in the community hospital setting where 24-h echocardiography or other sonography may not be readily available.

  4. The diagnostic value of ultrasonography in the gyneocological emergency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Su Hui; Chen Fanghua; Peng Xiulan

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the ultrasonography in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of gynecologic emergency. Methods: 138 patients suffered from gynecologic emergency were examined with ultrasonography. The images were retrospectively reviewed and compared with pathologic or clinical results. Results: The total correct diagnostic rate was 89.1%. Among 138 cases of gynecologic emergency, there were 45 cases of ectopic pregnancy, 27 cases of ruptured corpus luteum, 24 cases of torsion of ovarian cyst, and 42 cases of acute pelvic inflammation. The correct diagnostic rates were 91.1%, 81.5%, 87.5%, 92.2%, respectively. Conclusion: The ultrasonography plays an important role in the diagnosis of gynecological emergency. When the US findings were not typical, the clinical history, symptoms and HCG level should be considered in order to avoid misdiagnosis. (authors)

  5. Economic analysis of bedside ultrasonography (US) implementation in an Internal Medicine department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Testa, Americo; Francesconi, Andrea; Giannuzzi, Rosangela; Berardi, Silvia; Sbraccia, Paolo

    2015-12-01

    The economic crisis, the growing healthcare demand, and Defensive Medicine wastefulness, strongly recommend the restructuring of the entire medical network. New health technology, such as bedside ultrasonography, might successfully integrate the clinical approach optimizing the use of limited resources, especially in a person-oriented vision of medicine. Bedside ultrasonography is a safe and reliable technique, with worldwide expanding employment in various clinical settings, being considered as "the stethoscope of the 21st century". However, at present, bedside ultrasonography lacks economic analysis. We performed a Cost-Benefit Analysis "ex ante", with a break-even point computing, of bedside ultrasonography implementation in an Internal Medicine department in the mid-term. Number and kind estimation of bedside ultrasonographic studies were obtained by a retrospective study, whose data results were applied to the next 3-year period (foresight study). All 1980 foreseen bedside examinations, with prevailing multiorgan ultrasonographic studies, were considered to calculate direct and indirect costs, while specific and generic revenues were considered only after the first semester. Physician professional training, equipment purchase and working time represented the main fixed and variable cost items. DRG increase/appropriateness, hospitalization stay shortening and reduction of traditional ultrasonography examination requests mainly impacted on calculated revenues. The break-even point, i.e. the volume of activity at which revenues exactly equal total incurred costs, was calculated to be 734 US examinations, corresponding to € 81,998 and the time considered necessary to reach it resulting 406 days. Our economic analysis clearly shows that bedside ultrasonography implementation in clinical daily management of an Internal Medicine department can produce consistent savings, or economic profit according to managerial choices (i.e., considering public or private targets

  6. Ultrasonography of pediatric urogenital emergencies: review of classic and new techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masahiro Kitami

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Urogenital emergencies are fairly common in the pediatric population, and a timely and correct diagnosis is necessary to avoid possible future infertility. In this field, ultrasonography is essential, as it has the advantages of being radiation-free and readily accessible. In particular, a high-frequency transducer allows precise evaluation of the morphology and vascularity of the scrotum, which is on the surface of the body. Beyond conventional techniques, new advanced imaging techniques have been developed, including elastography and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. However, several pitfalls remain in the diagnosis of urogenital diseases using ultrasonography. Thus, accurate knowledge and sufficient experience with the technique are essential for making a correct diagnosis. This review provides an overview of pediatric urogenital emergency pathologies and recent ultrasonography techniques.

  7. Ultrasonography of pediatric urogenital emergencies: review of classic and new techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kitami, Masahiro [Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai (Japan)

    2017-07-15

    Urogenital emergencies are fairly common in the pediatric population, and a timely and correct diagnosis is necessary to avoid possible future infertility. In this field, ultrasonography is essential, as it has the advantages of being radiation-free and readily accessible. In particular, a high-frequency transducer allows precise evaluation of the morphology and vascularity of the scrotum, which is on the surface of the body. Beyond conventional techniques, new advanced imaging techniques have been developed, including elastography and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. However, several pitfalls remain in the diagnosis of urogenital diseases using ultrasonography. Thus, accurate knowledge and sufficient experience with the technique are essential for making a correct diagnosis. This review provides an overview of pediatric urogenital emergency pathologies and recent ultrasonography techniques.

  8. Emergency medicine point-of-care ultrasonography: a national needs assessment of competencies for general and expert practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fischer, Lisa M; Woo, Michael Y; Lee, A Curtis; Wiss, Ray; Socransky, Steve; Frank, Jason R

    2015-01-01

    Emergency medicine point-of-care ultrasonography (EM-PoCUS) is a core competency for residents in the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and College of Family Physicians of Canada emergency medicine (EM) training programs. Although EM-PoCUS fellowships are currently offered in Canada, there is little consensus regarding what training should be included in a Canadian EM-PoCUS fellowship curriculum or how this contrasts with the training received in an EM residency.Objectives To conduct a systematic needs assessment of major stakeholders to define the essential elements necessary for a Canadian EM-PoCUS fellowship training curriculum. We carried out a national survey of experts in EM-PoCUS, EM residency program directors, and EM residents. Respondents were asked to identify competencies deemed either nonessential to EM practice, essential for general EM practice, essential for advanced EM practice, or essential for EM-PoCUS fellowship trained (‘‘expert’’) practice. The response rate was 81% (351 of 435). PoCUS was deemed essential to general EM practice for basic cardiac, aortic, trauma, and procedural imaging. PoCUS was deemed essential to advanced EM practice in undifferentiated symptomatology, advanced chest pathologies, and advanced procedural applications. Expert-level PoCUS competencies were identified for administrative, pediatric, and advanced gynecologic applications. Eighty-seven percent of respondents indicated that there was a need for EM-PoCUS fellowships, with an ideal length of 6 months. This is the first needs assessment of major stakeholders in Canada to identify competencies for expert training in EM-PoCUS. The competencies should form the basis for EM-PoCUS fellowship programs in Canada.

  9. Compression ultrasonography of the lower extremity with portable vascular ultrasonography can accurately detect deep venous thrombosis in the emergency department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crisp, Jonathan G; Lovato, Luis M; Jang, Timothy B

    2010-12-01

    Compression ultrasonography of the lower extremity is an established method of detecting proximal lower extremity deep venous thrombosis when performed by a certified operator in a vascular laboratory. Our objective is to determine the sensitivity and specificity of bedside 2-point compression ultrasonography performed in the emergency department (ED) with portable vascular ultrasonography for the detection of proximal lower extremity deep venous thrombosis. We did this by directly comparing emergency physician-performed ultrasonography to lower extremity duplex ultrasonography performed by the Department of Radiology. This was a prospective, cross-sectional study and diagnostic test assessment of a convenience sample of ED patients with a suspected lower extremity deep venous thrombosis, conducted at a single-center, urban, academic ED. All physicians had a 10-minute training session before enrolling patients. ED compression ultrasonography occurred before Department of Radiology ultrasonography and involved identification of 2 specific points: the common femoral and popliteal vessels, with subsequent compression of the common femoral and popliteal veins. The study result was considered positive for proximal lower extremity deep venous thrombosis if either vein was incompressible or a thrombus was visualized. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated with the final radiologist interpretation of the Department of Radiology ultrasonography as the criterion standard. A total of 47 physicians performed 199 2-point compression ultrasonographic examinations in the ED. Median number of examinations per physician was 2 (range 1 to 29 examinations; interquartile range 1 to 5 examinations). There were 45 proximal lower extremity deep venous thromboses observed on Department of Radiology evaluation, all correctly identified by ED 2-point compression ultrasonography. The 153 patients without proximal lower extremity deep venous thrombosis all had a negative ED compression

  10. Reliability of Ultrasonography in Confirming Endotracheal Tube Placement in an Emergency Setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Vimal Koshy; Paul, Cherish; Rajeev, Punchalil Chathappan; Palatty, Babu Urumese

    2017-01-01

    Background and Objectives: Over the past few years, ultrasonography is increasingly being used to confirm the correct placement of endotracheal tube (ETT). In our study, we aimed to compare it with the traditional clinical methods and the gold standard quantitative waveform capnography. Two primary outcomes were measured in our study. First was the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography against the other two methods to confirm endotracheal intubation. The second primary outcome assessed was the time taken for each method to confirm tube placement in an emergency setting. Methods: This is a single-centered, prospective cohort study conducted in an emergency department of a tertiary care hospital. We included 100 patients with indication of emergency intubation by convenient sampling. The intubation was performed as per standard hospital protocol. As part of the study protocol, ultrasonography was used to identify ETT placement simultaneously with the intubation procedure along with quantitative waveform capnography (end-tidal carbon dioxide) and clinical methods. Confirmation of tube placement and time taken for the same were noted by three separate health-care staffs. Results and Discussion: Out of the 100 intubation attempts, five (5%) had esophageal intubations. The sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis using ultrasonography were 97.89% and 100%, respectively. This was statistically comparable with the other two modalities. The time taken to confirm tube placement with ultrasonography was 8.27 ± 1.54 s compared to waveform capnography and clinical methods which were 18.06 ± 2.58 and 20.72 ± 3.21 s, respectively. The time taken by ultrasonography was significantly less. Conclusions: Ultrasonography confirmed tube placement with comparable sensitivity and specificity to quantitative waveform capnography and clinical methods. But then, it yielded results considerably faster than the other two modalities. PMID:28584427

  11. The Effectiveness of Ultrasonography in Detecting Emergent Pediatric Pathologies and Requirement for Additional Imaging Techniques: A Retrospective Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Betül Tiryaki Baştuğ

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: In emergency cases, ultrasonography is used in guiding resuscitation, to provide procedural guidance, and confirm a clinical diagnosis. In addition, it may prevent unnecessary exposure of the patient to ionizing radiation and risks caused by transporting the patient away from monitoring. This paper aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasonography in detecting emergent pediatric pathologies in a state hospital radiology unit, and to identify whether additional imaging techniques, such as computed tomography, were required. Methods: This study was designed as a retrospective investigation. A group of 536 patients were randomly selected from 1.401 pediatric patients who underwent ultrasonography for non-traumatic emergent pathologies between 2015 and 2016. Results: Of the 536 patients, 46 were diagnosed with appendicitis, 14 with pathologies of the urinary system, 1 with ileus, 29 with mesenteric lymphadenitis, 4 with intussusception, 3 with ovarian cyst rupture, 1 with ovarian torsion, and 32 with scrotal pathologies. Computed tomography was performed for 20 patients. Ureteral calculi and appendicitis were confirmed by computed tomography in 5 and 14 patients, respectively, after being identified as secondary findings by ultrasonography. In 1 patient, ileus was verified by computed tomography. The sensitivity of ultrasonography was determined to be 85.7%. Only 14% of patients were not given definite pathological diagnoses by ultrasonography alone. Subsequent computed tomography for verifying secondary findings detected by ultrasonography was essential in only 20 patients. Conclusion: Our results promote the use of ultrasonography as the initial imaging test for evaluating pediatric patients with suspected emergency pathologies.

  12. Role of Ultrasonography in Acute Abdomen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    An, Ji Hyun; Lee, Yeon Hee; Kim, Tae Hoon; Yu, Pil Mun; Choi, Young Hi; Kim, Sang Joon; Kim, Seung Cheul; Cho, Jeong Hee; Jung, Jae Un

    1996-01-01

    Authors analyzed the distribution of diseases and compared ultrasonographic conclusions with confirmed diagnoses of emergency abdominal ultrasonographies in acute abdominal conditions. We evaluated the role of emergency abdominal ultrasonography especially in the decision of emergency operation. In one hundred and forty five patients, emergent abdominal ultrasonography was performed within on admission. We compared the sonographic conclusion with postoperative pathology and analyzed the diagnoses of medically treated diseases. Twenty-eight patients under vent surgery and 117 patients were treated conservatively. Among the surgically treated patients, 19 patients (70.4%) were correctly diagnosed by preoperative ultrasonography.These included acute appendicitis (N = 8), acute cholecystitis (n = 7), ovarian cyst torsion (n = 2), and liver abscess (n = 1). Correct preoperative diagnosis was not made in 9 patients, including acute appendicitis (n = 4),peritonitis due to bowel perforation (n = 2), ectopic pregnancy (n = 1), colonic diverticulitis (n = 1 ) and pelvic inflammatory disease (n = 1 ). Clinical follow up was possible in 50 patients among the non-operative patient group, and the clinical diagnoses were chronic liver disease (n = 14), acute pyelonephritis (n = 10), and biliary stone (n = 10). Emergent ultrasonography plays an important role in acute abdominal conditions by supporting the differential diagnosis of medical and surgical disease

  13. Role of Ultrasonography in Acute Abdomen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    An, Ji Hyun; Lee, Yeon Hee; Kim, Tae Hoon; Yu, Pil Mun; Choi, Young Hi; Kim, Sang Joon; Kim, Seung Cheul; Cho, Jeong Hee [Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of); Jung, Jae Un [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1996-12-15

    Authors analyzed the distribution of diseases and compared ultrasonographic conclusions with confirmed diagnoses of emergency abdominal ultrasonographies in acute abdominal conditions. We evaluated the role of emergency abdominal ultrasonography especially in the decision of emergency operation. In one hundred and forty five patients, emergent abdominal ultrasonography was performed within on admission. We compared the sonographic conclusion with postoperative pathology and analyzed the diagnoses of medically treated diseases. Twenty-eight patients underwent surgery and 117 patients were treated conservatively. Among the surgically treated patients, 19 patients (70.4%) were correctly diagnosed by preoperative ultrasonography.These included acute appendicitis (N = 8), acute cholecystitis (n = 7), ovarian cyst torsion (n = 2), and liver abscess (n = 1). Correct preoperative diagnosis was not made in 9 patients, including acute appendicitis (n = 4), peritonitis due to bowel perforation (n = 2), ectopic pregnancy (n = 1), colonic diverticulitis (n = 1) and pelvic inflammatory disease (n = 1). Clinical follow up was possible in 50 patients among the non-operative patient group, and the clinical diagnoses were chronic liver disease (n = 14), acute pyelonephritis (n = 10), and biliary stone (n = 10). Emergent ultrasonography plays an important role in acute abdominal conditions by supporting the differential diagnosis of medical and surgical disease

  14. The core content of clinical ultrasonography fellowship training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewiss, Resa E; Tayal, Vivek S; Hoffmann, Beatrice; Kendall, John; Liteplo, Andrew S; Moak, James H; Panebianco, Nova; Noble, Vicki E

    2014-04-01

    The purpose of developing a core content for subspecialty training in clinical ultrasonography (US) is to standardize the education and qualifications required to provide oversight of US training, clinical use, and administration to improve patient care. This core content would be mastered by a fellow as a separate and unique postgraduate training, beyond that obtained during an emergency medicine (EM) residency or during medical school. The core content defines the training parameters, resources, and knowledge of clinical US necessary to direct clinical US divisions within medical specialties. Additionally, it is intended to inform fellowship directors and candidates for certification of the full range of content that might appear in future examinations. This article describes the development of the core content and presents the core content in its entirety. © 2014 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  15. Reversible Causes in Cardiovascular Collapse at the Emergency Department Using Ultrasonography (REVIVE-US).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chua, Mui Teng; Chan, Gene Wh; Kuan, Win Sen

    2017-08-01

    Ultrasonographic evaluation of patients in cardiac arrest is currently not protocolised in the advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) algorithm. Potentially reversible causes may be identified using bedside ultrasonography that is ubiquitous in most emergency departments (EDs). This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of sonographically detectable reversible causes of cardiac arrest by incorporating an ultrasonography protocol into the ACLS algorithm. Secondary objectives include rates of survival to hospital admission, hospital discharge, and 30-day mortality. We conducted a prospective study using bedside ultrasonography to evaluate for potentially reversible causes in patients with cardiac arrest at the ED of National University Hospital, Singapore, regardless of the initial electrocardiogram rhythm. A standardised ultrasonography protocol was performed during the 10-second pulse check window. Between June 2015 and April 2016, 104 patients were recruited, corresponding to 65% of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients conveyed to the ED. Median age was 71 years (interquartile range, 55 to 80) and 71 (68.3%) patients were male. The most common rhythm on arrival was asystole (45.2%). Four (3.8%) patients had ultrasonographic findings suggestive of massive pulmonary embolism while 1 received intravenous thrombolysis and survived until discharge. Pericardial effusion without tamponade was detected in 4 (3.8%) patients and 6 (5.8%) patients had intra-abdominal free fluid. Twenty (19.2%) patients survived until admission, 2 of whom (1.9%) survived to discharge and beyond 30 days. Bedside ultrasonography can be safely incorporated into the ACLS protocol. Detection of any reversible causes may alter management and improve survival in selected patients.

  16. A Formalized Three-Year Emergency Medicine Residency Ultrasound Education Curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew King

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Audience and type of curriculum: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency Program Ultrasound Education Curriculum is a three-year curriculum for PGY-1 to PGY-3 learners. Introduction/Background: Each year of the three-year The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Curriculum focuses on different aspects of emergency ultrasonography, thereby promoting progressive understanding and utilization of point-of-care ultrasound in medical decision-making during residency training. Ultrasound is an invaluable bedside tool for emergency physicians; this skill must be mastered by resident learners during residency training, and ultrasound competency is a required ACGME milestone.1 The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP currently recommends that 11 applications of emergency ultrasound be part of the core skills of an emergency physician.2 This curriculum acknowledges the standards developed by ACEP and the ACGME. Objectives: Learners will 1 know the indications for each the 11 ACEP point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS applications; 2 perform each of the 11 ACEP POCUS applications; 3 integrate POCUS into medical decision-making. Methods: The educational strategies used in this curriculum include: independent, self-directed learning (textbook and literature reading, brief didactic sessions describing indications and technique for each examination, hands-on ultrasound scanning under the direct supervision of ultrasound faculty with real-time feedback, and quality assurance review of ultrasound images. Residents are expected to perform a minimum of 150 ultrasound examinations with associated quality assurance during the course of their residency training. The time requirements, reading material, and ultrasound techniques taught vary depending on the year of training. Length of curriculum: The entirety of the curriculum is three years; however, each year of residency training has

  17. Emergency ultrasonography of the gastrointestinal tract of children

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwang, Jae Yeon [Dept. of Radiology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-07-15

    Ultrasonography (US) is widely used to evaluate most body parts in pediatric patients because it is simple, noninvasive, easy to use, and applicable in a wide variety of clinical situations. US is the modality of choice for the initial evaluation of acute abdominal pain in pediatric patients because of their small body habitus and the presence of less fat tissue in the abdominal wall and peritoneal cavity. The most important factor in performing pediatric emergency US is the graded compression technique and selection of the proper transducer. The careful evaluation of bowel wall thickening combined with ancillary findings such as fluid collection, increased echogenicity of the mesenteric fat tissue, enlarged lymph nodes, hyperemic bowel changes, and abnormal bowel peristalsis can increase the diagnostic capability of US.

  18. Emergency ultrasonography of the gastrointestinal tract of children

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Jae Yeon

    2017-01-01

    Ultrasonography (US) is widely used to evaluate most body parts in pediatric patients because it is simple, noninvasive, easy to use, and applicable in a wide variety of clinical situations. US is the modality of choice for the initial evaluation of acute abdominal pain in pediatric patients because of their small body habitus and the presence of less fat tissue in the abdominal wall and peritoneal cavity. The most important factor in performing pediatric emergency US is the graded compression technique and selection of the proper transducer. The careful evaluation of bowel wall thickening combined with ancillary findings such as fluid collection, increased echogenicity of the mesenteric fat tissue, enlarged lymph nodes, hyperemic bowel changes, and abnormal bowel peristalsis can increase the diagnostic capability of US

  19. Female authorship in emergency medicine parallels women practicing academic emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tinjum, Banu E; Getto, Leila; Tiedemann, Juliah; Marri, Maaya; Brodowy, Michelle; Bollinger, Melissa; O'Connor, Robert E; Breyer, Michael J

    2011-12-01

    Studies have shown that women in emergency medicine (EM) lag behind their male counterparts in academic productivity. We compared the proportion of female attending physicians from EM academic programs to the proportion of female first or second authors of original scientific manuscripts and case reports from four major EM journals in a single year. We used a retrospective cross-sectional design. Original scientific manuscripts and case reports from four major EM journals published in 2005: Academic Emergency Medicine, Annals of Emergency Medicine, American Journal of Emergency Medicine, and Journal of Emergency Medicine were reviewed to determine genders of first and second authors. The proportion of female first or second authorship was then compared to the proportion of female EM attending physicians from 134 academic EM programs in the United States. Data were analyzed using Pearson's chi-squared and Clopper-Pearson binomial confidence intervals as appropriate. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. The percentage of female faculty; 940/3571 (26.32%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 24.9-27.8%) vs. the percentage of female first or second authorship 289/1123 (25.73%, 95% CI 23.3-28.4%) was not statistically significant (p = 0.562). There was no difference in the proportion of male and female authors with multiple manuscripts (p = 0.889). As measured by first and second authorship, there was no discrepancy between the proportion of female EM faculty and the proportion of female authorship in EM literature from 2005. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Nuclear medicine and ultrasonography in the acute cholecystitis diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmillevitch, J.; Serson, D.; Camera, A.J.; Oliveira Nunes, J.E. de; Bazzo, J.M.B.

    1980-01-01

    Newer modalities for the evaluation of gallbladder include cholescintigraphy and ultrasonography. The IDA-Tc 99m presents functional informations with regard to cystic duct patency. The ultrasonography demonstrates the topographic anatomy of gallbladder, and morfologic alterations. Both analysis are preconized in acute cholecystitis. (Author) [pt

  1. Effect of provider experience on clinician-performed ultrasonography for hydronephrosis in patients with suspected renal colic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herbst, Meghan K; Rosenberg, Graeme; Daniels, Brock; Gross, Cary P; Singh, Dinesh; Molinaro, Annette M; Luty, Seth; Moore, Christopher L

    2014-09-01

    Hydronephrosis is readily visible on ultrasonography and is a strong predictor of ureteral stones, but ultrasonography is a user-dependent technology and the test characteristics of clinician-performed ultrasonography for hydronephrosis are incompletely characterized, as is the effect of ultrasound fellowship training on predictive accuracy. We seek to determine the test characteristics of ultrasonography for detecting hydronephrosis when performed by clinicians with a wide range of experience under conditions of direct patient care. This was a prospective study of patients presenting to an academic medical center emergency department with suspected renal colic. Before computed tomography (CT) results, an emergency clinician performed bedside ultrasonography, recording the presence and degree of hydronephrosis. CT data were abstracted from the dictated radiology report by an investigator blinded to the bedside ultrasonographic results. Test characteristics of bedside ultrasonography for hydronephrosis were calculated with the CT scan as the reference standard, with test characteristics compared by clinician experience stratified into 4 levels: attending physicians with emergency ultrasound fellowship training, attending physicians without emergency ultrasound fellowship training, ultrasound experienced non-attending physician clinicians (at least 2 weeks of ultrasound training), and ultrasound inexperienced non-attending physician clinicians (physician assistants, nurse practitioners, off-service rotators, and first-year emergency medicine residents with fewer than 2 weeks of ultrasound training). There were 670 interpretable bedside ultrasonographic tests performed by 144 unique clinicians, 80.9% of which were performed by clinicians directly involved in the care of the patient. On CT, 47.5% of all subjects had hydronephrosis and 47.0% had a ureteral stone. Among all clinicians, ultrasonography had a sensitivity of 72.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 65.4% to 78

  2. State of emergency medicine in Azerbaijan

    OpenAIRE

    Sule, Harsh; Kazimov, Shirin; Shahmaliyev, Oktay; Sirois, Adam

    2008-01-01

    Background There has been no previous study into the state of emergency medicine in Azerbaijan. As a legacy of the Soviet Semashko system, the ?specialty? model of emergency medicine and integrated emergency departments do not exist here. Instead, pre-hospital emergency care is delivered by ambulance physicians and in-hospital care by individual departments, often in specialty hospitals. Emergency care is therefore fragmented, highly specialized and inefficient. Aims The Emergency Medicine De...

  3. Teaching emergency medicine with workshops improved medical student satisfaction in emergency medicine education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sricharoen P

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Pungkava Sricharoen,1 Chaiyaporn Yuksen,1 Yuwares Sittichanbuncha,1 Kittisak Sawanyawisuth2,3 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; 2Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; 3The Research Center in Back, Neck, Other Joint Pain and Human Performance (BNOJPH, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand Background: There are different teaching methods; such as traditional lectures, bedside teaching, and workshops for clinical medical clerkships. Each method has advantages and disadvantages in different situations. Emergency Medicine (EM focuses on emergency medical conditions and deals with several emergency procedures. This study aimed to compare traditional teaching methods with teaching methods involving workshops in the EM setting for medical students. Methods: Fifth year medical students (academic year of 2010 at Ramathibodi Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand participated in the study. Half of students received traditional teaching, including lectures and bedside teaching, while the other half received traditional teaching plus three workshops, namely, airway workshop, trauma workshop, and emergency medical services workshop. Student evaluations at the end of the clerkship were recorded. The evaluation form included overall satisfaction, satisfaction in overall teaching methods, and satisfaction in each teaching method. Results: During the academic year 2010, there were 189 students who attended the EM rotation. Of those, 77 students (40.74% were in the traditional EM curriculum, while 112 students were in the new EM curriculum. The average satisfaction score in teaching method of the new EM curriculum group was higher than the traditional EM curriculum group (4.54 versus 4.07, P-value <0.001. The top three highest average satisfaction scores in the new EM curriculum group were trauma

  4. Emergency department discharge prescription interventions by emergency medicine pharmacists.

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    Cesarz, Joseph L; Steffenhagen, Aaron L; Svenson, James; Hamedani, Azita G

    2013-02-01

    We determine the rate and details of interventions associated with emergency medicine pharmacist review of discharge prescriptions for patients discharged from the emergency department (ED). Additionally, we evaluate care providers' satisfaction with such services provided by emergency medicine pharmacists. This was a prospective observational study in the ED of an academic medical center that serves both adult and pediatric patients. Details of emergency medicine pharmacist interventions on discharge prescriptions were compiled with a standardized form. Interventions were categorized as error prevention or optimization of therapy. The staff of the ED was surveyed related to the influence and satisfaction of this new emergency medicine pharmacist-provided service. The 674 discharge prescriptions reviewed by emergency medicine pharmacists during the study period included 602 (89.3%) for adult patients and 72 (10.7%) for pediatric patients. Emergency medicine pharmacists intervened on 68 prescriptions, resulting in an intervention rate of 10.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.0% to 12.7%). The intervention rate was 8.5% (95% CI 6.4% to 11.1%) for adult prescriptions and 23.6% for pediatric prescriptions (95% CI 14.7% to 35.3%) (difference 15.1%; 95% CI 5.1% to 25.2%). There were a similar number of interventions categorized as error prevention and optimization of medication therapy, 37 (54%) and 31 (46%), respectively. More than 95% of survey respondents believed that the new pharmacist services improved patient safety, optimized medication regimens, and improved patient satisfaction. Emergency medicine pharmacist review of discharge prescriptions for discharged ED patients has the potential to significantly improve patient care associated with suboptimal prescriptions and is highly valued by ED care providers. Copyright © 2012. Published by Mosby, Inc.

  5. Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography in the Initial Evaluation of Patients with Penetrating Chest Trauma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farhad Heydari

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Traumatic chest injuries (TCI are one of the most common causes of referring to the emergency departments, with high mortality and disability. This study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography versus chest X ray (CXR in detection of hemo-pneumothorax for patients suffering penetrating TCI. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in penetrating TCI victims referred to the emergency department of Shahid Kashani and Alzahra hospitals of Isfahan, Iran, from July 2012 to June 2013. Bedside ultrasonography and plain CXR was done on arrival and three hours after admission. The results of ultrasonography and radiography were separately evaluated by an emergency medicine specialist and a radiologist, who were blind to the aims of the study. Then, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV, negative predictive value (NPV, and kappa coefficient was considered to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasonography. Results: In this research 64 patients with penetrating chest trauma were assessed (98.4% male. The mean age of them was 25.6±8.5 years (rang: 13-65. The plain radiography revealed the eight (12.5 % cases of pneumothorax and one (1.6% hemothorax. The findings of primary ultrasonography also showed the same number of hemo-pneumothorax. Sensitivity and specificity of primary ultrasound in diagnosis of pneumothorax were 100% (95% Cl: 60.7- 100 and 100.0% (95% Cl, 92.0% to 100.0% and in detection of hemothorax were 100% (95% Cl: 50.5-100 and 100% (95% Cl: 92.8-100, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound in the third hour were 100% (95% Cl: 31.3-100 and 100% (95% Cl: 91.4-100, respectively. Conclusion: Findings of the present study have shown that ultrasonography has an acceptable diagnostic accuracy in the initial assessment of patients with penetrating chest trauma. However, because of its dependency on operator

  6. Ultrasonography in trauma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Weile, Jesper; Nielsen, Klaus; Primdahl, Stine C

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) protocol is considered beneficial in emergent evaluation of trauma patients with blunt or penetrating injury and has become integrated into the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) protocol. No guidelines exist as to the use...... of ultrasonography in trauma in Denmark. We aimed to determine the current use of ultrasonography for assessing trauma patients in Denmark. METHODS: We conducted a nation-wide cross-sectional investigation of ultrasonography usage in trauma care. The first phase consisted of an Internet-based investigation....... Twenty-one (95.5%) of the guidelines included and recommended FAST as part of trauma assessment. The recommended person to perform the examination was the radiologist in n = 11 (50.0%), the surgeon in n = 6 (27.3%), the anesthesiologist in n = 1 (4.5%), and unspecified in n = 3 (13.6%) facilities. FAST...

  7. Emergency medicine and general practice

    OpenAIRE

    Abela, Gunther

    2005-01-01

    Emergency Medicine and Immediate Medical Care are relatively new specialties. In Malta, there is quite a considerable area of overlap between these specialties and general practice. Indeed, the family physician is confronted with some sort of medical emergency quite regularly. The brief of this article is to go through recent developments in Emergency Medicine as applied to General Practice. The areas considered are Basic Life Support, Head Injury, Asthma, Anaphylaxis, Community Acquired Pneu...

  8. Emergency medicine in Dubai, UAE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Partridge, Robert; Abbo, Michael; Virk, Alamjit

    2009-08-18

    Dubai has rapidly risen to prominence in the Persian Gulf region as a center of global commerce and tourism and as a cultural crossroad between East and West. The health-care infrastructure has undergone rapid development. Collaborations with academic medical centers now exist to advance clinical care, teaching and research. Emergency medicine has also advanced and is undergoing dynamic change. Dubai may soon emerge as a regional leader in emergency medicine training and practice.

  9. Emergency medicine in Dubai, UAE

    OpenAIRE

    Partridge, Robert; Abbo, Michael; Virk, Alamjit

    2009-01-01

    Dubai has rapidly risen to prominence in the Persian Gulf region as a center of global commerce and tourism and as a cultural crossroad between East and West. The health-care infrastructure has undergone rapid development. Collaborations with academic medical centers now exist to advance clinical care, teaching and research. Emergency medicine has also advanced and is undergoing dynamic change. Dubai may soon emerge as a regional leader in emergency medicine training and practice.

  10. Emergency Medicine Gender-specific Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashurst, John V; McGregor, Alyson J; Safdar, Basmah; Weaver, Kevin R; Quinn, Shawn M; Rosenau, Alex M; Goyke, Terrence E; Roth, Kevin R; Greenberg, Marna R

    2014-12-01

    The 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference has taken the first step in identifying gender-specific care as an area of importance to both emergency medicine (EM) and research. To improve patient care, we need to address educational gaps in this area concurrent with research gaps. In this article, the authors highlight the need for sex- and gender-specific education in EM and propose guidelines for medical student, resident, and faculty education. Specific examples of incorporating this content into grand rounds, simulation, bedside teaching, and journal club sessions are reviewed. Future challenges and strategies to fill the gaps in the current education model are also described. © 2014 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  11. Osteopathic emergency medicine programs infrequently publish in high-impact emergency medicine journals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baskin, Sean M; Lin, Christina; Carlson, Jestin N

    2014-11-01

    Both the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) require core faculty to engage in scholarly work, including publication in peer-reviewed journals. With the ACGME/AOA merger, we sought to evaluate the frequency of publication in high-impact peer-reviewed EM journals from authors affiliated with osteopathic emergency medicine (EM) programs. We performed a retrospective literature review using the Journal Citation Report database and identified the top five journals in the category of 'Emergency Medicine' by their 2011 Impact Factor. We examined all publications from each journal for 2011. For each article we recorded article type, authors' names, position of authorship (first, senior or other), the author's degree and affiliated institution. We present the data in raw numbers and percentages. The 2011 EM journals with the highest impact factor were the following: Annals of Emergency Medicine, Resuscitation, Journal of Trauma, Injury, and Academic Emergency Medicine. Of the 9,298 authors published in these journals in 2011; 1,309 (15%) claimed affiliation with U.S.-based EM programs, of which 16 (1%) listed their affiliations with eight different osteopathic EM programs. The 16 authors claimed affiliation with 8 of 46 osteopathic EM programs (17%), while 1,301 authors claimed affiliation with 104 of 148 (70%) U.S.-based allopathic programs. Authors from osteopathic EM programs are under-represented in the top EM journals. With the pending ACGME/AOA merger, there is a significant opportunity for improvement in the rate of publication of osteopathic EM programs in top tier EM journals.

  12. The future of emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Sandra M; Gardner, Angela F; Weiss, Larry D; Wood, Joseph P; Ybarra, Michael; Beck, Dennis M; Stauffer, Arlen R; Wilkerson, Dean; Brabson, Thomas; Jennings, Anthony; Mitchell, Mark; McGrath, Roland B; Christopher, Theodore A; King, Brent; Muelleman, Robert L; Wagner, Mary J; Char, Douglas M; McGee, Douglas L; Pilgrim, Randy L; Moskovitz, Joshua B; Zinkel, Andrew R; Byers, Michelle; Briggs, William T; Hobgood, Cherri D; Kupas, Douglas F; Krueger, Jennifer; Stratford, Cary J; Jouriles, Nicholas J

    2010-08-01

    The specialty of emergency medicine (EM) continues to experience a significant workforce shortage in the face of increasing demand for emergency care. In July 2009, representatives of the leading EM organizations met in Dallas for the Future of Emergency Medicine Summit. Attendees at the Future of Emergency Medicine Summit agreed on the following: 1) Emergency medical care is an essential community service that should be available to all; 2) An insufficient emergency physician workforce also represents a potential threat to patient safety; 3) Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education/American Osteopathic Association (AOA)-accredited EM residency training and American Board of Medical Specialties/AOA EM board certification is the recognized standard for physician providers currently entering a career in emergency care; 4) Physician supply shortages in all fields contribute to-and will continue to contribute to-a situation in which providers with other levels of training may be a necessary part of the workforce for the foreseeable future; 5) A maldistribution of EM residency-trained physicians persists, with few pursuing practice in small hospital or rural settings; 6) Assuring that the public receives high quality emergency care while continuing to produce highly skilled EM specialists through EM training programs is the challenge for EM's future; 7) It is important that all providers of emergency care receive continuing postgraduate education. Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  13. Qualitative Research on Emergency Medicine Physicians

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Paltved, Charlotte; Musaeus, Peter

    2012-01-01

    Aim: This study aims to systematically review the qualitative research studying Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians in Emergency Departments (ED). Background: Qualitative research aims to study complex social phenomena. EM is a highly complex medical and social environment that can be investigated...... with qualitative research. Methods: Electronic databases of English peer-reviewed articles were searched from 1971 to 2012 using Medline through PubMed and PsychINFO. This search was supplemented with hand-searches of Academic Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medicine Journal from 1999 to 2012 and cross references...... and training, communication, professional roles, and organizational factors, and into 12 sub-themes. Conclusion: The strength of qualitative research is its ability to grasp and operationalize complex relations within EM. Although qualitative research methodologies have gained in rigour in recent years and few...

  14. Diagnostic value of ultrasonography in evaluation and management ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Results: Common causes of acute abdominal emergencies in pediatric patients as noted on ultrasonography included nonspecifi c pain (28%), abdominal abscess (21%), acute appendicitis (7%) and intussusception (7%). Ultrasonography was diagnostic in 45.2% cases and supportive in 12.3% of the cases. As for as the fi ...

  15. Emergency medicine program targets "brain drain" in Ethiopia ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    2016-04-29

    Apr 29, 2016 ... ... (TAAAC-EM) project, access to emergency medicine is increasing for Ethiopians. With IDRC support, the TAAAC-EM postgraduate emergency medicine training program ... From hospitals to herbalists: Rx herbal medicines.

  16. Resident involvement in civilian tactical emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramirez, Mario Luis; Slovis, Corey M

    2010-07-01

    Tactical emergency medicine services (TEMS) has emerged as a specialized niche within the field of emergency medicine. With increasing demand for physician participation in civilian tactical teams, there will be efforts by residents to become involved at earlier points in their clinical training. This article discusses resident involvement with a civilian TEMS unit and provides five maxims for emergency physicians to better understand the difference between working in the emergency department or with emergency medical services vs. in a TEMS environment. Differences between TEMS and other trauma life support models, institutional and political barriers likely to be encountered by the resident, the value of preventive medicine and the role of the physician in long-term tactical operations, opportunities for subspecialty growth, and the role of operational security are all discussed in detail. Tactical emergency medicine is a specialty that utilizes the full array of the emergency physician's skill set. It is also a field that is ripe for continued expansion, but the resident looking to become involved with a team should be aware of the requirements necessary to do so and the obstacles likely to be encountered along the way. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Burnout among female emergency medicine physicians: A nationwide study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soltanifar, Atefeh; Pishbin, Elham; Attaran Mashhadi, Negin; Najaf Najafi, Mona; Siahtir, Maryam

    2018-02-13

    The challenging and stressful nature of emergency medicine place the practitioners of this young branch of medicine at risk of burnout. In Iran, the number of women choosing the specialty of emergency medicine has been increasing in recent years. No studies have focused on burnout among female emergency medicine physicians. We conducted this study to evaluate the level of burnout in female emergency medicine physicians in Iran. In this cross-sectional study, all Iranian female emergency medicine physicians with more than 2 years of work experience as specialists, received a questionnaire containing 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory scales and 7-item Cassidy social support scale, as well as questions about workload and career satisfaction. In total, 77 questionnaires were analysed (response rate: 75%; median age: 36 years, median for work experience = 3 years). A total of 34% of participants were academic faculties. The level of burnout in three subscales of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and perceived low personal accomplishment was moderate to high in 84.5, 48.1 and 80.5% of participants respectively. A total of 94.8% of female emergency medicine physicians perceived their workload to be moderate to high and only 1.3% of them had high job satisfaction. Alarming high rate of burnout and job dissatisfaction among female emergency medicine physicians in our study requires careful attention. Further investigations are suggested to identify the contributory factors to burnout and the probability of some gender disparities in this field. © 2018 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  18. [Adverse drug reaction reporting in emergency medicine].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milojevic, Kolia; Chassagnol, Isabelle; Brion, Nathalie; Cléro, Joël; Degrèze, Nathalie; Lambert, Yves

    2004-01-01

    A regional survey was performed between June and September 2002, to evaluate knowledge and attitudes of emergency physicians regarding adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting in a French district. 100 questionnaires completed by physicians working in emergency departments and/or mobile intensive care units were analysed. The frequency of ADRs encountered by emergency practitioners was estimated at > or = 0.73 per year and per physician. The ADR notification rate in emergency medicine was estimated at advertising ADR reporting procedures could help to improve the notification rate in emergency medicine.

  19. Episodes of care: is emergency medicine ready?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiler, Jennifer L; Beck, Dennis; Asplin, Brent R; Granovsky, Michael; Moorhead, John; Pilgrim, Randy; Schuur, Jeremiah D

    2012-05-01

    Optimizing resource use, eliminating waste, aligning provider incentives, reducing overall costs, and coordinating the delivery of quality care while improving outcomes have been major themes of health care reform initiatives. Recent legislation contains several provisions designed to move away from the current fee-for-service payment mechanism toward a model that reimburses providers for caring for a population of patients over time while shifting more financial risk to providers. In this article, we review current approaches to episode of care development and reimbursement. We describe the challenges of incorporating emergency medicine into the episode of care approach and the uncertain influence this delivery model will have on emergency medicine care, including quality outcomes. We discuss the limitations of the episode of care payment model for emergency services and advocate retention of the current fee-for-service payment model, as well as identify research gaps that, if addressed, could be used to inform future policy decisions of emergency medicine health policy leaders. We then describe a meaningful role for emergency medicine in an episode of care setting. Copyright © 2011. Published by Mosby, Inc.

  20. Emergency medicine as a specialty in Asia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pek, Jen Heng; Lim, Swee Han; Ho, Hiu Fai; Ramakrishnan, T V; Jamaluddin, Sabariah Faizah; Mesa-Gaerlan, Faith Joan C; Tiru, Mohan; Hwang, Sung Oh; Choi, Wai-Mau; Kanchanasut, Somchai; Khruekarnchana, Pairoj; Avsarogullari, Levent; Shimazu, Takeshi; Hori, Shingo

    2016-04-01

    We aim to examine the similarities and differences in areas of EM development, workload, workforce, and capabilities and support in the Asia region. Emerging challenges faced by our EM community are also discussed. The National Societies for Emergency Medicine of Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey participated in the joint Japanese Association of Acute Medicine (JAAM) and Asian Conference of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) Special Symposium held in October 2013 at Tokyo, Japan. The findings are reviewed in this paper. Emergency medicine (EM) has over the years evolved into a distinct and recognized medical discipline requiring a unique set of cognitive, administrative and technical skills for managing all types of patients with acute illness or injury. EM has contributed to healthcare by providing effective, safe, efficient and cost-effective patient care. Integrated systems have developed to allow continuity of emergency care from the community into emergency departments. Structured training curriculum for undergraduates, and specialty training programs for postgraduates are in place to equip trainees with the knowledge and skills required for the unique practice of EM. The practice of EM still varies among the Asian countries. However, as a region, we strive to continue in our efforts to develop the specialty and improve the delivery of EM.

  1. State of emergency medicine in Azerbaijan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sule, Harsh; Kazimov, Shirin; Shahmaliyev, Oktay; Sirois, Adam

    2008-04-01

    There has been no previous study into the state of emergency medicine in Azerbaijan. As a legacy of the Soviet Semashko system, the "specialty" model of emergency medicine and integrated emergency departments do not exist here. Instead, pre-hospital emergency care is delivered by ambulance physicians and in-hospital care by individual departments, often in specialty hospitals. Emergency care is therefore fragmented, highly specialized and inefficient. The Emergency Medicine Development Initiative (EMDI) of the International Medical Corps (IMC) was designed to improve the quality of emergency care in four pilot regional centers in Azerbaijan. The objective of this study was to assess the baseline emergency medical capacity of these four centers. EMDI staff conducted a four-part baseline survey in April 2006 to assess emergency care in Ganja (the second largest city in Azerbaijan), Kurdamir, Shamkir and Yevlakh. Data collection involved interviews with relevant personnel and a retrospective records review in each city. Pre-hospital: The number of ambulance teams per 10,000 inhabitants is below the number required by local regulations. On average, 45% of 27 medications and 37% of 17 pieces of critical equipment were available. Of the emergency procedures, 21% could be performed in the pre-hospital setting. In-hospital: Admission rates were near 100% for the admissions department-an area that is supposed to function as an emergency department would. On average 57% of 40 medications and 42% of 22 pieces of critical equipment were available. Of the emergency procedures, 62% could be performed in the in-hospital setting. The emergency medical system surveyed in Azerbaijan is inefficiently organized, under-financed, poorly equipped and lacks adequately trained staff. Reforms need to be directed towards achieving international standards, while adapting new models for service delivery into the existing framework and improving system capacity as highlighted by this baseline

  2. Development of a novel sports medicine rotation for emergency medicine residents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Waterbrook AL

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Anna L Waterbrook,1 T Gail Pritchard,2 Allison D Lane,1 Lisa R Stoneking,1 Bryna Koch,2 Robert McAtee,1 Kristi H Grall,1 Alice A Min,1 Jessica Prior,1 Isaac Farrell,1 Holly G McNulty,1 Uwe Stolz1 1Department of Emergency Medicine, 2Office of Medical Student Education, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA Abstract: Musculoskeletal complaints are the most common reason for patients to visit a physician, yet competency in musculoskeletal medicine is invariably reported as a deficiency in medical education in the USA. Sports medicine clinical rotations improve both medical students' and residents' musculoskeletal knowledge. Despite the importance of this knowledge, a standardized sports medicine curriculum in emergency medicine (EM does not exist. Hence, we developed a novel sports medicine rotation for EM residents to improve their musculoskeletal educational experience and to improve their knowledge in musculoskeletal medicine by teaching the evaluation and management of many common musculoskeletal disorders and injuries that are encountered in the emergency department. The University of Arizona has two distinct EM residency programs, South Campus (SC and University Campus (UC. The UC curriculum includes a traditional 4-week orthopedic rotation, which consistently rated poorly on evaluations by residents. Therefore, with the initiation of a new EM residency at SC, we replaced the standard orthopedic rotation with a novel sports medicine rotation for EM interns. This rotation includes attendance at sports medicine clinics with primary care and orthopedic sports medicine physicians, involvement in sport event coverage, assigned reading materials, didactic experiences, and an on-call schedule to assist with reductions in the emergency department. We analyzed postrotation surveys completed by residents, postrotation evaluations of the residents completed by primary care sports medicine faculty and orthopedic chief residents, as well as the

  3. Development of a novel sports medicine rotation for emergency medicine residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waterbrook, Anna L; Pritchard, T Gail; Lane, Allison D; Stoneking, Lisa R; Koch, Bryna; McAtee, Robert; Grall, Kristi H; Min, Alice A; Prior, Jessica; Farrell, Isaac; McNulty, Holly G; Stolz, Uwe

    2016-01-01

    Musculoskeletal complaints are the most common reason for patients to visit a physician, yet competency in musculoskeletal medicine is invariably reported as a deficiency in medical education in the USA. Sports medicine clinical rotations improve both medical students' and residents' musculoskeletal knowledge. Despite the importance of this knowledge, a standardized sports medicine curriculum in emergency medicine (EM) does not exist. Hence, we developed a novel sports medicine rotation for EM residents to improve their musculoskeletal educational experience and to improve their knowledge in musculoskeletal medicine by teaching the evaluation and management of many common musculoskeletal disorders and injuries that are encountered in the emergency department. The University of Arizona has two distinct EM residency programs, South Campus (SC) and University Campus (UC). The UC curriculum includes a traditional 4-week orthopedic rotation, which consistently rated poorly on evaluations by residents. Therefore, with the initiation of a new EM residency at SC, we replaced the standard orthopedic rotation with a novel sports medicine rotation for EM interns. This rotation includes attendance at sports medicine clinics with primary care and orthopedic sports medicine physicians, involvement in sport event coverage, assigned reading materials, didactic experiences, and an on-call schedule to assist with reductions in the emergency department. We analyzed postrotation surveys completed by residents, postrotation evaluations of the residents completed by primary care sports medicine faculty and orthopedic chief residents, as well as the total number of dislocation reductions performed by each graduating resident at both programs over the last 5 years. While all residents in both programs exceeded the ten dislocation reductions required for graduation, residents on the sports medicine rotation had a statistically significant higher rate of satisfaction of their educational

  4. Ethics curriculum for emergency medicine graduate medical education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marco, Catherine A; Lu, Dave W; Stettner, Edward; Sokolove, Peter E; Ufberg, Jacob W; Noeller, Thomas P

    2011-05-01

    Ethics education is an essential component of graduate medical education in emergency medicine. A sound understanding of principles of bioethics and a rational approach to ethical decision-making are imperative. This article addresses ethics curriculum content, educational approaches, educational resources, and resident feedback and evaluation. Ethics curriculum content should include elements suggested by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and the Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine. Essential ethics content includes ethical principles, the physician-patient relationship, patient autonomy, clinical issues, end-of-life decisions, justice, education in emergency medicine, research ethics, and professionalism. The appropriate curriculum in ethics education in emergency medicine should include some of the content and educational approaches outlined in this article, although the optimal methods for meeting these educational goals may vary by institution. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Ability of Ultrasonography in Detection of Different Extremity Bone Fractures; a Case Series Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozorgi, Farzad; Shayesteh Azar, Massoud; Montazer, Seyed Hossein; Chabra, Aroona; Heidari, Seyed Farshad; Khalilian, Alireza

    2017-01-01

    Despite radiography being the gold standard in evaluation of orthopedic injuries, using bedside ultrasonography has several potential supremacies such as avoiding exposure to ionizing radiation, availability in pre-hospital settings, being extensively accessible, and ability to be used on the bedside. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in detection of extremity bone fractures. This study is a case series study, which was prospectively conducted on multiple blunt trauma patients, who were 18 years old or older, had stable hemodynamic, Glasgow coma scale 15, and signs or symptoms of a possible extremity bone fracture. After initial assessment, ultrasonography of suspected bones was performed by a trained emergency medicine resident and prevalence of true positive and false negative findings were calculated compared to plain radiology. 108 patients with the mean age of 44.6 ± 20.4 years were studied (67.6% male). Analysis was done on 158 sites of fracture, which were confirmed with plain radiography. 91 (57.6%) cases were suspected to have upper extremity fracture(s) and 67 (42.4%) to have lower ones. The most frequent site of injuries were forearm (36.7%) in upper limbs and leg (27.8%) in lower limbs. Prevalence of true positive and false negative cases for fractures detected by ultrasonography were 59 (64.8%) and 32 (35.52%) for upper and 49 (73.1%) and 18 (26.9%) for lower extremities, respectively. In addition, prevalence of true positive and false negative detected cases for intra-articular fractures were 24 (48%) and 26 (52%), respectively. The present study shows the moderate sensitivity (68.3%) of ultrasonography in detection of different extremity bone fractures. Ultrasonography showed the best sensitivity in detection of femur (100%) and humerus (76.2%) fractures, respectively. It had low sensitivity in detection of in intra-articular fractures.

  6. The Value of Ultrasonography, Leukocyte Count and Clinical Results in Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis and the Duration of Stay of the Patients in Emergency Department

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Veysi ERYIGIT

    2014-03-01

    Conclusions: According to the present study results, acute appendicitis is commonly seen among the young adult male population. The coherence of ultrasonography findings with the diagnosis and its association with leukocytosis is significant and supportive. Additionally, the ultrasonography findings, leukocytosis, medical history and physical examination are important and essential factors for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. A large number of patients with acute appendicitis were followed-up between 0–6 hours in the emergency department.

  7. [Spanish doctoral theses in emergency medicine (1978-2013)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández-Guerrero, Inés María

    2015-01-01

    To quantitatively analyze the production of Spanish doctoral theses in emergency medicine. Quantitative synthesis of productivity indicators for 214 doctoral theses in emergency medicine found in the database (TESEO) for Spanish universities from 1978 to 2013. We processed the data in 3 ways as follows: compilation of descriptive statistics, regression analysis (correlation coefficients of determination), and modeling of linear trend (time-series analysis). Most of the thesis supervisors (84.1%) only oversaw a single project. No major supervisor of 10 or more theses was identified. Analysis of cosupervision indicated there were 1.6 supervisors per thesis. The theses were defended in 67 departments (both general and specialist departments) because no emergency medicine departments had been established. The most productive universities were 2 large ones (Universitat de Barcelona and Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and 3 medium-sized ones (Universidad de Granada, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, and Universidad de La Laguna). Productivity over time analyzed as the trend for 2-year periods in the time-series was expressed as a polynomial function with a correlation coefficient of determination of R2 = 0.80. Spanish doctoral research in emergency medicine has grown markedly. Work has been done in various university departments in different disciplines and specialties. The findings confirm that emergency medicine is a disciplinary field.

  8. Emergency Medicine for medical students world wide!

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Perinpam, Larshan; Thi Huynh, Anh-Nhi

    2015-01-01

    A guest blog from Larshan Perinpam (President of ISAEM) and Anh-Nhi Thi Huynh (Vice president of external affairs, ISAEM) - http://blogs.bmj.com/emj/2015/04/17/emergency-medicine-for-medical-students-world-wide/......A guest blog from Larshan Perinpam (President of ISAEM) and Anh-Nhi Thi Huynh (Vice president of external affairs, ISAEM) - http://blogs.bmj.com/emj/2015/04/17/emergency-medicine-for-medical-students-world-wide/...

  9. Work shifts in Emergency Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Recupero

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Emergency Medicine is known as a high stress specialty. The adverse effect of constantly rotating shifts is the single most important reason given for premature attrition from the field. In this work problems tied with night shift work will be taken into account and some solutions to reduce the impact of night work on the emergency physicians will be proposed.

  10. [Emergency medicine and vulnerable populations].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guillemaud, André-Michel

    2012-01-01

    In emergency medicine, assessing a situation of precarity is sometimes extremely complex. Home visits often provide useful information which can lead to the putting in place of a system of support. Medical marginalisation results from a combination of multiple difficulties, notably financial. This article is the testimony of a doctor working in a structure providing emergency medical care in the home.

  11. Setting the agenda in emergency medicine in the southern African region: Conference assumptions and recommendations, Emergency Medicine Conference 2014: Gaborone, Botswana

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lloyd D. Christopher

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The first international emergency medicine (EM conference in Botswana was held on 15th and 16th May 2014 at the Gaborone International Convention Centre. The support from key stakeholders positioned the conference, from its conception, to deliver expert guidance on emergency medicine relevance, education and systems implementation. The conference theme was aptly: “Setting the Agenda in Emergency Medicine in the Southern African Region.” Over 300 local, regional and international delegates convened to participate in this landmark event. Country representation included Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho, Nigeria and the United States of America. Conference assumptions intersected emergency care, African burden of injury and illness and the role of the state; the public protection ethic of emergency care, and the developmental, economic and health interest in promoting EM. The recommendations addressed emergency care relevance; health systems research as an imperative for emergency systems development in southern Africa; community agency as a requisite for emergency care resilience; emergency care workers as pivotal to the emergency medical system, and support of EM system implementation. The conference recommendations – by way of setting an agenda, augur well for emergency care development and implementation in the southern African region and are likely to prove useful to the southern African countries seeking to address health service quality, EM advocacy support and implementation guidance. Emergency medicine is the only discipline with ‘universality’ and ‘responsivity’ at the point of need. This implies the widespread potential for facilitation of access to health care: a public health goal nuanced by the African development agenda.

  12. Self reported involvement in emergency medicine among GPs in Norway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hjortdahl, Magnus; Zakariassen, Erik; Halvorsen, Peder A

    2018-04-10

    To examine general practitioners' (GPs') perception of their role in emergency medicine and participation in emergency services including ambulance call outs, and the characteristics of the GPs and casualty clinics associated with the GPs' involvement in emergency medicine. Cross-sectional online survey. General practice. General practitioners in Norway (n = 1002). Proportion of GPs perceiving that they have a large role in emergency medicine, regularly being on call, and the proportion of ambulance callouts with GP participation. Forty six percent of the GPs indicated that they play a large role in emergency medicine, 63 percent of the GPs were regularly on call, and 28 percent responded that they usually took part in ambulance call outs. Multivariable logistic regression analyses indicated that these outcomes were strongly associated with participation in multidisciplinary training. Furthermore, the main outcomes were associated with traits commonly seen at smaller casualty clinics such as those with an absence of nursing personnel and extra physicians, and based on the distance to the hospital. Our findings suggest that GPs play an important role in emergency medicine. Multidisciplinary team training may be important for their continued involvement in prehospital emergencies. Key Points   Health authorities and other stakeholders have raised concerns about general practitioner's (GPs) participation in emergency medicine, but few have studied opinions and perceptions among the GPs themselves.   • Norwegian GPs report playing a large role in emergency medicine, regularly being on call, and taking part in selected ambulance call outs.   • A higher proportion of GPs who took part in team training perceived themselves as playing a large role in emergency medicine, regularly being on call, and taking part in ambulance call outs.   • These outcomes were also associated with attributes commonly seen at smaller casualty clinics.

  13. Teaching emergency medicine with workshops improved medical student satisfaction in emergency medicine education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sricharoen, Pungkava; Yuksen, Chaiyaporn; Sittichanbuncha, Yuwares; Sawanyawisuth, Kittisak

    2015-01-01

    There are different teaching methods; such as traditional lectures, bedside teaching, and workshops for clinical medical clerkships. Each method has advantages and disadvantages in different situations. Emergency Medicine (EM) focuses on emergency medical conditions and deals with several emergency procedures. This study aimed to compare traditional teaching methods with teaching methods involving workshops in the EM setting for medical students. Fifth year medical students (academic year of 2010) at Ramathibodi Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand participated in the study. Half of students received traditional teaching, including lectures and bedside teaching, while the other half received traditional teaching plus three workshops, namely, airway workshop, trauma workshop, and emergency medical services workshop. Student evaluations at the end of the clerkship were recorded. The evaluation form included overall satisfaction, satisfaction in overall teaching methods, and satisfaction in each teaching method. During the academic year 2010, there were 189 students who attended the EM rotation. Of those, 77 students (40.74%) were in the traditional EM curriculum, while 112 students were in the new EM curriculum. The average satisfaction score in teaching method of the new EM curriculum group was higher than the traditional EM curriculum group (4.54 versus 4.07, P-value workshop, bedside teaching, and emergency medical services workshop. The mean (standard deviation) satisfaction scores of those three teaching methods were 4.70 (0.50), 4.63 (0.58), and 4.60 (0.55), respectively. Teaching EM with workshops improved student satisfaction in EM education for medical students.

  14. Comparison of ultrasonography with radiography for the detection of cervical esophageal foreign body

    OpenAIRE

    Reza Pourrashidi; Shervin Sharifkashani; Hashem Sharifian; Habib Mazaher; Peyman Salamati; Batool Ghorbani yekta

    2013-01-01

    Background: Detection of retained foreign bodies remains a significant problem in the emergency department. Foreign bodies can go undetected causing infectious complications ultrasonography is too inaccessible and expensive. The purpose of this study is comparison of ultrasonography with radiography for the detection of cervical esophageal foreign bodiesMethods: This cross-sectional study evaluated 58 patients referred with suspected upper esophageal foreign body in the Emergency Department, ...

  15. Promoting interventional radiology in clinical practice of emergency medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Bing; Yuan Jianhua

    2009-01-01

    Interventional radiology has lot of advantages in dealing with various emergencies. The technique is minimally-invasive, highly-effective and immediately-efficient, moreover, it integrates the diagnosis with the therapy perfectly. Besides, the interventional techniques applied in emergency medicine include not only the vascular interventions,such as embolization, embolectomy, etc, but also the nonvascular interventions, such as tracheal s tent implantation, percutaneous vertebroplasty and so forth. However, importance has not been attached to the clinical use of interventional therapy in emergency medicine so far. It is imperative for us to promote the acceptance of interventional therapy in emergency medicine as well as to popularize the technique in clinical practice. (authors)

  16. An Emergency Medicine Research Priority Setting Partnership to establish the top 10 research priorities in emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Jason; Keating, Liza; Flowerdew, Lynsey; O'Brien, Rachel; McIntyre, Sam; Morley, Richard; Carley, Simon

    2017-07-01

    Defining research priorities in a specialty as broad as emergency medicine is a significant challenge. In order to fund and complete the most important research projects, it is imperative that we identify topics that are important to all clinicians, society and to our patients. We have undertaken a priority setting partnership to establish the most important questions facing emergency medicine. The top 10 questions reached through a consensus process are discussed. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  17. Bioethics and Emergency Medicine: problems and perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maurizio Mori

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available Before examining the specific problems of emergency medicine, the article identifies the cardinal points for orientation in bioethics, in the conviction that the knowledge of the basic aspects of the subject allow the reader to make more conscious and suitable choices. The questions of moral relativism and the consequences of the biomedical revolution are addressed in detail in order to support the argument for a new ethical base for healthcare in general and for emergency medicine.

  18. Recommendations from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Taskforce on women in academic emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuhn, Gloria J; Abbuhl, Stephanie B; Clem, Kathleen J

    2008-08-01

    The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) convened a taskforce to study issues pertaining to women in academic emergency medicine (EM). The charge to the Taskforce was to "Create a document for the SAEM Board of Directors that defines and describes the unique recruitment, retention, and advancement needs for women in academic emergency medicine." To this end, the Taskforce and authors reviewed the literature to highlight key data points in understanding this issue and made recommendations for individuals at four levels of leadership and accountability: leadership of national EM organizations, medical school deans, department chairs, and individual women faculty members. The broad range of individuals targeted for recommendations reflects the interdependent and shared responsibility required to address changes in the culture of academic EM. The following method was used to determine the recommendations: 1) Taskforce members discussed career barriers and potential solutions that could improve the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in academic EM; 2) the authors reviewed recommendations in the literature by national consensus groups and experts in the field to validate the recommendations of Taskforce members and the authors; and 3) final recommendations were sent to all Taskforce members to obtain and incorporate additional comments and ensure a consensus. This article contains those recommendations and cites the relevant literature addressing this topic.

  19. Building emergency medicine in Ethiopia | IDRC - International ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    2014-09-05

    Sep 5, 2014 ... Ethiopia faces a critical gap in emergency medical care. ... Dr Biruk Germa, Senior Emergency Medicine Resident at Addis Ababa University, also ... The issue Inaccessibility to veterinary services in Ethiopia's livestock sector.

  20. [A Multimedia Tutorial to Train Ultrasonography of the Thyroid for Medical Students].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ritter, Julia; Wolfram, Maximilian; Schuler, Stefan; Guntinas-Lichius, Orlando

    2017-11-01

    Physicians in education often have poor experience in practice and assessment of ultrasonography on entering their profession, due to a deficiency of training offers during their study of medicine. Hence, a multimedia device for stepwise learning and training ultrasonography of the thyroid was developed. A software for a portable ultrasonography system was used to design a multimedia device for ultrasonography of the thyroid. It allows the user to illustrate texts and pictorial material simultaneously with ultrasound examination in order to compare own findings with examples from a database. The device was evaluated by 8 medical students and compared to a tutor-guided training. A structured, stepwise manual for ultrasonography of the thyroid with a large content of examples in different sectional images was designed for simultaneous reconstruction with the ultrasonography device. The informative content of the device and the replicability of the examination procedure were evaluated positively. Assessment respecting clarity, eligibility for users without experience and learning success was varying. The tutorial to learn and train ultrasonography of the thyroid is an instrument for self-learning and improving practical education in ultrasonography in medical education. In the next version, the manual for the examination will be structured in greater detail. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  1. Osteopathic Emergency Medicine Programs Infrequently Publish in High-Impact Emergency Medicine Journals

    OpenAIRE

    Baskin, Sean M; Lin, Christina; Carlson, Jestin N

    2014-01-01

    Introduction: Both the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) require core faculty to engage in scholarly work, including publication in peer-reviewed journals. With the ACGME/AOA merger, we sought to evaluate the frequency of publication in high-impact peer-reviewed EM journals from authors affiliated with osteopathic emergency medicine (EM) programs. Methods: We performed a retrospective literature re...

  2. Impact on Clinical Management of After-Hours Emergent or Urgent Breast Ultrasonography in Patients with Clinically Suspected Breast Abscesses

    OpenAIRE

    Tanya W. Moseley; Ashley Stanley; Wei Wei; Jay R. Parikh

    2018-01-01

    Newly diagnosed breast abscesses are generally treated as a medical emergency that may necessitate immediate interventional treatment. At our institution, there is no in-house after-hours coverage for breast ultrasonography. We could find no peer-reviewed studies on the cost-effectiveness or clinical management impact of on-call ultrasound technologist coverage for imaging of breast abscesses. The purposes of this study were to determine the incidence of breast abscess in patients with clinic...

  3. Ultrasonography as a better diagnostic efficiency in rib fracture

    OpenAIRE

    UZUN, Metin; BEKSAÇ, Burak; KARATAŞ, Adnan; KÜÇÜKDURMAZ, Fatih; KIRCALI, Bahar ANAYURDU; TETİK, Cihangir

    2013-01-01

    In this study, our aim was to demonstrate the need of use of ultrasonography in rib fractures in order not to face medicolegal problems. One hundred patients admitted to our emergency service with mild to moderate blunt thorax trauma were included in our study prospectively. The inclusion criteria were pain upon palpation of ribs, deep inspiration, coughing but no any other pathologies like a pneumothorax, hemothorax. All patients are evaluated with ultrasonography (USG) and direct X-rays. X-...

  4. Authorship Trends of Emergency Medicine Publications over the Last Two Decades.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lammers, Richard; Simunich, Thomas; Ashurst, John

    2016-05-01

    With the recent merger of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) a heightened pressure for publication may become evident. Our objective was to determine whether there was a gap in the type of both medical degree designation and advanced degree designation among authorship in three United States-based academic emergency medicine journals. We reviewed the Journal of Emergency Medicine, Academic Emergency Medicine and Annals of Emergency Medicine for the type of degree designation that the first and senior authors had obtained for the years 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2014. A total of 2.48% of all authors held a degree in osteopathic medicine. Osteopathic physician first authors contributed to 3.26% of all publications while osteopathic physician senior authors contributed 1.53%. No statistical trend could be established for the years studied for osteopathic physicians. However, we noted an overall trend for increased publication for allopathic senior authors (p=0.001), allopathic first authors with a dual degree (p=0.003) and allopathic senior authors with a dual degree (p=0.005). For each journal studied, no statistical trend could be established for osteopathic first or senior authors but a trend was noted for allopathic first and senior authors in the Journal of Emergency Medicine (p-value=0.020 and 0.006). Of those with dual degrees, osteopathic physicians were in the minority with 1.85% of osteopathic first authors and 0.60% of osteopathic senior authors attaining a dual degree. No statistical trend could be established for increased dual degree publications for osteopathic physicians over the study period, nor could a statistical trend be established for any of the journals studied. Very few osteopathic physicians have published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, Academic Emergency Medicine or Annals of Emergency Medicine over the last two decades. Despite a trend for increased

  5. Chest ultrasonography for the emergency diagnosis of traumatic pneumothorax and haemothorax: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staub, Leonardo Jönck; Biscaro, Roberta Rodolfo Mazzali; Kaszubowski, Erikson; Maurici, Rosemeri

    2018-03-01

    To assess the accuracy of the chest ultrasonography for the emergency diagnosis of traumatic pneumothorax and haemothorax in adults. Systematic review and meta-analysis. PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science and LILACS (up to 2016) were systematically searched for prospective studies on the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography for pneumothorax and haemothorax in adult trauma patients. The references of other systematic reviews and the included studies were checked for further articles. The characteristics and results of the studies were extracted using a standardised form, and their methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2). Primary analysis was performed considering each hemithorax as an independent unit, while secondary analysis considered each patient. The global diagnostic accuracy of the chest ultrasonography was estimated using the Rutter-Gatsonis hierarchical summary ROC method. Moreover, Reitsma's bivariate model was used to estimate the sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR + ) and negative likelihood ratio (LR-) of each sonographic sign. This review was previously registered (PROSPERO CRD42016048085). Nineteen studies were included in the review, 17 assessing pneumothorax and 5 assessing haemothorax. The reference standard was always chest tomography, alone or in parallel with chest radiography and observation of the chest tube. The overall methodological quality of the studies was low. The diagnostic accuracy of chest ultrasonography had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.979 for pneumothorax (Fig). The absence of lung sliding and comet-tail artefacts was the most reported sonographic sign of pneumothorax, with a sensitivity of 0.81 (95% confidence interval [95%CI], 0.71-0.88), specificity of 0.98 (95%CI, 0.97-0.99), LR+ of 67.9 (95%CI, 26.3-148) and LR- of 0.18 (95%CI, 0.11-0.29). An echo-poor or anechoic area in the pleural space was the only sonographic sign for

  6. Diagnostic value of ultrasonography in evaluation and management of acute abdominal conditions in the paediatric age group

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohd Khalid

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The aims of this study have been elaborated below: (1 to enumerate the common causes of acute abdominal emergencies by ultrasonography in paediatric patients; (2 to establish the diagnostic efficacy of ultrasonography in evaluation of acute abdominal conditions in children and to illustrate the associated ultrasonographic findings; (3 and, to discuss the role of ultrasonography in guiding the mode of intervention in these cases. Patients and Methods: This prospective study of ultrasonographic examination in 146 paediatric patients presenting with acute onset abdominal pain at the emergency/paediatric outpatient department section of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College & Hospital, Aligarh, between June 2006 and December 2007, using 3.75 MHz and 8 MHz transducers of the ADARA (Siemens machine. Results : Common causes of acute abdominal emergencies in pediatric patients as noted on ultrasonography included nonspecific pain (28%, abdominal abscess (21%, acute appendicitis (7% and intussusception (7%. Ultrasonography was diagnostic in 45.2% cases and supportive in 12.3% of the cases. As for as the final outcome, ultrasonography prevented surgery in almost 20% cases and laparotomy was avoided in 7% of the patients as ultrasound guided interventions in the form of abscess aspiration were carried out. Conclusion: Ultrasonography evaluation of children with acute abdominal pain, helps in making significant changes in the management plan of the patients, and also reveals various clinically unsuspected diseases.

  7. An eMERGE Clinical Center at Partners Personalized Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jordan W. Smoller

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The integration of electronic medical records (EMRs and genomic research has become a major component of efforts to advance personalized and precision medicine. The Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE network, initiated in 2007, is an NIH-funded consortium devoted to genomic discovery and implementation research by leveraging biorepositories linked to EMRs. In its most recent phase, eMERGE III, the network is focused on facilitating implementation of genomic medicine by detecting and disclosing rare pathogenic variants in clinically relevant genes. Partners Personalized Medicine (PPM is a center dedicated to translating personalized medicine into clinical practice within Partners HealthCare. One component of the PPM is the Partners Healthcare Biobank, a biorepository comprising broadly consented DNA samples linked to the Partners longitudinal EMR. In 2015, PPM joined the eMERGE Phase III network. Here we describe the elements of the eMERGE clinical center at PPM, including plans for genomic discovery using EMR phenotypes, evaluation of rare variant penetrance and pleiotropy, and a novel randomized trial of the impact of returning genetic results to patients and clinicians.

  8. Impact on Clinical Management of After-Hours Emergent or Urgent Breast Ultrasonography in Patients with Clinically Suspected Breast Abscesses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanya W. Moseley

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Newly diagnosed breast abscesses are generally treated as a medical emergency that may necessitate immediate interventional treatment. At our institution, there is no in-house after-hours coverage for breast ultrasonography. We could find no peer-reviewed studies on the cost-effectiveness or clinical management impact of on-call ultrasound technologist coverage for imaging of breast abscesses. The purposes of this study were to determine the incidence of breast abscess in patients with clinical findings highly suggestive of abscess, identify clinical factors associated with breast abscess in such patients, and determine the impact of after-hours emergent or urgent breast ultrasonography on the clinical management of breast abscesses in both outpatients and inpatients. We retrospectively reviewed 100 after-hours breast ultrasound studies performed at our tertiary care center from 2011 to 2015 for evaluation of a suspected breast abscess. Only 26% of our patients with clinically suspected abscess ultimately had a confirmed abscess. Factors associated with breast abscess were a palpable abnormality and a history of breast surgery within the eight weeks before presentation. After-hours diagnosis of an abscess was associated with after-hours clinical intervention. Of the 74 patients in whom after-hours ultrasound imaging showed no evidence of abscess, only three patients underwent after-hours drainage. Our findings support overnight and weekend breast ultrasound coverage in large tertiary care centers.

  9. Impact on Clinical Management of After-Hours Emergent or Urgent Breast Ultrasonography in Patients with Clinically Suspected Breast Abscesses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moseley, Tanya W.; Stanley, Ashley; Wei, Wei; Parikh, Jay R.

    2018-01-01

    Newly diagnosed breast abscesses are generally treated as a medical emergency that may necessitate immediate interventional treatment. At our institution, there is no in-house after-hours coverage for breast ultrasonography. We could find no peer-reviewed studies on the cost-effectiveness or clinical management impact of on-call ultrasound technologist coverage for imaging of breast abscesses. The purposes of this study were to determine the incidence of breast abscess in patients with clinical findings highly suggestive of abscess, identify clinical factors associated with breast abscess in such patients, and determine the impact of after-hours emergent or urgent breast ultrasonography on the clinical management of breast abscesses in both outpatients and inpatients. We retrospectively reviewed 100 after-hours breast ultrasound studies performed at our tertiary care center from 2011 to 2015 for evaluation of a suspected breast abscess. Only 26% of our patients with clinically suspected abscess ultimately had a confirmed abscess. Factors associated with breast abscess were a palpable abnormality and a history of breast surgery within the eight weeks before presentation. After-hours diagnosis of an abscess was associated with after-hours clinical intervention. Of the 74 patients in whom after-hours ultrasound imaging showed no evidence of abscess, only three patients underwent after-hours drainage. Our findings support overnight and weekend breast ultrasound coverage in large tertiary care centers. PMID:29473859

  10. Impact on Clinical Management of After-Hours Emergent or Urgent Breast Ultrasonography in Patients with Clinically Suspected Breast Abscesses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moseley, Tanya W; Stanley, Ashley; Wei, Wei; Parikh, Jay R

    2018-02-23

    Newly diagnosed breast abscesses are generally treated as a medical emergency that may necessitate immediate interventional treatment. At our institution, there is no in-house after-hours coverage for breast ultrasonography. We could find no peer-reviewed studies on the cost-effectiveness or clinical management impact of on-call ultrasound technologist coverage for imaging of breast abscesses. The purposes of this study were to determine the incidence of breast abscess in patients with clinical findings highly suggestive of abscess, identify clinical factors associated with breast abscess in such patients, and determine the impact of after-hours emergent or urgent breast ultrasonography on the clinical management of breast abscesses in both outpatients and inpatients. We retrospectively reviewed 100 after-hours breast ultrasound studies performed at our tertiary care center from 2011 to 2015 for evaluation of a suspected breast abscess. Only 26% of our patients with clinically suspected abscess ultimately had a confirmed abscess. Factors associated with breast abscess were a palpable abnormality and a history of breast surgery within the eight weeks before presentation. After-hours diagnosis of an abscess was associated with after-hours clinical intervention. Of the 74 patients in whom after-hours ultrasound imaging showed no evidence of abscess, only three patients underwent after-hours drainage. Our findings support overnight and weekend breast ultrasound coverage in large tertiary care centers.

  11. Development of emergency medicine as academic and distinct clinical discipline in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salihefendic, Nizama; Zildzic, Muharem; Masic, Izet; Hadziahmetovic, Zoran; Vasic, Dusko

    2011-01-01

    Emergency medicine is a new academic discipline, as well as a recent independent clinical specialization with the specific principles of practice, education and research. It is also a very important segment of the overall health care and health system. Emergency medicine as a distinct specialty was introduced in the U.S. in 1970. Ten years later and relatively quickly emergency medicine was introduced in the health system in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a specialty with a special education program for specialist and a final exam. Compare the development of emergency medicine in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the trends of development of this discipline in the world as a specialization and an academic discipline. Identify specific problems and possible solutions and learn lessons from other countries. Reviewed are the literature data on the development of emergency medicine in the world, programs of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, the organizational scheme of emergency centers and residency. This is then compared with data of the current status of emergency medicine as an academic discipline and a recognized specialization, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are substantial differences in the development of emergency medicine in the United States, European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although Bosnia and Herzegovina relatively early recognized specialty of emergency medicine in academia, it failed to mach the academic progress with the practical implementation. A&E departments in the Community Health Centers failed to meet the desired objectives even though they were led by specialists in emergency medicine. The main reason being the lack of space and equipment as well as staff needed to meet set standards of good clinical practice, education and research. Furthermore the Curriculum of undergraduate education and specialization does not match modern concept of educational programs that meet the principles set out in emergency medicine and learning through

  12. Why Do Emergency Medicine Residents Experience Burn Out? A qualitative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Atefe Kamaloo

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Emergency medicine residents are a high–risk group for burnout syndrome. This was a qualitative study with content analysis on emergency medical residents with 2 aims: evaluating the incidence of occupational burnout syndrome and identifying the points of view and attitudes of emergency medical residents about factors related to occupational burnout syndrome.Method: For this study, 2 sessions of focus group discussions were set up at Imam Khomeini hospital affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Each session took 90 minutes, and 20 emergency medicine residents in their first or second year of emergency medicine residency participated in the sessions. Data were coded   by MAXQDA10 software.Results: Data were categorized in 4 themes as follow: (1 the characteristics of emergency medicine; (2 ambiguity in residents’ duties; (3 educational planning; and (4 careers.Data on the proposed solutions by residents were analyzed and coded in 3 groups including (1 changes in personal life; (2 arrangement in shifts; and  (3 educational issues.Conclusion: According to findings of this qualitative study, most of emergency medicine residents have experienced exhaustion sometime during the course of their residency. Psychological supports may help the residents to cope with their career difficulties and probable burn out.

  13. Assessing interpersonal and communication skills in emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Teresa M; Wallner, Clare; Swoboda, Thomas K; Leone, Katrina A; Kessler, Chad

    2012-12-01

    Interpersonal and communication skills (ICS) are a key component of several competency-based schemata and key competency in the set of six Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies. With the shift toward a competency-based educational framework, the importance of robust learner assessment becomes paramount. The journal Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM) hosted a consensus conference to discuss education research in emergency medicine (EM). This article summarizes the initial preparatory research that was conducted to brief consensus conference attendees and reports the results of the consensus conference breakout session as it pertains to ICS assessment of learners. The goals of this consensus conference session were to twofold: 1) to determine the state of assessment of observable learner performance and 2) to determine a research agenda within the ICS field for medical educators. The working group identified six key recommendations for medical educators and researchers. © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  14. Workplace violence in emergency medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Chatterjee*

    2013-12-01

    Conclusion: Violence against ED health care workers is a real problem with significant implications to the victims, patients, and departments/institutions. ED WPV needs to be addressed urgently by stakeholders through continued research on effective interventions specific to Emergency Medicine. Coordination, cooperation, and active commitment to the development of such interventions are critical.

  15. Systematic Analysis of Theses in the Field of Emergency Medicine in Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erdem CEVIK

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available SUMMARY: Objectives: The aim of this study is to systematically evaluate the theses in the field of emergency medicine in Turkey and to determine whether they were published as a scientific paper. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study. Theses in the field of emergency medicine between 1998 and 2013 were browsed from the internet database of National Thesis Center (Council of Higher Education. Study type, both if it was in the field of emergency, or if it was published and the journal's scope of published studies were assessed and recorded in the study chart. Results: 579 theses were included in the study. 27.1% of them were published and 14.9% of them were published in SCI/SCI-E journals. Advisors of theses were emergency medicine specialists in 67.6% of theses and 493 (85.1% of them were in the field of emergency medicine. 77.4% of theses were observational and 20.9% were experimental study. Most of the experimental studies (72.7%, n=88 were animal studies. Conclusions: It was concluded that very few theses in the field of emergency medicine were published in journals that were indexed in SCI/SCI-E. Key words: Emergency medicine, systematic analysis, theses

  16. The accuracy rate of Alvarado score, ultrasonography, and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objective: In this study, we aim to compare the relationship between the Alvarado score, ultrasonography, and multislice computerized tomography (CT) findings used for the diagnosis of the patients who presented to our emergency unit with clinical features suggestive of acute appendicitis. Materials and Methods: ...

  17. Psychiatry and emergency medicine: medical student and physician attitudes toward homeless persons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, Ann; Roman, Brenda; Borges, Nicole

    2012-05-01

    The purpose of the study was to explore changes in medical students' attitudes toward homeless persons during the Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine clerkships. Simultaneously, this study explored attitudes toward homeless persons held by Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine residents and faculty in an attempt to uncover the "hidden curriculum" in medical education, in which values are communicated from teacher to student outside of the formal instruction. A group of 79 students on Psychiatry and 66 on Emergency Medicine clerkships were surveyed at the beginning and end of their rotation regarding their attitudes toward homeless persons by use of the Health Professionals' Attitudes Toward the Homeless Inventory (HPATHI). The HPATHI was also administered to 31 Psychiatry residents and faculty and 41 Emergency Medicine residents and faculty one time during the course of this study. For Psychiatry clerks, t-tests showed significant differences pre- and post-clerkship experiences on 2 of the 23 items on the HPATHI. No statistically significant differences were noted for the Emergency Medicine students. An analysis of variance revealed statistically significant differences on 7 out of the 23 survey questions for residents and faculty in Psychiatry, as compared with those in Emergency Medicine. Results suggest that medical students showed small differences in their attitudes toward homeless people following clerkships in Psychiatry but not in Emergency Medicine. Regarding resident and faculty results, significant differences between specialties were noted, with Psychiatry residents and faculty exhibiting more favorable attitudes toward homeless persons than residents and faculty in Emergency Medicine. Given that medical student competencies should be addressing the broader social issues of homelessness, medical schools need to first understand the attitudes of medical students to such issues, and then develop curricula to overcome inaccurate or stigmatizing beliefs.

  18. An unanticipated diagnosis with bedside ultrasonography in patients ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Although abdominal pain is a common presentation in emergency departments, rectus sheath hematoma (RSH) is among the rarest diagnosis. Here we present 2 cases of RSH likely caused by coughing due to upper respiratory tract infection. The two described cases were diagnosed by bedside ultrasonography and ...

  19. Can emergency medicine research benefit from adaptive design clinical trials?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flight, Laura; Julious, Steven A; Goodacre, Steve

    2017-04-01

    Adaptive design clinical trials use preplanned interim analyses to determine whether studies should be stopped or modified before recruitment is complete. Emergency medicine trials are well suited to these designs as many have a short time to primary outcome relative to the length of recruitment. We hypothesised that the majority of published emergency medicine trials have the potential to use a simple adaptive trial design. We reviewed clinical trials published in three emergency medicine journals between January 2003 and December 2013. We determined the proportion that used an adaptive design as well as the proportion that could have used a simple adaptive design based on the time to primary outcome and length of recruitment. Only 19 of 188 trials included in the review were considered to have used an adaptive trial design. A total of 154/165 trials that were fixed in design had the potential to use an adaptive design. Currently, there seems to be limited uptake in the use of adaptive trial designs in emergency medicine despite their potential benefits to save time and resources. Failing to take advantage of adaptive designs could be costly to patients and research. It is recommended that where practical and logistical considerations allow, adaptive designs should be used for all emergency medicine clinical trials. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  20. Diagnostic nerve ultrasonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baeumer, T.; Grimm, A.; Schelle, T.

    2017-01-01

    For the diagnostics of nerve lesions an imaging method is necessary to visualize peripheral nerves and their surrounding structures for an etiological classification. Clinical neurological and electrophysiological investigations provide functional information about nerve lesions. The information provided by a standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination is inadequate for peripheral nerve diagnostics; however, MRI neurography is suitable but on the other hand a resource and time-consuming method. Using ultrasonography for peripheral nerve diagnostics. With ultrasonography reliable diagnostics of entrapment neuropathies and traumatic nerve lesions are possible. The use of ultrasonography for neuropathies shows that a differentiation between different forms is possible. Nerve ultrasonography is an established diagnostic tool. In addition to the clinical examination and clinical electrophysiology, structural information can be obtained, which results in a clear improvement in the diagnostics. Ultrasonography has become an integral part of the diagnostic work-up of peripheral nerve lesions in neurophysiological departments. Nerve ultrasonography is recommended for the diagnostic work-up of peripheral nerve lesions in addition to clinical and electrophysiological investigations. It should be used in the clinical work-up of entrapment neuropathies, traumatic nerve lesions and spacy-occupying lesions of nerves. (orig.) [de

  1. Abstract to publication ratio for papers presented at scientific meetings: how does emergency medicine compare?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walby, A; Kelly, A M; Georgakas, C

    2001-12-01

    The aims of the present study were to determine the publication rate of abstracts presented by Australasian emergency physicians at major emergency medicine meetings and to identify the site of publication of papers. All free paper abstracts presented (oral and poster) by Australasian emergency physicians and trainees at five Australasian College for Emergency Medicine/Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine and International Conference on Emergency Medicine meetings between 1995 and 1998 were identified retrospectively from conference programmes. In order to determine whether or not the abstract had been published, the PubMed database (http://www4.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/) was searched using the presenter's name and key words from the abstract. In addition, a hand search of the non-abstracted journal Emergency Medicine was conducted. Of the 207 free paper abstracts identified, 73 (35%) had been published as full articles. Papers were published in a variety of journals; however, Emergency Medicine accounted for almost half the published papers. The mean time between presentation and publication was 12.6 months (median 11 months). The abstract to publication rate for papers presented by Australasian emergency physicians and trainees at Australasian College for Emergency Medicine/Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine and International Conference on Emergency Medicine meetings is 35%, which is lower than that reported by some other established specialities, but comparable to rates reported for US-based national and international emergency medicine meetings. Future research should look at barriers to the publication of findings and ways to assist the publication process.

  2. Cost-effectiveness Analysis Appraisal and Application: An Emergency Medicine Perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    April, Michael D; Murray, Brian P

    2017-06-01

    Cost-effectiveness is an important goal for emergency care delivery. The many diagnostic, treatment, and disposition decisions made in the emergency department (ED) have a significant impact upon healthcare resource utilization. Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is an analytic tool to optimize these resource allocation decisions through the systematic comparison of costs and effects of alternative healthcare decisions. Yet few emergency medicine leaders and policymakers have any formal training in CEA methodology. This paper provides an introduction to the interpretation and use of CEA with a focus on application to emergency medicine problems and settings. It applies a previously published CEA to the hypothetical case of a patient presenting to the ED with chest pain who requires risk stratification. This paper uses a widely cited checklist to appraise the CEA. This checklist serves as a vehicle for presenting basic CEA terminology and concepts. General topics of focus include measurement of costs and outcomes, incremental analysis, and sensitivity analysis. Integrated throughout the paper are recommendations for good CEA practice with emphasis on the guidelines published by the U.S. Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine. Unique challenges for emergency medicine CEAs discussed include the projection of long-term outcomes from emergent interventions, costing ED services, and applying study results to diverse patient populations across various ED settings. The discussion also includes an overview of the limitations inherent in applying CEA results to clinical practice to include the lack of incorporation of noncost considerations in CEA (e.g., ethics). After reading this article, emergency medicine leaders and researchers will have an enhanced understanding of the basics of CEA critical appraisal and application. The paper concludes with an overview of economic evaluation resources for readers interested in conducting ED-based economic evaluation

  3. Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Statement on Plagiarism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asher, Shellie L; Iserson, Kenneth V; Merck, Lisa H

    2017-10-01

    The integrity of the research enterprise is of the utmost importance for the advancement of safe and effective medical practice for patients and for maintaining the public trust in health care. Academic societies and editors of journals are key participants in guarding scientific integrity. Avoiding and preventing plagiarism helps to preserve the scientific integrity of professional presentations and publications. The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Ethics Committee discusses current issues in scientific publishing integrity and provides a guideline to avoid plagiarism in SAEM presentations and publications. © 2017 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  4. Ultrasonography of the canine pancreas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle L Avante

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This study describes the ultrasonographic techniques currently used in the evaluation of the canine pancreas. Ultrasonography was the first method to enable direct visualization of the pancreas in humans and it has been subsequently applied to animals. Currently, it is the method of choice for pancreatic evaluation and is essential as a diagnostic tool in the detection of abnormalities, especially tumors. Innovative equipment technology has led to the emergence of techniques complementary to B-mode ultrasound; such as Doppler, elastography, and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, which have enabled more accurate diagnosis. Doppler provides information on vascular architecture and the hemodynamic aspect of blood vessels in multiple organs. ARFI elastography provides detailed images of the alterations detected by conventional examination (qualitative method and assists in differentiating between benign and malignant processes (quantitative method. Microbubble contrast agents determine parameters related to homogeneous and heterogeneous filling of organs with microbubbles, mainly nodular areas, thus defining high and low intensity patterns.

  5. Development of a clinical forensic medicine curriculum for emergency physicians in the USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smock, W S

    1994-06-01

    To address the forensic needs of living patients, the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky, USA initiated the first clinical forensic medicine training programme in the USA. In July 1991, formal training in clinical forensic medicine was incorporated into the core curriculum of the USA's second oldest academic emergency medicine training programme. The University of Louisville, in cooperation with the Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office, developed the curriculum to provide the emergency physician with the knowledge base and technical skills to perform forensic evaluations of living patients. Forensic lectures are given monthly by local and regional forensic experts including: forensic pathologists, prosecuting attorneys, firearm and ballistics examiners, law enforcement officers, forensic chemists and forensic odontologists. Topics which are presented include: forensic pathology, forensic photography, ballistics and firearms analysis, paediatric physical and sexual assault, crime scene investigation, forensic odontology, courtroom and expert testimony and the forensic evaluation of penetrating trauma. As a result of the introduction of clinical forensic medicine into the core curriculum of an emergency medicine training programme the residents are now actively addressing the forensic issues encountered in the Emergency department. Key, often short-lived forensic evidence, which was frequently overlooked or discarded while delivering patient care is now recognized, documented and preserved. The development and introduction of a clinical forensic medicine curriculum into emergency medicine training has greatly enhanced the emergency physician's ability to recognize, document and address the forensic needs of their patients who are victims of violent and non-fatal trauma.

  6. Nuclear medicine in emergency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mansi, L.; Rambaldi, P.F.; Cuccurullo, V.; Varetto, T.

    2005-01-01

    The role of a procedure depends not only on its own capabilities but also on a cost/effective comparison with alternative technique giving similar information. Starting from the definition of emergency as a sudden unexpected occurrence demanding immediate action, the role of nuclear medicine (NM) is difficult to identify if it is not possible to respond 24h a day, 365 days a year, to clinical demands. To justify a 24 h NM service it is necessary to reaffirm the role in diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in the spiral CT era, to spread knowledge of the capabilities of nuclear cardiology in reliability diagnosis myocardial infraction (better defining admission and discharge to/from the emergency department), to increase the number of indications. Radionuclide technique could be used as first line, alternative, complementary procedures in a diagnostic tree taking into account not only the diagnosis but also the connections with prognosis and therapy in evaluating cerebral pathologies, acute inflammation/infection, transplants, bleeding, trauma, skeletal, hepatobiliary, renal and endocrine emergencies, acute scrotal pain

  7. Systematic Analysis of Theses in the Field of Emergency Medicine in Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cevik, Erdem; Karakus Yilmaz, Banu; Acar, Yahya Ayhan; Dokur, Mehmet

    2015-03-01

    The aim of this study is to systematically evaluate the theses in the field of emergency medicine in Turkey and to determine whether they were published as a scientific paper. This is a retrospective observational study. Theses in the field of emergency medicine between 1998 and 2013 were browsed from the internet database of National Thesis Center (Council of Higher Education). Study type, both if it was in the field of emergency, or if it was published and the journal's scope of published studies were assessed and recorded in the study chart. 579 theses were included in the study. 27.1% of them were published and 14.9% of them were published in SCI/SCI-E journals. Advisors of theses were emergency medicine specialists in 67.6% of theses and 493 (85.1%) of them were in the field of emergency medicine. 77.4% of theses were observational and 20.9% were experimental study. Most of the experimental studies (72.7%, n=88) were animal studies. It was concluded that very few theses in the field of emergency medicine were published in journals that were indexed in SCI/SCI-E.

  8. Publication rate of abstracts presented at the emergency medicine congresses held by the European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM) in 2011 and 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalkan, Asim; Kose, Ozkan; Bilir, Ozlem; Ersunan, Gokhan; Ozel, Deniz; Guler, Ferhat

    2015-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the publication rate of the abstracts presented at the 6th Mediterranean Emergency Medicine Congress, 2011 and the 7th European Congress on Emergency Medicine, 2012. All abstracts, both posters and oral presentations, from the international emergency medicine congresses held by the European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM) in 2011 and 2012 were identified. To establish whether these abstracts were subsequently published in peer-reviewed medical journals, the names of all the authors and the title of the abstracts were searched for in the databases of Clinical Key/Elsevier, EBSCO Discovery Service, MD Consult, Science Direct, Scopus, EMBASE, Medscape, Google Scholar and local ULAKBIM. The year of publication, consistency of author names and titles, the type of study, the journals in which papers were published and countries from which reports were submitted were all recorded. A total of 1721 abstracts were examined; 626 from 2011 (307 oral presentations and 319 posters) and 1095 from 2012 (154 oral presentations and 941 posters). Of all abstracts in 2011, 172 (27.5%) and of all abstracts in 2012, 265 (24.2%) were subsequently published as full-text reports in peer-reviewed journals. Of the 172 papers published in 2011, 152 (88.4%) were accepted by Science Citation Index (SCI) and/or SCI Expanded (SCI-E) journals and 155 (58.5%) of 265 papers were accepted by SCI and/or SCI-E journals in 2012 (p=0.0001). The publication rate of abstracts submitted to international emergency medicine congresses held by EUSEM over those 2 years was low compared with that of abstracts presented in other emergency medicine congresses. Presenters should be encouraged to send their studies to peer-reviewed journals. During the selection process by the scientific panel, constructive critics should be notified to the presenters instead of simply accepting or rejecting the studies that submitted to the congress, which may increase the

  9. Ultrasonography versus intravenous urography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aslaksen, A.

    1991-01-01

    The present study was performed to compare the clinical value of urography and ultrasonography in a non-selected group of patients referred for urography to a university hospital. The conslusions and clinical implications of the study are as follows: Intravenous urography remains the cornerstone imaging examination in the evaluation of ureteral calculi. Ultrasonography is a valuable adjunct in cases of non- visualization of the kidneys, in distal obstruction and known contrast media allergy. When women with recurrent urinary tract infection are referred for imaging of the urinary tract, ultrasonography should be used. Ultrasonography should replace urography for screening of non-acute hydronephrosis like in female genital cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia. There is good correlation between urography and ultrasonography in assessing the degree of hydronephrosis. However, more researh on the relationship between hydronephrosis and obstruction is necessary. Ultrasonography should be used as the only imaging method of the upper urinary tract in patients with microscopic hematuria. In patients less than 50 years with macroscopic hematuria, ultrasonography should be used as the only imaging of the upper urinary tract, and an examination of the urinary bladder should be included. In patients over 50 years, urography supplied with ultrasonography should be used, but more research is necessary on the subject of imaging method and age. 158 refs

  10. Bedside Ultrasonography versus Brain Natriuretic Peptide in Detecting Cardiogenic Causes of Acute Dyspnea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keihan Golshani

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Acute dyspnea is a common cause of hospitalization in emergency departments (ED.Distinguishing the cardiac causes of acute dyspnea from pulmonary ones is a major challenge for responsible physicians in EDs. This study compares the characteristics of bedside ultrasonography with serum level of blood natriuretic peptide (BNP in this regard. Methods: This diagnostic accuracy study compares bedside ultrasonography with serum BNP levels in differentiating cardiogenic causes of acute respiratory distress. Echocardiography was considered as the reference test. A checklist including demographic data (age and sex, vital signs, medical history, underlying diseases, serum level of BNP, as well as findings of chest radiography, chest ultrasonography, and echocardiography was filled for all patients with acute onset of dyspnea. Screening characteristics of the two studied methods were calculated and compared using SPSS software, version 20. Results: 48 patients with acute respiratory distress were evaluated (50% female. The mean age of participants was 66.94 ± 16.33 (28-94 years. Based on the results of echocardiography and final diagnosis, the cause of dyspnea was cardiogenic in 20 (41.6% cases. Bedside ultrasonography revealed the cardiogenic cause of acute dyspnea in 18 cases (0 false positive and BNP in 44 cases (24 false positives. The area under the ROC curve for bedside ultrasonography and BNP for differentiating the cardiogenic cause of dyspnea were 86.4 (95% CI: 74.6-98.3 and 66.3 (95% CI: 49.8-89.2, respectively (p = 0.0021. Conclusion: It seems that bedside ultrasonography could be considered as a helpful and accurate method in differentiating cardiogenic causes of acute dyspnea in emergency settings. Nevertheless, more study is needed to make a runaway algorithm to evaluate patients with respiratory distress using bedside ultrasonography, which leads to rapid therapeutic decisions in a short time.

  11. THE SPECIALTY OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE IN CHILE: 20 YEARS OF HISTORY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    WK Mallon

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Chile is uniquely situated to be a leader in South American development of the specialty of Emergency Medicine. Chilean emergency medicine has successfully transitioned from a novelty training idea to a nationally and internationally recognized entity with serious public health goals. There are more residency training programs in Chile than in any other South American or Latin American country, and the specialty is formally recognized by the Ministry of Health. Chilean emergency medicine thought leaders have networked internationally with multiple groups, intelligently used outside resources, and created durable academic relationships. While focusing on locally important issues and patient care they have successfully advanced their agenda. Despite this, the specialty faces many new challenges and remains fragile but sustainable. Policy makers and the Chilean MOH need to be acutely aware of this fragility to preserve the progress achieved so far, and support ongoing maturation of the specialty of Emergency Medicine.

  12. Evaluation of abdominal trauma by computed tomography and ultrasonography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Do Yun; Kim, Sang Jin; Lee, Jong Tae; Yoo, Hyung Sik [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1986-06-15

    Out of 75 patients who were admitted to our hospital because of abdominal trauma and were undergone the procedures such as ultrasonography and/or CT scan within 24 hours of abdominal trauma due to suspected abdominal organ injury. We analyzed the results of 38 patients who were confirmed of diagnosis by operation, follow-up CT scan or ultrasonography. We analyzed the results of 38 patients who were confirmed of diagnosis by operation, follow-up CT scan or ultrasonography. 1. In the abdominal organ injury, solid organ injury consists of 8 cases of spleen laceration, 1 of splenic subcapsular hematoma, 7 of hepatic laceration, 7 of pancreas laceration, 3 of renal laceration, and 3 of subcapsular hematoma of kidney. 2. In addition, there were 7 bowel and/or mesenteric laceration, 2 diaphragmatic hernia, and 1 urethral rupture. 3. 2 cases of retroperitoneal hematoma and 1 case in which hemo peritoneum occurred without abdominal organ injury were confirmed by follow-up CT or ultrasonography. 4. In all of the 4 patients with multiple organ injury, pancreatic laceration was associated. 5. In abdominal trauma patients, ultrasonography or CT can be used to survey rapidly the entire abdomen for possible associated injury, and be of great help to clinicians in identifying the patients who need immediate surgery or in minimizing the incidence of unnecessary emergency abdominal exploration.

  13. Evaluation of abdominal trauma by computed tomography and ultrasonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Do Yun; Kim, Sang Jin; Lee, Jong Tae; Yoo, Hyung Sik

    1986-01-01

    Out of 75 patients who were admitted to our hospital because of abdominal trauma and were undergone the procedures such as ultrasonography and/or CT scan within 24 hours of abdominal trauma due to suspected abdominal organ injury. We analyzed the results of 38 patients who were confirmed of diagnosis by operation, follow-up CT scan or ultrasonography. We analyzed the results of 38 patients who were confirmed of diagnosis by operation, follow-up CT scan or ultrasonography. 1. In the abdominal organ injury, solid organ injury consists of 8 cases of spleen laceration, 1 of splenic subcapsular hematoma, 7 of hepatic laceration, 7 of pancreas laceration, 3 of renal laceration, and 3 of subcapsular hematoma of kidney. 2. In addition, there were 7 bowel and/or mesenteric laceration, 2 diaphragmatic hernia, and 1 urethral rupture. 3. 2 cases of retroperitoneal hematoma and 1 case in which hemo peritoneum occurred without abdominal organ injury were confirmed by follow-up CT or ultrasonography. 4. In all of the 4 patients with multiple organ injury, pancreatic laceration was associated. 5. In abdominal trauma patients, ultrasonography or CT can be used to survey rapidly the entire abdomen for possible associated injury, and be of great help to clinicians in identifying the patients who need immediate surgery or in minimizing the incidence of unnecessary emergency abdominal exploration.

  14. [Ambulance in emergency medicine].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aksoy, Fikret; Ergun, Alper

    2002-07-01

    The ambulance service is very important in emergency medicine. The aim of this study was to investigate the new governing statuate of private ambulance service and to propose some new ideas. We examinated the new governing statuate of private ambulance service, rules of patient transporte between the hospitals and reports written by SSK Goztepe Educational Hospital ambulance drivers. We concluded that SSK Goztepe Educational Hospital ambulance drivers have a iot of problems especially at the rules of patient transport between the hospitals and there are some defiencies at the new governing statuate of private ambulance service. We concluded that it is necesssary to manage all the ambulance services in one center; all the private ambulance services have to have a specialist and all these must be determinated by the special rules. Key words: Regulation ofprivate ambulance, emergency head maintanence, ambulance services

  15. Assessing Team Leadership in Emergency Medicine: The Milestones and Beyond.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenman, Elizabeth D; Branzetti, Jeremy B; Fernandez, Rosemarie

    2016-07-01

    Team leadership is a critical skill for emergency medicine physicians that directly affects team performance and the quality of patient care. There exists a robust body of team science research supporting team leadership conceptual models and behavioral skill sets. However, to date, this work has not been widely incorporated into health care team leadership education. This narrative review has 3 aims: (1) to synthesize the team science literature and to translate important concepts and models to health care team leadership; (2) to describe how team leadership is currently represented in the health care literature and in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestones for emergency medicine; and (3) to propose a novel, evidence-based framework for the assessment of team leadership in emergency medicine. We conducted a narrative review of the team science and health care literature. We summarized our findings and identified a list of team leadership behaviors that were then used to create a framework for team leadership assessment. Current health care team leadership measurement tools do not incorporate evidence-based models of leadership concepts from other established domains. The emergency medicine milestones include several team leadership behaviors as part of a larger resident evaluation program. However, they do not offer a comprehensive or cohesive representation of the team leadership construct. Despite the importance of team leadership to patient care, there is no standardized approach to team leadership assessment in emergency medicine. Based on the results of our review, we propose a novel team leadership assessment framework that is supported by the team science literature.

  16. Increasing emergency medicine residents' confidence in disaster management: use of an emergency department simulator and an expedited curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franc, Jeffrey Michael; Nichols, Darren; Dong, Sandy L

    2012-02-01

    Disaster Medicine is an increasingly important part of medicine. Emergency Medicine residency programs have very high curriculum commitments, and adding Disaster Medicine training to this busy schedule can be difficult. Development of a short Disaster Medicine curriculum that is effective and enjoyable for the participants may be a valuable addition to Emergency Medicine residency training. A simulation-based curriculum was developed. The curriculum included four group exercises in which the participants developed a disaster plan for a simulated hospital. This was followed by a disaster simulation using the Disastermed.Ca Emergency Disaster Simulator computer software Version 3.5.2 (Disastermed.Ca, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) and the disaster plan developed by the participants. Progress was assessed by a pre- and post-test, resident evaluations, faculty evaluation of Command and Control, and markers obtained from the Disastermed.Ca software. Twenty-five residents agreed to partake in the training curriculum. Seventeen completed the simulation. There was no statistically significant difference in pre- and post-test scores. Residents indicated that they felt the curriculum had been useful, and judged it to be preferable to a didactic curriculum. In addition, the residents' confidence in their ability to manage a disaster increased on both a personal and and a departmental level. A simulation-based model of Disaster Medicine training, requiring approximately eight hours of classroom time, was judged by Emergency Medicine residents to be a valuable component of their medical training, and increased their confidence in personal and departmental disaster management capabilities.

  17. State of emergency medicine in Rwanda 2015: an innovative trainee and trainer model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mbanjumucyo, Gabin; DeVos, Elizabeth; Pulfrey, Simon; Epino, Henry M

    2015-01-01

    The 1994 Rwandan war and genocide left more than 1 million people dead; millions displaced; and the country's economic, social, and health infrastructure destroyed. Despite remaining one of the poorest countries in the world, Rwanda has made remarkable gains in health, social, and economic development over the last 20 years, but modern emergency care has been slow to progress. Rwanda has recently established the Human Resources for Health program to rapidly build capacity in multiple sectors of its healthcare delivery system, including emergency medicine. This project involves multiple medical and surgical residencies, nursing programs, allied health professional trainings, and hospital administrative support. A real strength of the program is that trainers work with international faculty at Rwanda's referral hospital, but also as emergency medicine specialty trainers when returning to their respective district hospitals. Rwanda's first emergency medicine trainees are playing a unique and important role in the implementation of emergency care systems and education in the country's district hospitals. While there has been early vital progress in building emergency medicine's foundations in Rwanda, there remains much work to be done. This will be accomplished with careful planning and strong commitment from the country's healthcare and emergency medicine leaders.

  18. A Model Curriculum for an Emergency Medical Services (EMS Rotation for Emergency Medicine Residents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Mancera

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This EMS curriculum is designed for Emergency Medicine residents at all levels of training. Introduction: Emergency Medicine (EM physicians have routine interaction with Emergency Medical Services (EMS in their clinical practice. Additionally, the American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME mandates that all Emergency Medicine resident physicians receive specific training in the area of EMS.1 Historically, EMS training for EM residents has been conducted in the absence of a standardized didactic curriculum. Despite advancements in the area of prehospital training, there remains wide inconsistency in EMS training experiences among EM residency training programs.2 To our knowledge a standardized and reproducible EMS curriculum for EM residents does not exist. Objectives: The aim of this curriculum is to provide a robust learning experience for EM residents around prehospital care and EMS that fulfills the ACGME requirements and which can be easily replicated and implemented in a variety of EM residency training programs. Method: The educational strategies used in this curriculum include didactics, asynchronous learning through online modules and a focused reading list, experiential learning through ride-alongs, structured small group discussion, supervised medical command shifts, and mentored practice in organizing and delivering didactics to EMS providers.

  19. Assessing Team Leadership in Emergency Medicine: The Milestones and Beyond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenman, Elizabeth D.; Branzetti, Jeremy B.; Fernandez, Rosemarie

    2016-01-01

    Background Team leadership is a critical skill for emergency medicine physicians that directly affects team performance and the quality of patient care. There exists a robust body of team science research supporting team leadership conceptual models and behavioral skill sets. However, to date, this work has not been widely incorporated into health care team leadership education. Objective This narrative review has 3 aims: (1) to synthesize the team science literature and to translate important concepts and models to health care team leadership; (2) to describe how team leadership is currently represented in the health care literature and in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestones for emergency medicine; and (3) to propose a novel, evidence-based framework for the assessment of team leadership in emergency medicine. Methods We conducted a narrative review of the team science and health care literature. We summarized our findings and identified a list of team leadership behaviors that were then used to create a framework for team leadership assessment. Results Current health care team leadership measurement tools do not incorporate evidence-based models of leadership concepts from other established domains. The emergency medicine milestones include several team leadership behaviors as part of a larger resident evaluation program. However, they do not offer a comprehensive or cohesive representation of the team leadership construct. Conclusions Despite the importance of team leadership to patient care, there is no standardized approach to team leadership assessment in emergency medicine. Based on the results of our review, we propose a novel team leadership assessment framework that is supported by the team science literature. PMID:27413434

  20. [Occupational aspects of emergency medicine practice in Catalonia: the OPENCAT opinion survey].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacob, Javier; Gené, Emili; Alonso, Gilberto; Rimbau, Pere; Zorrilla, José; Casarramona, Francesc; Netto, Cristina; Sánchez, Pere; Hernández, Ricard; Escalada, Xavier; Miró, Òscar

    2017-01-01

    To gather information on the contracting and training of members of the Catalan Society of Emergency Medicine (SoCMUE) who work in emergency medicine and services in Catalonia. To survey their opinions on certain aspects of resource availability and working conditions. Cross-sectional descriptive study based on a survey sent to SoCMUE members. We studied the opinions of 5 types of respondent: hospital physicians, out-of-hospital physicians, hospital nurses, out-of-hospital nurses, and emergency medical technicians. Responses were grouped to compare the opinions of physicians and nurses and workers in hospital and prehospital settings. We received 616 responses from 1273 members (48.4% response rate). More physicians than nurses come from outside Catalonia and have contracts specifically linked to emergency care; in addition, physicians have done less postgraduate training in emergency medicine. More hospital staff than prehospital staff have permanent contracts linked to the department where they work. More hospital physicians are specialized in internal medicine than in family and community medicine. The opinion that emergency services are inadequately staffed was widespread. Most respondents believed that patient transport is good or adequate. However, respondents working in prehospital services expressed a lower opinion of transport. Great difficulty in combining work with family (life achieving work-life balance) was expressed by 13.5% overall, and more often by hospital staff. Some type of aggression was experienced by 88.2%; 60% reported the event to superiors. Nurses reported aggression more often than physicians. A police report was filed by 10.1%. Emergency medicine working conditions can be improved in Catalonia according to members of SoCMUE. Relations between groups of professionals are not optimum in some aspects.

  1. The state of emergency medicine in the United Republic of Tanzania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B.A. Nicks

    2012-09-01

    Currently at most hospitals, emergency patients are cared for in Emergency Centres (ECs staffed with rotating personnel who are neither trained nor equipped to provide complete resuscitative care, but dedicated emergency care training projects are emerging. The first Emergency Medicine residency in the country was initiated in 2010 and will produce its first graduates in 2013. In 2011, a dedicated Emergency Nursing curriculum was introduced, and the Emergency Medical Association of Tanzania (EMAT, the first Emergency Medicine professional society in the country, was formed and ratified by the Ministry of Health. EMAT has been given a mandate to develop feasible initiatives for the dissemination of emergency care training to district and sub-district facilities. However, significant gaps exist in the capacity for emergency medical care including deficits in human resources, essential equipment and infrastructure – concurrent issues that EMAT must address within its development strategy.

  2. Identification of intraluminal thrombus by ultrasonography in emergency department patients with acute deep venous thrombosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehta, Ninfa; Schecter, Joshua; Stone, Michael

    2012-05-01

    Traditionally, the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) using duplex ultrasonography (DU) has relied on the absence of venous compressibility. Visualization of an intraluminal thrombus is considered an uncommon finding. The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency of intraluminal thrombus in emergency department (ED) patients diagnosed with acute DVT. Retrospective chart review of adult ED patients with DU examinations demonstrating acute DVT. Patients with chronic DVT or patients in whom DU did not demonstrate DVT were excluded from data analysis. Study reports and ultrasound images were reviewed and analyzed for the presence of intraluminal thrombus. There were 189 patients who met inclusion criteria, of which 160 (85%) were found to have intraluminal thrombus. Intraluminal thrombi are present in the majority of patients in our ED in whom acute DVT is identified by DU. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Comparison of ultrasonography with radiography for the detection of cervical esophageal foreign body

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Pourrashidi

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: Detection of retained foreign bodies remains a significant problem in the emergency department. Foreign bodies can go undetected causing infectious complications ultrasonography is too inaccessible and expensive. The purpose of this study is comparison of ultrasonography with radiography for the detection of cervical esophageal foreign bodiesMethods: This cross-sectional study evaluated 58 patients referred with suspected upper esophageal foreign body in the Emergency Department, Amir Alam. Patients were evaluated with ultrasonography and x-ray. After surgical exploration, different type of foreign bodies were recorded. The SPSS statistical software was used for analysis. For applicable efficacy outcome measures, a Spearman correlation was used. Differences were significant when P<0.05. All values were expressed as the frequency and present.Results: Fifty eight patients were studied. 25 patients (43.4% were male and 31 patients (56.9% were female, in 28 (48.2% patients foreign bodies were detected in radiography. 30 patients (51.8% were not recorded in techniqe. It was found in patients 22 (78.6% organic body, and six cases (21.4% non-organic body. radiographic outcomes in patients with foreign bodies were positive in 26 patients (92.9% and in two patients (7.1% were negative. Ultrasound results were positive in 27 patients (96.4% and in one patient (3.6% were negative. Association of ultrasound and radiography results were significant in patients with foreign body (Spearman correlation=0.896, P=0.001 Kappa=0.890.Conclusion: These reports suggest that result of ultrasound with radiography for the detection foreign bodies in cervical esophagus have good agreement. The use of ultrasonography in the emergency department to detect and eventually remove foreign bodies by emergency physicians is an important issue because there is not always an ultrasound technologist or radiologist available.

  4. Comparison of Ultrasonography and Radiography in Detection of Thoracic Bone Fractures; a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yousefifard, Mahmoud; Baikpour, Masoud; Ghelichkhani, Parisa; Asady, Hadi; Darafarin, Abolfazl; Amini Esfahani, Mohammad Reza; Hosseini, Mostafa; Yaseri, Mehdi; Safari, Saeed

    2016-01-01

    The potential benefit of ultrasonography for detection of thoracic bone fractures has been proven in various surveys but no comprehensive conclusion has been drawn yet; therefore, the present study aimed to conduct a thorough meta-analytic systematic review on this subject. Two reviewers independently carried out a comprehensive systematic search in Medline, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ProQuest databases. Data were summarized as true positive, false positive, true negative and false negative and were analyzed via STATA 11.0 software using a mixed-effects binary regression model. Sources of heterogeneity were further assessed through subgroup analysis. Data on 1667 patients (807 subjects with and 860 cases without thoracic fractures), whose age ranged from 0 to 92 years, were extracted from 17 surveys. Pooled sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography in detection of thoracic bone fractures were 0.97 (95% CI: 0.90-0.99; I2= 88.88, prib fractures, compared to fractures of sternum or clavicle (97% vs. 91%). Moreover, the sensitivity was found to be higher when the procedure was carried out by a radiologist in comparison to an emergency medicine specialist (96% vs. 90%). Base on the findings of the present meta-analysis, screening performance characteristic of ultrasonography in detection of thoracic bone fractures was found to be higher than radiography. However, these characteristics were more prominent in detection of rib fractures and in cases where was performed by a radiologist.

  5. Refining the Enrolment Process in Emergency Medicine Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahan, Kate M; Channon, Keith M; Choudhury, Robin P; Kharbanda, Rajesh K; Lee, Regent; Sheehan, Mark

    2016-04-01

    Research in the emergency setting involving patients with acute clinical conditions is needed if there are to be advances in diagnosis and treatment. But research in these areas poses ethical and practical challenges. One of these is the general inability to obtain informed consent due to the patient's lack of mental capacity and insufficient time to contact legal representatives. Regulatory frameworks which allow this research to proceed with a consent 'waiver', provided patients lack mental capacity, miss important ethical subtleties. One of these is the varying nature of mental capacity among emergency medicine patients. Not only is their capacity variable and often unclear, but some patients are also likely to be able to engage with the researcher and the context to varying degrees. In this paper we describe the key elements of a novel enrolment process for emergency medicine research that refines the consent waiver and fully engages with the ethical rationale for consent and, in this context, its waiver. The process is verbal but independently documented during the 'emergent' stages of the research. It provides appropriate engagement with the patient, is context-sensitive and better addresses ethical subtleties. In line with regulation, full written consent for on-going participation in the research is obtained once the emergency is passed.

  6. Professional Competencies of Cuban Specialists in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Véliz-Martínez, Pedro L; Jorna-Calixto, Ana R; Oramas-González, René

    2016-10-01

    INTRODUCTION The quality of medical training and practice reflects the competency level of the professionals involved. The intensive care and emergency medicine specialty in Cuba has not defined its competencies. OBJECTIVE Identify the competencies required for specialty practice in intensive care and emergency medicine. METHODS The study was conducted from January 2014 to December 2015, using qualitative techniques; 48 professionals participated. We undertook functional occupational analysis, based on functions defined in a previous study. Three expert groups were utilized: the first used various group techniques; the second, the Delphi method; and the third, the Delphi method and a Likert questionnaire. RESULTS A total of 73 specific competencies were defined, grouped in 11 units: 44 in the patient care function, 16 in management, 7 in teaching and 6 in research. A competency map is provided. CONCLUSIONS The intensive care and emergency medicine specialty competencies identified will help improve professional standards, ensure health workforce quality, improve patient care and academic performance, and enable objective evaluation of specialists' competence and performance. KEYWORDS Clinical competency, competency-based education, professional education, intensive care, emergency medicine, urgent care, continuing medical education, curriculum, medical residency, Cuba.

  7. Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine: Medical Student and Physician Attitudes toward Homeless Persons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, Ann; Roman, Brenda; Borges, Nicole

    2012-01-01

    Objective: The purpose of the study was to explore changes in medical students' attitudes toward homeless persons during the Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine clerkships. Simultaneously, this study explored attitudes toward homeless persons held by Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine residents and faculty in an attempt to uncover the "hidden…

  8. Systematic Molecular Phenotyping: A Path Toward Precision Emergency Medicine?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limkakeng, Alexander T; Monte, Andrew A; Kabrhel, Christopher; Puskarich, Michael; Heitsch, Laura; Tsalik, Ephraim L; Shapiro, Nathan I

    2016-10-01

    Precision medicine is an emerging approach to disease treatment and prevention that considers variability in patient genes, environment, and lifestyle. However, little has been written about how such research impacts emergency care. Recent advances in analytical techniques have made it possible to characterize patients in a more comprehensive and sophisticated fashion at the molecular level, promising highly individualized diagnosis and treatment. Among these techniques are various systematic molecular phenotyping analyses (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics). Although a number of emergency physicians use such techniques in their research, widespread discussion of these approaches has been lacking in the emergency care literature and many emergency physicians may be unfamiliar with them. In this article, we briefly review the underpinnings of such studies, note how they already impact acute care, discuss areas in which they might soon be applied, and identify challenges in translation to the emergency department (ED). While such techniques hold much promise, it is unclear whether the obstacles to translating their findings to the ED will be overcome in the near future. Such obstacles include validation, cost, turnaround time, user interface, decision support, standardization, and adoption by end-users. © 2016 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  9. Child abuse training and knowledge: a national survey of emergency medicine, family medicine, and pediatric residents and program directors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Starling, Suzanne P; Heisler, Kurt W; Paulson, James F; Youmans, Eren

    2009-04-01

    The objective of this study was to determine the level of knowledge, comfort, and training related to the medical management of child abuse among pediatrics, emergency medicine, and family medicine residents. Surveys were administered to program directors and third-year residents at 67 residency programs. The resident survey included a 24-item quiz to assess knowledge regarding the medical management of physical and sexual child abuse. Sites were solicited from members of a network of child abuse physicians practicing at institutions with residency programs. Analyzable surveys were received from 53 program directors and 462 residents. Compared with emergency medicine and family medicine programs, pediatric programs were significantly larger and more likely to have a medical provider specializing in child abuse pediatrics, have faculty primarily responsible for child abuse training, use a written curriculum for child abuse training, and offer an elective rotation in child abuse. Exposure to child abuse training and abused patients was highest for pediatric residents and lowest for family medicine residents. Comfort with managing child abuse cases was lowest among family medicine residents. On the knowledge quiz, pediatric residents significantly outperformed emergency medicine and family medicine residents. Residents with high knowledge scores were significantly more likely to come from larger programs and programs that had a center, provider, or interdisciplinary team that specialized in child abuse pediatrics; had a physician on faculty responsible for child abuse training; used a written curriculum for child abuse training; and had a required rotation in child abuse pediatrics. By analyzing the relationship between program characteristics and residents' child abuse knowledge, we found that pediatric programs provide far more training and resources for child abuse education than emergency medicine and family medicine programs. As leaders, pediatricians must

  10. [The department of interdisciplinary emergency medicine: organization, structure and process optimization].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernhard, Michael; Pietsch, Christian; Gries, André

    2009-06-01

    The essential tasks of a department of interdisciplinary emergency medicine are the initial triage and assessment of vital function as well as the subsequent organization und initiation of emergency treatment. A previously defined set of diagnostic and therapeutic measures is carried out before the patient is allocated to an in-hospital clinical service and is admitted to a ward. Moreover, diagnosis and treatment for outpatients are performed. "Time" is a critical factor to be considered for all organizational and structural aspects of a department of interdisciplinary emergency medicine.

  11. Burnout and Associated Factors among Iranian Emergency Medicine Practitioners

    OpenAIRE

    JALILI, Mohammad; SADEGHIPOUR ROODSARI, Gholamreza; BASSIR NIA, Anahita

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Background Emergency physicians are at risk of burnout, which can affect their mental health, as well as patient care. We assessed burnout level among Iranian emergency physicians and investigated demographic, work-related factors and stressors associated with higher burnout. Methods In a cross-sectional study, we surveyed all 188 emergency medicine residents and practitioners in Iran. We measured burnout using 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory assessing emotional exhaustion, deperso...

  12. 76 FR 71345 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Emergency Medicine Patient Safety...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-17

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation AGENCY: Agency for... notification of voluntary relinquishment from Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation of its status as a...

  13. Incorporating teledermatology into emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muir, Jim; Xu, Cathy; Paul, Sanjoy; Staib, Andrew; McNeill, Iain; Singh, Philip; Davidson, Samantha; Soyer, H Peter; Sinnott, Michael

    2011-10-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of using a store-and-forward Skin Emergency Telemedicine Service (SETS) to provide rapid specialist diagnostic and management advice for dermatological cases in an ED. This pilot study was conducted at the Princess Alexandra Hospital between August 2008 and August 2009. Study subjects were consenting patients over 18 years of age who presented with a dermatological condition to the ED. The ED doctor sent the patient's history, examination findings and the digital images of the skin conditions to a secure email address, which automatically forwarded this to the teledermatologist. The teledermatologist reviewed the cases and sent advice on diagnosis and management to the referring ED doctor via email and/or telephone. Face-to-face follow-up consultations with the patients were conducted within 2 weeks. The diagnostic and management concordance between ED doctors, teledermatologists and reviewing dermatologists were analysed. A total of 60 patients participated in the present study. SETS provided a rapid response with 56 (93%) of ED consultations receiving a dermatology opinion within 2 h. Face-to-face follow up occurred in 50 patients (83%). Statistical analysis showed significant levels of agreement between tele-diagnosis and ED diagnosis of 71.2% (Kappa 0.42) and tele-diagnosis and final clinical diagnosis of 98% (Kappa: 0.93). The clinical management concordance was 96% in complete agreement and 4% in relative agreement between the teledermatologists and reviewing dermatologists, based on chart review. The present study has shown that SETS can provide rapid and accurate diagnostic and treatment advice from a specialist for dermatological presentations to the ED. © 2011 The Authors. EMA © 2011 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  14. Ultrasonography in gastroenterology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ødegaard, Svein; Nesje, Lars B; Hausken, Trygve; Gilja, Odd Helge

    2015-06-01

    Ultrasonography (US) is a safe and available real-time, high-resolution imaging method, which during the last decades has been increasingly integrated as a clinical tool in gastroenterology. New US applications have emerged with enforced data software and new technical solutions, including strain evaluation, three-dimensional imaging and use of ultrasound contrast agents. Specific gastroenterologic applications have been developed by combining US with other diagnostic or therapeutic methods, such as endoscopy, manometry, puncture needles, diathermy and stents. US provides detailed structural information about visceral organs without hazard to the patients and can play an important clinical role by reducing the need for invasive procedures. This paper presents different aspects of US in gastroenterology, with a special emphasis on the contribution from Nordic scientists in developing clinical applications.

  15. Global Emergency Medicine: A Review of the Literature From 2016.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, Torben K; Hansoti, Bhakti; Bartels, Susan; Hayward, Alison Schroth; Hexom, Braden J; Lunney, Kevin M; Marsh, Regan H; Osei-Ampofo, Maxwell; Trehan, Indi; Chang, Julia; Levine, Adam C

    2017-09-01

    The Global Emergency Medicine Literature Review (GEMLR) conducts an annual search of peer-reviewed and gray literature relevant to global emergency medicine (EM) to identify, review, and disseminate the most important new research in this field to a global audience of academics and clinical practitioners. This year 13,890 articles written in four languages were identified by our search. These articles were distributed among 20 reviewers for initial screening based on their relevance to the field of global EM. An additional two reviewers searched the gray literature. All articles that were deemed appropriate by at least one reviewer and approved by their editor underwent formal scoring of overall quality and importance. Two independent reviewers scored all articles. A total of 716 articles met our inclusion criteria and underwent full review. Fifty-nine percent were categorized as emergency care in resource-limited settings, 17% as EM development, and 24% as disaster and humanitarian response. Nineteen articles received scores of 18.5 or higher out of a maximum score of 20 and were selected for formal summary and critique. Inter-rater reliability testing between reviewers revealed Cohen's kappa of 0.441. In 2016, the total number of articles identified by our search continued to increase. The proportion of articles in each of the three categories remained stable. Studies and reviews with a focus on infectious diseases, pediatrics, and the use of ultrasound in resource-limited settings represented the majority of articles selected for final review. © 2017 The Authors. Academic Emergency Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM).

  16. How alternative payment models in emergency medicine can benefit physicians, payers, and patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harish, Nir J; Miller, Harold D; Pines, Jesse M; Zane, Richard D; Wiler, Jennifer L

    2017-06-01

    While there has been considerable effort devoted to developing alternative payment models (APMs) for primary care physicians and for episodes of care beginning with inpatient admissions, there has been relatively little attention by payers to developing APMs for specialty ambulatory care, and no efforts to develop APMs that explicitly focus on emergency care. In order to ensure that emergency care is appropriately integrated and valued in future payment models, emergency physicians (EPs) must engage with the stakeholders within the broader health care system. In this article, we describe a framework for the development of APMs for emergency medicine and present four examples of APMs that may be applicable in emergency medicine. A better understanding of how APMs can work in emergency medicine will help EPs develop new APMs that improve the cost and quality of care, and leverage the value that emergency care brings to the system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Quality of registration for clinical trials published in emergency medicine journals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Christopher W; Platts-Mills, Timothy F

    2012-10-01

    In 2005, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors established clinical trial registration as a requirement for articles submitted to member journals, with the goal of improving the transparency of clinical research. The objective of this study is to characterize the registration of clinical trials published in emergency medicine journals. Randomized trials involving human subjects and published between June 1, 2008, and May 31, 2011 in the 5 emergency medicine journals with the highest impact factors were included. We assessed the clarity of registered primary outcomes, timing of registration relative to patient enrollment, and consistency between registered and published outcomes. Of the 123 trials included, registry entries were identified for 57 (46%). Of the 57 registered studies, 45 (79%) were registered after the initiation of subject enrollment, 9 (16%) had registered outcomes that were unclear, and 26 (46%) had discrepancies between registered and published outcomes. Only 5 studies were registered before patient enrollment with a clear primary outcome that was consistent with the published primary outcome. Annals of Emergency Medicine was the only journal in which the majority of trials were registered. Current compliance with clinical trial registration guidelines is poor among trials published in emergency medicine journals. Copyright © 2012. Published by Mosby, Inc.

  18. Regenerative Medicine as an Emergent Cluster in Tampere Region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tuomo Heinonen

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Clusters are important for regional economies and emergent clusters are in a key position, as a means of adding more diversification to the current economic activity by involving new technologies and industries. Science-based industries may be the most promising in this regard since they are encouraged to develop and enhance the economic imaginaries of territories under the umbrella of radical innovations or in the name of broadening the current economic model based on mostly traditional industries. Regenerative medicine (RM could be an example of these so-called emergent clusters. Regenerative medicine is highly dependent on academic research, which means that local territories must fund the research in this field and, hence, they expect some returns as well. As territories do not typically have existing industries specifically in RM, these industries must emerge or expand from existing ones. Regenerative medicine involves a wide spectrum of different technologies and industries that are likely to form a cluster and benefit from it if successfully developed. The first aim of this paper is to show how some obstacles eventually impede the proper development of these emergent clusters. The second aim is to shed light on how innovations emerge in the cluster and what are the main implications for the territory. In this study, existing literature is used in order to describe the technology market and commercial aspects of the RM sector. Empirically this study is based on the emergent RM cluster in the region of Tampere in Finland. Analysis of 24 conducted interviews helps to contextualize the emergence of the RM cluster in Tampere, where academia is both the booster and the driver of the emergent RM cluster. Commercialization of research in the RM field is one of the goals at the university, even though there are no commercial outcomes yet available. This study contributes to the understanding of emergent cluster development in science

  19. The Biology of Emergency Medicine: what have 30 years meant for Rosen's original concepts?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zink, Brian J

    2011-03-01

    In 1979 Peter Rosen, MD, a leading academic figure in the developing field of emergency medicine (EM), wrote an article, "The Biology of Emergency Medicine," in response to criticism from other specialties and medical leaders that there was no unique biology of EM that would qualify it as a legitimate medical specialty. This essay received much attention at the time and served as rallying cry for emergency physicians (EPs) who were trying to find their places in the house of medicine and especially in medical schools and academic teaching hospitals. Thirty years later, the opposition that prompted many of Rosen's strongly worded impressions and observations on the biology of EM, clinical emergency department (ED) practice, education, and research has largely faded. Many of Rosen's predictions on the eventual success of EM have come true. However, core issues that existed then continue to present challenges for academic EM and clinical emergency practice. © 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  20. Just allocation and team loyalty: a new virtue ethic for emergency medicine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Girod, J; Beckman, A

    2005-01-01

    When traditional virtue ethics is applied to clinical medicine, it often claims as its goal the good of the individual patient, and focuses on the dyadic relationship between one physician and one patient. An alternative model of virtue ethics, more appropriate to the practice of emergency medicine, will be outlined by this paper. This alternative model is based on the assumption that the appropriate goal of the practice of emergency medicine is a team approach to the medical wellbeing of individual patients, constrained by the wellbeing of the patient population served by a particular emergency department. By defining boundaries and using the key virtues of justice and team loyalty, this model fits emergency practice well and gives care givers the conceptual clarity to apply this model to various conflicts both within the department and with those outside the department. PMID:16199595

  1. International guidelines for contrast-enhanced ultrasonography: Ultrasound imaging in the new millennium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nolsoe, Christian Pallson; Lorentzen, Torben

    2016-01-01

    The intent of this review is to discuss and comment on common clinical scenarios in which contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) may play a decisive role and to illustrate important points with typical cases. With the advent of CEUS, the scope of indications for ultrasonography has been dramatically extended, and now includes functional imaging and tissue characterization, which in many cases enable tumor diagnosis without a biopsy. It is virtually impossible to imagine the practice of modern medicine as we know it in high-income countries without the use of imaging, and yet, an estimated two thirds of the global population may receive no such care. Ultrasound imaging with CEUS has the potential to correct this inequity

  2. International guidelines for contrast-enhanced ultrasonography: Ultrasound imaging in the new millennium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nolsoe, Christian Pallson; Lorentzen, Torben [Ultrasound Section, Dept. of Gastric Surgery, Herlev Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Herlev (Denmark)

    2016-03-15

    The intent of this review is to discuss and comment on common clinical scenarios in which contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) may play a decisive role and to illustrate important points with typical cases. With the advent of CEUS, the scope of indications for ultrasonography has been dramatically extended, and now includes functional imaging and tissue characterization, which in many cases enable tumor diagnosis without a biopsy. It is virtually impossible to imagine the practice of modern medicine as we know it in high-income countries without the use of imaging, and yet, an estimated two thirds of the global population may receive no such care. Ultrasound imaging with CEUS has the potential to correct this inequity.

  3. Ultrasonography of adnexal causes of acute pelvic pain in pre-menopausal non-pregnant women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolyn S. Dupuis

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Acute-onset pelvic pain is an extremely common symptom in premenopausal women presenting to the emergency department. After excluding pregnancy in reproductive-age women, ultrasonography plays a major role in the prompt and accurate diagnosis of adnexal causes of acute pelvic pain, such as hemorrhagic ovarian cysts, endometriosis, ovarian torsion, and tubo-ovarian abscess. Its availability, relatively low cost, and lack of ionizing radiation make ultrasonography an ideal imaging modality in women of reproductive age. The primary goal of imaging in these patients is to distinguish between adnexal causes of acute pelvic pain that may be managed conservatively or medically, and those requiring emergency/urgent surgical or percutaneous intervention.

  4. FOAMSearch.net: A custom search engine for emergency medicine and critical care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raine, Todd; Thoma, Brent; Chan, Teresa M; Lin, Michelle

    2015-08-01

    The number of online resources read by and pertinent to clinicians has increased dramatically. However, most healthcare professionals still use mainstream search engines as their primary port of entry to the resources on the Internet. These search engines use algorithms that do not make it easy to find clinician-oriented resources. FOAMSearch, a custom search engine (CSE), was developed to find relevant, high-quality online resources for emergency medicine and critical care (EMCC) clinicians. Using Google™ algorithms, it searches a vetted list of >300 blogs, podcasts, wikis, knowledge translation tools, clinical decision support tools and medical journals. Utilisation has increased progressively to >3000 users/month since its launch in 2011. Further study of the role of CSEs to find medical resources is needed, and it might be possible to develop similar CSEs for other areas of medicine. © 2015 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  5. Emergency department operations and management education in emergency medicine training

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Bret A Nicks; Darrell Nelson

    2012-01-01

    BACKGROUND:This study was undertaken to examine the current level of operations and management education within US-based Emergency Medicine Residency programs.METHODS:Residency program directors at all US-based Emergency Medicine Residency programs were anonymously surveyed via a web-based instrument.Participants indicated their levels of residency education dedicated to documentation,billing/coding,core measure/quality indicator compliance,and operations management.Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for the ordinal data/Likert scales.RESULTS:One hundred and six(106)program directors completed the study instrument of one hundred and fifty-six(156)programs(70%).Of these,82.6%indicated emergency department(ED)operations and management education within the training curriculum.Dedicated documentation training was noted in all but 1 program(99%).Program educational offerings also included billing/coding(83%),core measure/quality indicators(78%)and operations management training(71%).In all areas,the most common means of educating came through didactic sessions and direct attending feedback or 69%-94%and 72%-98%respectively.Residency leadership was most confident with resident understanding of quality documentation(80%)and less so with core measures(72%),billing/coding/RVUs(58%),and operations management tools(23%).CONCLUSIONS:While most EM residency programs integrate basic operational education related to documentation and billing/coding,a smaller number provide focused education on the dayto-day management and operations of the ED.Residency leadership perceives graduating resident understanding of operational management tools to be limited.All respondents value further resident curriculum development of ED operations and management.

  6. The economic role of the Emergency Department in the health care continuum: applying Michael Porter's five forces model to Emergency Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pines, Jesse M

    2006-05-01

    Emergency Medicine plays a vital role in the health care continuum in the United States. Michael Porters' five forces model of industry analysis provides an insight into the economics of emergency care by showing how the forces of supplier power, buyer power, threat of substitution, barriers to entry, and internal rivalry affect Emergency Medicine. Illustrating these relationships provides a view into the complexities of the emergency care industry and offers opportunities for Emergency Departments, groups of physicians, and the individual emergency physician to maximize the relationship with other market players.

  7. Highlights in emergency medicine medical education research: 2008.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farrell, Susan E; Coates, Wendy C; Khun, Gloria J; Fisher, Jonathan; Shayne, Philip; Lin, Michelle

    2009-12-01

    The purpose of this article is to highlight medical education research studies published in 2008 that were methodologically superior and whose outcomes were pertinent to teaching and education in emergency medicine. Through a PubMed search of the English language literature in 2008, 30 medical education research studies were independently identified as hypothesis-testing investigations and measurements of educational interventions. Six reviewers independently rated and scored all articles based on eight anchors, four of which related to methodologic criteria. Articles were ranked according to their total rating score. A ranking agreement among the reviewers of 83% was established a priori as a minimum for highlighting articles in this review. Five medical education research studies met the a priori criteria for inclusion and are reviewed and summarized here. Four of these employed experimental or quasi-experimental methodology. Although technology was not a component of the structured literature search employed to identify the candidate articles for this review, 14 of the articles identified, including four of the five highlighted articles, employed or studied technology as a focus of the educational research. Overall, 36% of the reviewed studies were supported by funding; three of the highlighted articles were funded studies. This review highlights quality medical education research studies published in 2008, with outcomes of relevance to teaching and education in emergency medicine. It focuses on research methodology, notes current trends in the use of technology for learning in emergency medicine, and suggests future avenues for continued rigorous study in education.

  8. Full text publication rates of studies presented at an international emergency medicine scientific meeting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Jannet W M; Graham, Colin A

    2011-09-01

    The publication rate of full text papers following an abstract presentation at a medical conference is variable, and few studies have examined the situation with respect to international emergency medicine conferences. This retrospective study aimed to identify the publication rate of abstracts presented at the 2006 International Conference on Emergency Medicine (ICEM) held in Halifax, Canada. The full text publication rate was 33.2%, similar to previous emergency medicine meetings. English language barriers may play a role in the low publication rate seen.

  9. Disposition of Patients Before and After Establishment of Emergency Medicine Specialists

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Payman Asadi

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Emergency department (ED as the fundamental part of hospital has a specific importance due to admitting the most various and sensitive group of patients. The aim of the ED is presenting services with highest quality in the least time. To reach this goal establishment of an emergency medicine specialist who performs assessment, resuscitation, stabilization, detection, and maintenance of emergency patients is noteworthy. The aim of this study was evaluating the effect of establishing the emergency medicine specialists on the performance of ED in Poursina Hospital, Rasht, Iran.  Methods: In this cross-sectional study files of all patients hospitalized in the ED of Poursina, Rasht, Iran, through 2005-2012 were evaluated. Variables such as age, gender, cause of refer and number of hospitalization, number of discharging from department, percentage of bed occupation and daily bed occupation, time of hospitalization, number of discharging under six hours, number of transportation to other wards or hospitals, and the rate of bed circulation in the ED were assessed, too. Data was gathered through hospital information system and analyzed using SPSS 20. Results: Through 2005 to 2012 number of admitted patients in the ED has increased so that the most admitted number was related to 2012 (p=0.0001. The present of discharged patients under six hours and the rate of direct discharging before the presence of emergency medicine specialists have increased from 15.5% and 58.9% to 23.4% and 61.2% in after their presence, respectively(p=0.001. Transporting to other wards and hospitals were also decreased from 41.1% to 38.8% (p=0.0001. The occupied beds percentage after presenting of emergency medicine specialists has noticeably decreased compared to the past, while bed turnover rate increased. In other words, the bed turnover mean has increased from 354.5±108.4 during 2005-2008 to 637.7±30.8 through 2009-2012 (p=0.002. Also, during 2005-2008 the

  10. Development of pediatric emergency medicine at Addis Ababa University/Tikuranbessa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tefera, Muluwork; Bacha, Tigist; Butteris, Sabrina; Teshome, Getachew; Ross, Joshua; Hagen, Scott; Svenson, Jim; Busse, Heidi; Tefera, Girma

    2014-07-01

    In the world emergencies occur everywhere, and each day they consume ressources regardless of whether there are systems capable of achieving good outcomes. Low-income countries suffer the most highest rates of every category of injury--from traffic and the highest rates of acute complications of communicable diseases including tuberculosis, malaria and HIV. To describe the development of pediatrics emergency medicine at Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital A twinning partnership model was used in developing a pediatric emergency medicine training program helps in development of pediatrics emergency system. Strengthening the capacity of Addis Ababa University (AAU), Tikur Anbessa Hospital (TASH) to provide pediatric emergency medical services through improved organization of the pediatrics emergency department and strengthening of continuing education opportunities for faculty and staff capacity building by this improving quality of care in pediatrics patients in the country. The Addis Ababa University, University of Wiscosin and People to People partners intend to continue working together to strengthening and developing effetive systems to deliver quality pediatrics emergency medicine care troughout all regions of Ethiopia.

  11. Diagnosis of a sigmoid volvulus in pregnancy: ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging findings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palmucci, Stefano; Lanza, Maria Letizia; Gulino, Fabrizio; Scilletta, Beniamino; Ettorre, Giovanni Carlo

    2014-02-01

    Sigmoid volvulus complicating pregnancy is a rare, non-obstetric cause of abdominal pain that requires prompt surgical intervention (decompression) to avoid intestinal ischemia and perforation. We report the case of a 31-week pregnant woman with abdominal pain and subsequent development of constipation. Preoperative diagnosis was achieved using magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography: the large bowel distension and a typical whirl sign - near a sigmoid colon transition point - suggested the diagnosis of sigmoid volvulus. The decision to refer the patient for emergency laparotomy was adopted without any ionizing radiation exposure, and the pre-operative diagnosis was confirmed after surgery. Imaging features of sigmoid volvulus and differential diagnosis from other non-obstetric abdominal emergencies in pregnancy are discussed in our report, with special emphasis on the diagnostic capabilities of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging.

  12. Toward a definition of teamwork in emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernandez, Rosemarie; Kozlowski, Steve W J; Shapiro, Marc J; Salas, Eduardo

    2008-11-01

    The patient safety literature from the past decade emphasizes the importance of teamwork skills and human factors in preventing medical errors. Simulation has been used within aviation, the military, and now health care domains to effectively teach and assess teamwork skills. However, attempts to expand and generalize research and training principles have been limited due to a lack of a well-defined, well-researched taxonomy. As part of the 2008 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference on "The Science of Simulation in Healthcare," a subset of the group expertise and group assessment breakout sections identified evidence-based recommendations for an emergency medicine (EM) team taxonomy and performance model. This material was disseminated within the morning session and was discussed both during breakout sessions and via online messaging. Below we present a well-defined, well-described taxonomy that will help guide design, implementation, and assessment of simulation-based team training programs.

  13. Social Media in the Emergency Medicine Residency Curriculum: Social Media Responses to the Residents' Perspective Article

    OpenAIRE

    Hayes, BD; Kobner, S; Trueger, NS; Yiu, S; Lin, M

    2015-01-01

    © 2015 American College of Emergency Physicians. In July to August 2014, Annals of Emergency Medicine continued a collaboration with an academic Web site, Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM), to host an online discussion session featuring the 2014 Annals Residents' Perspective article "Integration of Social Media in Emergency Medicine Residency Curriculum" by Scott et al. The objective was to describe a 14-day worldwide clinician dialogue about evidence, opinions, and early relevant i...

  14. Video-Based Learning vs Traditional Lecture for Instructing Emergency Medicine Residents in Disaster Medicine Principles of Mass Triage, Decontamination, and Personal Protective Equipment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curtis, Henry A; Trang, Karen; Chason, Kevin W; Biddinger, Paul D

    2018-02-01

    Introduction Great demands have been placed on disaster medicine educators. There is a need to develop innovative methods to educate Emergency Physicians in the ever-expanding body of disaster medicine knowledge. The authors sought to demonstrate that video-based learning (VBL) could be a promising alternative to traditional learning methods for teaching disaster medicine core competencies. Hypothesis/Problem The objective was to compare VBL to traditional lecture (TL) for instructing Emergency Medicine residents in the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP; Irving, Texas USA) disaster medicine core competencies of patient triage and decontamination. A randomized, controlled pilot study compared two methods of instruction for mass triage, decontamination, and personal protective equipment (PPE). Emergency Medicine resident learning was measured with a knowledge quiz, a Likert scale measuring comfort, and a practical exercise. An independent samples t-test compared the scoring of the VBL with the TL group. Twenty-six residents were randomized to VBL (n=13) or TL (n=13). Knowledge score improvement following video (14.9%) versus lecture (14.1%) did not differ significantly between the groups (P=.74). Comfort score improvement also did not differ (P=.64) between video (18.3%) and lecture groups (15.8%). In the practical skills assessment, the VBL group outperformed the TL group overall (70.4% vs 55.5%; Plearning vs traditional lecture for instructing emergency medicine residents in disaster medicine principles of mass triage, decontamination, and personal protective equipment. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(1):7-12.

  15. Executive Summary from the 2017 Emergency Medicine Resident Wellness Consensus Summit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Battaglioli, Nicole; Ankel, Felix; Doty, Christopher I; Chung, Arlene; Lin, Michelle

    2018-03-01

    Physician wellness has recently become a popular topic of conversation and publication within the house of medicine and specifically within emergency medicine (EM). Through a joint collaboration involving Academic Life in Emergency Medicine's (ALiEM) Wellness Think Tank, Essentials of Emergency Medicine (EEM), and the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA), a one-day Resident Wellness Consensus Summit (RWCS) was organized. The RWCS was held on May 15, 2017, as a pre-day event prior to the 2017 EEM conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Seven months before the RWCS event, pre-work began in the ALiEM Wellness Think Tank, which was launched in October 2016. The Wellness Think Tank is a virtual community of practice involving EM residents from the U.S. and Canada, hosted on the Slack digital-messaging platform. A working group was formed for each of the four predetermined themes: wellness curriculum development; educator toolkit resources for specific wellness topics; programmatic innovations; and wellness-targeted technologies. Pre-work for RWCS included 142 residents from 100 different training programs in the Wellness Think Tank. Participants in the actual RWCS event included 44 EM residents, five EM attendings who participated as facilitators, and three EM attendings who acted as participants. The four working groups ultimately reached a consensus on their specific objectives to improve resident wellness on both the individual and program level. The Resident Wellness Consensus Summit was a unique and novel consensus meeting, involving residents as the primary stakeholders. The summit demonstrated that it is possible to galvanize a large group of stakeholders in a relatively short time by creating robust trust, communication, and online learning networks to create resources that support resident wellness.

  16. Establishing research priorities for patient safety in emergency medicine: a multidisciplinary consensus panel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plint, Amy C; Stang, Antonia S; Calder, Lisa A

    2015-01-01

    Patient safety in the context of emergency medicine is a relatively new field of study. To date, no broad research agenda for patient safety in emergency medicine has been established. The objective of this study was to establish patient safety-related research priorities for emergency medicine. These priorities would provide a foundation for high-quality research, important direction to both researchers and health-care funders, and an essential step in improving health-care safety and patient outcomes in the high-risk emergency department (ED) setting. A four-phase consensus procedure with a multidisciplinary expert panel was organized to identify, assess, and agree on research priorities for patient safety in emergency medicine. The 19-member panel consisted of clinicians, administrators, and researchers from adult and pediatric emergency medicine, patient safety, pharmacy, and mental health; as well as representatives from patient safety organizations. In phase 1, we developed an initial list of potential research priorities by electronically surveying a purposeful and convenience sample of patient safety experts, ED clinicians, administrators, and researchers from across North America using contact lists from multiple organizations. We used simple content analysis to remove duplication and categorize the research priorities identified by survey respondents. Our expert panel reached consensus on a final list of research priorities through an in-person meeting (phase 3) and two rounds of a modified Delphi process (phases 2 and 4). After phases 1 and 2, 66 unique research priorities were identified for expert panel review. At the end of phase 4, consensus was reached for 15 research priorities. These priorities represent four themes: (1) methods to identify patient safety issues (five priorities), (2) understanding human and environmental factors related to patient safety (four priorities), (3) the patient perspective (one priority), and (4) interventions for

  17. Feasibility of Using Ultrasonography to Establish Relationships Among Sacral Base Position, Sacral Sulcus Depth, Body Mass Index, and Sex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lockwood, Michael D; Kondrashova, Tatyana; Johnson, Jane C

    2015-11-01

    Identifying relationships among anatomical structures is key in diagnosing somatic dysfunction. Ultrasonography can be used to visualize anatomical structures, identify sacroiliac landmarks, and validate anatomical findings and measurements in relation to somatic dysfunction. As part of the osteopathic manipulative medicine course at A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, first-year students are trained to use ultrasonography to establish relationships among musculoskeletal structures. To determine the ability of first-year osteopathic medical students to establish sacral base position (SBP) and sacral sulcus depth (SSD) using ultrasonography and to identify the relationship of SBP and SSD to body mass index (BMI) and sex. Students used ultrasonography to obtain the distance between the skin and the sacral base (the SBP) and the distance between the skin and the tip of the posterior superior iliac spine bilaterally. Next, students calculated the SSD (the distance between the tip of the posterior superior iliac spine and the SBP). Data were analyzed with respect to side of the body, BMI, sex, and age. The BMI data were subdivided into normal (18-25 mg/kg) and overweight (25-30 mg/kg) groups. Ultrasound images of 211 students were included in the study. The SBP was not significantly different between the left and right sides (36.5 mm vs 36.5 mm; P=.95) but was significantly different between normal and overweight BMI categories (33.0 mm vs 40.0 mm; Psex may point to more soft tissue overlaying the sacrum in these groups. Further research is needed on the use of ultrasonography to establish criteria for somatic dysfunction.

  18. Core Content for Wilderness Medicine Training: Development of a Wilderness Medicine Track Within an Emergency Medicine Residency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schrading, Walter A; Battaglioli, Nicole; Drew, Jonathan; McClure, Sarah Frances

    2018-03-01

    Wilderness medicine training has become increasingly popular among medical professionals with numerous educational opportunities nationwide. Curricula for fellowship programs and for medical student education have previously been developed and published, but a specific curriculum for wilderness medicine education during emergency medicine (EM) residency has not. The objective of this study is to create a longitudinal wilderness medicine curriculum that can be incorporated into an EM residency program. Interest-specific tracks are becoming increasingly common in EM training. We chose this model to develop our curriculum specific to wilderness medicine. Outlined in the article is a 3-year longitudinal course of study that includes a core didactic curriculum and a plan for graduated level of responsibility. The core content is specifically related to the required EM core content for residency training with additions specific to wilderness medicine for the residents who pursue the track. The wilderness medicine curriculum would give residencies a framework that can be used to foster learning for residents interested in wilderness medicine. It would enhance the coverage of wilderness and environmental core content education for all EM residents in the program. It would provide wilderness-specific education and experience for interested residents, allowing them to align their residency program requirements through a focused area of study and enhancing their curriculum vitae at graduation. Finally, given the popularity of wilderness medicine, the presence of a wilderness medicine track may improve recruitment for the residency program. Copyright © 2017 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Focused bedside ultrasonography by clinicians: experiences with a basic introductory course

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hillingso, J.G.; Nielsen, M.B.; Svendsen, Lars Bo

    2008-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Ultrasonography (US) performed by clinicians might shorten workout time and diminish the workload of simple diagnostic procedures for physicians specialized in US. The purpose of this follow-up study was to evaluate the effect of an introductory course in US on participants' clinical...... to be introduced for gastroenterologists and surgeons or the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology Guidelines should be implemented Udgivelsesdato: 2008...

  20. Variation in Emergency Department vs Internal Medicine Excess Charges in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Tim; Park, Angela; Bai, Ge; Joo, Sarah; Hutfless, Susan M; Mehta, Ambar; Anderson, Gerard F; Makary, Martin A

    2017-08-01

    Uninsured and insured but out-of-network emergency department (ED) patients are often billed hospital chargemaster prices, which exceed amounts typically paid by insurers. To examine the variation in excess charges for services provided by emergency medicine and internal medicine physicians. Retrospective analysis was conducted of professional fee payment claims made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for all services provided to Medicare Part B fee-for-service beneficiaries in calendar year 2013. Data analysis was conducted from January 1 to July 31, 2016. Markup ratios for ED and internal medicine professional services, defined as the charges submitted by the hospital divided by the Medicare allowable amount. Our analysis included 12 337 emergency medicine physicians from 2707 hospitals and 57 607 internal medicine physicians from 3669 hospitals in all 50 states. Services provided by emergency medicine physicians had an overall markup ratio of 4.4 (340% excess charges), which was greater than the markup ratio of 2.1 (110% excess charges) for all services performed by internal medicine physicians. Markup ratios for all ED services ranged by hospital from 1.0 to 12.6 (median, 4.2; interquartile range [IQR], 3.3-5.8); markup ratios for all internal medicine services ranged by hospital from 1.0 to 14.1 (median, 2.0; IQR, 1.7-2.5). The median markup ratio by hospital for ED evaluation and management procedure codes varied between 4.0 and 5.0. Among the most common ED services, laceration repair had the highest median markup ratio (7.0); emergency medicine physician review of a head computed tomographic scan had the greatest interhospital variation (range, 1.6-27.7). Across hospitals, markups in the ED were often substantially higher than those in the internal medicine department for the same services. Higher ED markup ratios were associated with hospital for-profit ownership (median, 5.7; IQR, 4.0-7.1), a greater percentage of uninsured patients seen

  1. Auckland regional emergency medicine trainee mentoring uptake survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicholls, Gordon Michael Mike; Lawrey, Emma; Jones, Peter

    2017-10-01

    The primary objective of this study is to quantify how many Auckland region emergency medicine (EM) trainees would like a formal mentoring programme. The secondary objectives were to quantify how many Auckland region EM trainees would like to participate in a formal mentoring programme; to determine trainees' current understanding of mentoring; how trainees prefer mentors to be allocated; why trainees may want a mentor; what mentees perceive would be good qualities in a mentor; and trainees' prior experience with mentoring. Online survey of EM trainees in the Auckland region in June 2015. Of 61 potential respondents, 40 (65.6%) respondents replied to the survey. Of the 40, 38 (95%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 82.6-99.5) respondents indicated they would like some form of mentoring system, and of the 38, 25 (65.8%; 95% CI 49.8-78.9) preferred this to be formal. Of the 38, 19 (50%; 95% CI 34.9-65.2) currently wanted assistance obtaining a mentor. Of the 40, 30 (75%; 95% CI 59.6-86.0) are not currently in any form of mentoring relationship. Respondents believed that mentors would be most beneficial in critical incidents, career development and with work/life balance. The attributes participants considered most important in a mentor were respecting confidentiality, being honest and the ability to provide constructive feedback. Many EM trainees in Auckland want a formal mentoring system and would like a mentor. Appropriate mentor-mentee matching through a formalised voluntary system, with adequate mentor training, may enable the Auckland region to develop a suitable mentoring programme for EM trainees. © 2017 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  2. Interprofessional education of medical students and paramedics in emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hallikainen, J; Väisänen, O; Rosenberg, P H; Silfvast, T; Niemi-Murola, L

    2007-03-01

    Emergency medicine is team work from the field to the hospital and therefore it is also important for physicians to understand the work of paramedics, and vice versa. Interprofessional emergency medicine education for medical and paramedic students in Helsinki was started in 2001. It consisted of a 15 European credit transfer system (ECTS) credits programme combining 22 students in 2001. In 2005, the number of students had increased to 25. The programme consisted of three parts: acute illness in childhood and adults (AI), advanced life support (ALS) and trauma life support (TLS). In this paper, we describe the concept of interprofessional education of medical students and paramedics in emergency medicine. After finishing the programmes in 2001 and in 2005, the students' opinions regarding the education were collected using a standardized questionnaire. There were good ratings for the courses in AI (2001 vs. 2005, whole group; 4.3 +/- 0.7 vs. 4.2 +/- 0.4, P = 0.44) ALS (4.7 +/- 0.5 vs. 4.4 +/- 0.5, P = 0.06) and TLS (3.9 +/- 0.7 vs. 4.4 +/- 0.5, P = 0.01) in both years. Most of the medical students considered that this kind of co-education should be arranged for all medical students (2001 vs. 2005; 4.8 +/- 0.6 vs. 4.4 +/- 0.5, P = 0.02) and should be obligatory (3.5 +/- 1.5 vs. 3.1 +/- 1.3, P = 0.35). Co-education was well received and determined by the students as an effective way of improving their knowledge of emergency medicine and medical skills. The programme was rated as very useful and it should be included in the educational curriculum of both student groups.

  3. Global Emergency Medicine: A review of the literature from 2017.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, Torben K; Trehan, Indi; Hayward, Alison Schroth; Hexom, Braden J; Kivlehan, Sean M; Lunney, Kevin M; Modi, Payal; Osei-Ampofo, Maxwell; Pousson, Amelia; Cho, Daniel K; Levine, Adam C

    2018-05-23

    The Global Emergency Medicine Literature Review (GEMLR) conducts an annual search of peer-reviewed and gray literature relevant to global emergency medicine (EM) to identify, review, and disseminate the most important new research in this field to a global audience of academics and clinical practitioners. This year, 17,722 articles written in three languages were identified by our electronic search. These articles were distributed among 20 reviewers for initial screening based on their relevance to the field of global EM. Another two reviewers searched the gray literature, yielding an additional 11 articles. All articles that were deemed appropriate by at least one reviewer and approved by their editor underwent formal scoring of overall quality and importance. Two independent reviewers scored all articles. A total of 848 articles met our inclusion criteria and underwent full review. 63% were categorized as emergency care in resource-limited settings, 23% as disaster and humanitarian response, and 14% as emergency medicine development. 21 articles received scores of 18.5 or higher out of a maximum score 20 and were selected for formal summary and critique. Inter-rater reliability testing between reviewers revealed a Cohen's Kappa of 0.344. In 2017, the total number of articles identified by our search continued to increase. Studies and reviews with a focus on infectious diseases, pediatrics, and trauma represented the majority of top-scoring articles. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  4. Current and emerging applications of 3D printing in medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liaw, Chya-Yan; Guvendiren, Murat

    2017-06-07

    Three-dimensional (3D) printing enables the production of anatomically matched and patient-specific devices and constructs with high tunability and complexity. It also allows on-demand fabrication with high productivity in a cost-effective manner. As a result, 3D printing has become a leading manufacturing technique in healthcare and medicine for a wide range of applications including dentistry, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, engineered tissue models, medical devices, anatomical models and drug formulation. Today, 3D printing is widely adopted by the healthcare industry and academia. It provides commercially available medical products and a platform for emerging research areas including tissue and organ printing. In this review, our goal is to discuss the current and emerging applications of 3D printing in medicine. A brief summary on additive manufacturing technologies and available printable materials is also given. The technological and regulatory barriers that are slowing down the full implementation of 3D printing in the medical field are also discussed.

  5. Forensic Emergency Medicine - Six-Year Experience of 13823 Cases in a University Emergency Department

    OpenAIRE

    DEMİRCAN, Ahmet; KELEŞ, Ayfer; GÜRBÜZ, Neslihan; BİLDİK, Fikret

    2008-01-01

    Aims: Clinical forensic medicine deals with cases involving both the legal and medical aspects of patient care, such as motor vehicle trauma or poisoning. In this study, we aimed to draw attention to the forensic issues by retrospective investigation of 13823 emergency cases and to share our experiences on this topic. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in a university Emergency Department (ED) in Ankara, Turkey. The data were collected from official hospital polic...

  6. The German emergency and disaster medicine and management system—history and present

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Norman Hecker

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available As well for optimized emergency management in individual cases as for optimized mass medicine in disaster management, the principle of the medical doctors approaching the patient directly and timely, even close to the site of the incident, is a long-standing marker for quality of care and patient survival in Germany. Professional rescue and emergency forces, including medical services, are the “Golden Standard” of emergency management systems. Regulative laws, proper organization of resources, equipment, training and adequate delivery of medical measures are key factors in systematic approaches to manage emergencies and disasters alike and thus save lives. During disasters command, communication, coordination and cooperation are essential to cope with extreme situations, even more so in a globalized world. In this article, we describe the major historical milestones, the current state of the German system in emergency and disaster management and its integration into the broader European approach. Keywords: Emergency medical systems, Disaster medicine, Public health, Germany

  7. Emergency Medicine Curriculum: Complications of Pregnancy Small Group Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linda L Herman

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This curriculum, created and implemented at Kaweah Delta HCD emergency medicine program, was designed to educate our emergency medicine (EM residents, PGY-1 to PGY-3, as well as medical students and attending physicians. Introduction: Obstetrical (OB emergencies pose a unique challenge to the EM physician. Given the relative rarity of these presentations within the Emergency Department (ED, it is important that residents are educated in a comprehensive manner to ensure understanding and retention.1 The exact prevalence of emergency department (ED visits that are associated with complications of pregnancy is unknown, but they are likely a sizeable portion of the patient population of the ED. Also, many hospitals in rural areas have closed their labor and delivery units due to higher operating costs and lack of available medical personnel.2 New models of high-quality teaching that ensure retention of clinically rare, but critical presentations are required. There is a body of research that suggests a small-group discussion model rather than traditional lecture-based content may improve learner engagement and retention. This model encourages active learning, which requires simultaneous instructor and learner engagement.3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Studies have revealed that the application of knowledge through case studies, personal interaction with content experts, and integrated questions are effective learning strategies for emergency medicine.3 The small group discussion classroom is facilitated by content experts with personal experience in the topic at hand. Objectives: We aim to teach the presentation and management of pregnancy complications through interactive teaching during small group discussions concerning patient cases. This curriculum utilizes resources chosen by education faculty, study questions, actual experience, and small group discussions in place of a traditional lecture-based format. In doing so, a goal of the curriculum is to

  8. Intraoperative ultrasonography in nine dogs with intra-abdominal neoplasm suspect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniella Matos da Silva

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS is used in medicine for diagnosis and guidance during oncologic surgery. The aims of this study were to assess the performance, feasibility, advantages and difficulties of the IOUS technique in dogs with suspected intra-abdominal tumors. The study included nine client-owed dogs that had suspected intra-abdominal tumors (spleen, liver or bowel based on transabdominal ultrasound examination and that were subsequently referred for exploratory laparotomy surgery. During surgery, IOUS was performed; results of preoperative transabdominal ultrasonography, inspection by the surgeon and IOUS were compared on a case-by-case basis. IOUS was helpful in determining lesion resection in all cases. Lesions detected solely by the use of IOUS were observed in seven out of nine cases. Analysis of these cases demonstrated that IOUS can be a tool to assist during oncology surgery on the liver, spleen or bowel. Dogs with hepatic tumors can have small non-palpable intraparenchymal nodules, which may be visible by IOUS.

  9. Trends in National Emergency Medicine Conference Didactic Lectures Over a 6-Year Period.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gottlieb, Michael; Riddell, Jeff; Njie, Abdoulie

    2017-01-01

    National conference didactic lectures have traditionally featured hour-long lecture-based presentations. However, there is evidence that longer lectures can lead to both decreased attention and retention of information. The authors sought to identify trends in lecture duration, lecture types, and number of speakers at four national emergency medicine (EM) conferences over a 6-year period. The authors performed a retrospective analysis of the length, number of speakers, and format of didactic lectures at four different national EM conferences over 6 years. The authors abstracted data from the national academic assemblies for the four largest not-for-profit EM organizations in the United States: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. There was a significant yearly decrease in the mean lecture lengths for three of the four conferences. There was an increase in the percentage of rapid fire sessions over the preceding 2 years with a corresponding decrease in the percentage of general educational sessions. There was no significant difference in the mean number of speakers per lecture. An analysis of 4210 didactic lecture sessions from the annual meetings of four national EM organizations over a 6-year period showed significant decreases in mean lecture length. These findings can help to guide EM continuing medical education conference planning and research.

  10. Effect of Educational Debt on Emergency Medicine Residents: A Qualitative Study Using Individual Interviews.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Timothy P; Brown, Madison M; Reibling, Ellen T; Ghassemzadeh, Sassan; Gordon, Dawn M; Phan, Tammy H; Thomas, Tamara L; Brown, Lance

    2016-10-01

    In 2001, less than 20% of emergency medicine residents had more than $150,000 of educational debt. Our emergency medicine residents anecdotally reported much larger debt loads. Surveys have reported that debt affects career and life choices. Qualitative approaches are well suited to explore how and why such complex phenomena occur. We aim to gain a better understanding of how our emergency medicine residents experience debt. We conducted individual semistructured interviews with emergency medicine residents. We collected self-reported data related to educational debt and asked open-ended questions about debt influence on career choices, personal life, future plans, and financial decisions. We undertook a structured thematic analysis using a qualitative approach based in the grounded theory method. Median educational debt was $212,000. Six themes emerged from our analysis: (1) debt influenced career and life decisions by altering priorities; (2) residents experienced debt as a persistent source of background stress and felt powerless to change it; (3) residents made use of various techniques to negotiate debt in order to focus on day-to-day work; (4) personal debt philosophy, based on individual values and obtained from family, shaped how debt affected each individual; (5) debt had a normative effect and was acculturated in residency; and (6) residents reported a wide range of financial knowledge, but recognized its importance to career success. Our emergency medicine residents' debt experience is complex and involves multiple dimensions. Given our current understanding, simple solutions are unlikely to be effective in adequately addressing this issue. Copyright © 2016 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. THE ROLE OF THE N.V. SKLIFOSOVSKY RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR EMERGENCY MEDICINE IN THE CREATION OF DISASTER MEDICINE IN THE COUNTRY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. S. Khubutiya

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The occurrence  of large-scale emergencies with great  human  losses  and the  absence of a unified authority  of the country health  system which would manage  its medical and sanitary consequences required  the  creation  of special  units to provide emergency  health  services (EHS in mass injuries. The disaster  medicine  became  attractive for the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research  Institute  for Emergency Medicine in the 70s of the last century. Originally, the Department for Disaster Medicine was established at the  Institute  in 1987. At the  Department, the  extensive  work was performed  to shorten  a time gap between the delivery of medical care and the beginning  of a disaster  as much as possible. It was based  on a created  concept  for organization of medical  assistance and evacuation,  methods of its expertise and the  development of technical  means  for phased  medical  and evacuatiol  support of victims. The organizational and medical-diagnostic specificity of EHS in emergencies and its delivery were analyzed  in order to reduce  the severity of consequences. The health  care experience in emergencies has been  enriched  by the staff of the Institute  (who were not employees  of the Department  actively involved in the management of mass injuries and poisonings via air ambulance at the accident site and in the treatment of victims admitted to the Institute  from sites of emergencies. Consequently, the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute  for Emergency Medicine developed and offered the  scientific and organizational basis  for EHS in emergencies which made  a significant  practical contribution to the creation  of public services for disaster  medicine in the country.

  12. The development of the specialism of emergency medicine: media and cultural influences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timmons, Stephen; Nairn, Stuart

    2015-01-01

    In this article we analyse, via a critical review of the literature, the development of a relatively new medical specialism in the United Kingdom, that of emergency medicine. Despite the high media profile of emergency care, it is a low-status specialism within UK medicine. The creation of a specialist College in 2008 means that, symbolically, recognition as a full specialism has now been achieved. In this article, we will show, using a sociology of professions approach, how emergency medicine defined itself as a specialism, and sought to carve out a distinctive jurisdiction. While, in the context of the UK National Health Service, the state was clearly an important factor in the development of this profession, we wish to develop the analysis further than is usual in the sociology of professions. We will analyse the wider cultural context for the development of this specialism, which has benefited from its high profile in the media, through both fictional and documentary sources. © The Author(s) 2014.

  13. Customizing anaphylaxis guidelines for emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nowak, Richard; Farrar, Judith Rosen; Brenner, Barry E; Lewis, Lawrence; Silverman, Robert A; Emerman, Charles; Hays, Daniel P; Russell, W Scott; Schmitz, Natalie; Miller, Judi; Singer, Ethan; Camargo, Carlos A; Wood, Joseph

    2013-08-01

    Most episodes of anaphylaxis are managed in emergency medical settings, where the cardinal signs and symptoms often differ from those observed in the allergy clinic. Data suggest that low recognition of anaphylaxis in the emergency setting may relate to inaccurate coding and lack of a standard, practical definition. Develop a simple, consistent definition of anaphylaxis for emergency medicine providers, supported by clinically relevant consensus statements. Definitions of anaphylaxis and criteria for diagnosis from current anaphylaxis guidelines were reviewed with regard to their utilization in emergency medical settings. The agreed-upon working definition is: Anaphylaxis is a serious reaction causing a combination of characteristic findings, and which is rapid in onset and may cause death. It is usually due to an allergic reaction but can be non-allergic. The definition is supported by Consensus Statements, each with referenced discussion. For a positive outcome, quick diagnosis and treatment of anaphylaxis are critical. However, even in the emergency setting, the patient may not present with life-threatening symptoms. Because mild initial symptoms can quickly progress to a severe, even fatal, reaction, the first-line treatment for any anaphylaxis episode--regardless of severity--is intramuscular injection of epinephrine into the anterolateral thigh; delaying its administration increases the potential for morbidity and mortality. When a reaction appears as "possible anaphylaxis," it is generally better to err on the side of caution and administer epinephrine. We believe that this working definition and the supporting Consensus Statements are a first step to better management of anaphylaxis in the emergency medical setting. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Medical Journalism and Emergency Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Safari

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, many researches in the field of medicine are conducting all around the world and medical journalism is a way to share the results. In fact, dissemination of the related manuscripts can prevent the repetitive research or may even lead to conducting a better survey. Therefore high quality medical journals are considered as up-to-date resources for further investigations. Medical journals are propagating their papers in various media including television programs, newspapers, internet websites and different social media. So they can influence the government policy makers, health-care professionals and even public. Moreover, most researchers hear about medical discoveries for the first time through medical journals and their related social media. So as well a high quality journal can help to improve medical science, a journal of poor quality can be damaging and distorting. Indeed, popular journals have the power of inventing a “communication storm” to draw attention to a certain topic. Thus they have to respect the accepted international principles to prevent spreading inaccurate and misleading data. This paper aims to review the previous and current situation of medical journalism by focus on field of emergency medicine.

  15. Investigation on legal problems encountered by emergency medicine physicians in Turkey.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afsin Emre Kayipmaz

    Full Text Available Medicine is a profession that carries certain risks. One risky area of practice is the emergency department. Emergency physicians diagnose and treat a high volume of patients, and are also responsible for preparing reports for forensic cases. In this study, we aim to investigate emergency physicians' legal-administrative problems and reveal their level of understanding on forensic cases.An electronic questionnaire form was prepared after the approval of an ethical committee. This form was sent to the residents, specialists and academicians of emergency medicine by e-mail. The physicians were asked to fill out the form online. All the gathered data was analyzed. Descriptive statistics were presented as frequency percentages with mean and standard deviation. Chi-square tests were used to compare the groups. Correlation between number of complaint cases and age, sex, career, institution, and duration of service in emergency department were investigated. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.294 physicians participated in the questionnaire. According to the questionnaire, 170 of the physicians were reported to the patient communication units due to medical malpractice. Mean number of compliant reports was 3.20±3.5. 29 of the physicians received administrative penalties. 42 of the physicians were judged in the court for medical malpractice. 1 physician was fined 5000 Turkish Liras as a result of these judgments.We found that the number of complaint reports is negatively correlated with duration of service in emergency medicine and age. There was a significant difference between number of complaint reports and career (p<0.05. The physicians' level of awareness on forensic cases was found to be insufficient. Lack of legislation knowledge may be an important cause of complaint reports concerning emergency physicians, who have a high load of patients. Thus, we think that increasing the frequency of post-graduate education sessions and

  16. Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography and Radiography in Initial Evaluation of Chest Trauma Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vafaei, Ali; Hatamabadi, Hamid Reza; Heidary, Kamran; Alimohammadi, Hosein; Tarbiyat, Mohammad

    2016-01-01

    Application of chest radiography for all multiple trauma patients is associated with a significant increase in total costs, exposure to radiation, and overcrowding of the emergency department. Ultrasound has been introduced as an alternative diagnostic tool in this regard. The aim of the present study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of chest ultrasonography and radiography in detection of traumatic intrathoracic injuries. In the present prospective cross-sectional study, patients with traumatic intrathoracic injuries, who were referred to the emergency department from December 2013 to December 2014, were assessed. The patients underwent bedside ultrasound, radiographic and computed tomography (CT) scan examinations based on ATLS recommendations. Screening performance characteristics of ultrasonography and radiography were compared using SPSS 21.0. Chest CT scan was considered as gold standard. 152 chest trauma patients with a mean age of 31.4 ± 13.8 years (range: 4 ‒ 67), were enrolled (77.6% male). Chest CT scan showed pulmonary contusion in 48 (31.6%) patients, hemothorax in 29 (19.1%), and pneumothorax in 55 (36.2%) cases. Area under the ROC curve of ultrasonography in detection of pneumothorax, hemothorax, and pulmonary contusion were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.86‒0.96), 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78‒0.94), and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.736‒0.88), respectively. Area under the ROC curve of radiography was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.736‒0.87) for detection of pneumothorax, 0.77 (95% CI: 0.68‒0.86) for hemothorax, and 0.58 (95% CI: 0.5‒0.67) for pulmonary contusion. Comparison of areas under the ROC curve declared the significant superiority of ultrasonography in detection of pneumothorax (p = 0.02) and pulmonary contusion (p < 0.001). However, the diagnostic value of the two tests was equal in detection of hemothorax (p = 0.08). The results of the present study showed that ultrasonography is preferable to radiography in the initial evaluation of patients with traumatic injuries to the

  17. Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography and Radiography in Initial Evaluation of Chest Trauma Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Vafaei

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Application of chest radiography for all multiple trauma patients is associated with a significant increase in total costs, exposure to radiation, and overcrowding of the emergency department. Ultrasound has been introduced as an alternative diagnostic tool in this regard. The aim of the present study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of chest ultrasonography and radiography in detection of traumatic intrathoracic injuries. Methods: In the present prospective cross-sectional study, patients with traumatic intrathoracic injuries, who were referred to the emergency department from December 2013 to December 2014, were assessed. The patients underwent bedside ultrasound, radiographic and computed tomography (CT scan examinations based on ATLS recommendations. Screening performance characteristics of ultrasonography and radiography were compared using SPSS 21.0. Chest CT scan was considered as gold standard. Results: 152 chest trauma patients with a mean age of 31.4 ± 13.8 years (range: 4 ‒ 67, were enrolled (77.6% male. Chest CT scan showed pulmonary contusion in 48 (31.6% patients, hemothorax in 29 (19.1%, and pneumothorax in 55 (36.2% cases. Area under the ROC curve of ultrasonography in detection of pneumothorax, hemothorax, and pulmonary contusion were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.86‒0.96, 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78‒0.94, and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.736‒0.88, respectively. Area under the ROC curve of radiography was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.736‒0.87 for detection of pneumothorax, 0.77 (95% CI: 0.68‒0.86 for hemothorax, and 0.58 (95% CI: 0.5‒0.67 for pulmonary contusion. Comparison of areas under the ROC curve declared the significant superiority of ultrasonography in detection of pneumothorax (p = 0.02 and pulmonary contusion (p < 0.001. However, the diagnostic value of the two tests was equal in detection of hemothorax (p = 0.08. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that ultrasonography is preferable to radiography in the initial

  18. Diagnostic ultrasound use in physiotherapy, emergency medicine, and anaesthesiology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McKiernan, Sharmaine [School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callagham, NSW 2308 (Australia)], E-mail: sharmaine.mckiernan@newcastle.edu.au; Chiarelli, Pauline; Warren-Forward, Helen [School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callagham, NSW 2308 (Australia)

    2010-05-15

    Background: Diagnostic ultrasound is traditionally and extensively used within the radiology department. However in recent years its use has expanded outside this traditional area into health professions such as physiotherapy, emergency medicine and anaesthesiology. Purpose: The radiology community needs to be aware of the expansion of use of diagnostic ultrasound. This article starts this exploration in the health professions mentioned, however it is acknowledged that diagnostic ultrasound use goes beyond what is covered in this article. As diagnostic ultrasound is a user dependant modality and the outcome of an examination is largely influenced by the skill and experience of the operator, the radiology community should take a guiding role in its use, training and protocol development for health professionals. Method: This article explores the literature on the use of diagnostic ultrasound within physiotherapy, emergency medicine and anaesthesiology. Literature was searched for on the databases Medline, Cinahl and Embase. Results: Diagnostic ultrasound is being used in health professions such as physiotherapy, where it is being used to provide biofeedback to patients on contraction of abdominal and pelvic floor muscles; emergency medicine, for the investigation of free fluid within the abdomen of a trauma patient and anaesthesiology, for the placement of catheters and nerve blocks. Conclusion: As members of the radiology community are considered experts in the field, they need to take the lead to guide and mentor the other health professionals who are now using the modality. To be able to achieve this they must have an understanding of what these professions are using the modality for.

  19. Diagnostic ultrasound use in physiotherapy, emergency medicine, and anaesthesiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKiernan, Sharmaine; Chiarelli, Pauline; Warren-Forward, Helen

    2010-01-01

    Background: Diagnostic ultrasound is traditionally and extensively used within the radiology department. However in recent years its use has expanded outside this traditional area into health professions such as physiotherapy, emergency medicine and anaesthesiology. Purpose: The radiology community needs to be aware of the expansion of use of diagnostic ultrasound. This article starts this exploration in the health professions mentioned, however it is acknowledged that diagnostic ultrasound use goes beyond what is covered in this article. As diagnostic ultrasound is a user dependant modality and the outcome of an examination is largely influenced by the skill and experience of the operator, the radiology community should take a guiding role in its use, training and protocol development for health professionals. Method: This article explores the literature on the use of diagnostic ultrasound within physiotherapy, emergency medicine and anaesthesiology. Literature was searched for on the databases Medline, Cinahl and Embase. Results: Diagnostic ultrasound is being used in health professions such as physiotherapy, where it is being used to provide biofeedback to patients on contraction of abdominal and pelvic floor muscles; emergency medicine, for the investigation of free fluid within the abdomen of a trauma patient and anaesthesiology, for the placement of catheters and nerve blocks. Conclusion: As members of the radiology community are considered experts in the field, they need to take the lead to guide and mentor the other health professionals who are now using the modality. To be able to achieve this they must have an understanding of what these professions are using the modality for.

  20. Ultrasonography of polycystic kidney

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oh, Seung Chul; Cho, Seung Gi; Lee, Kwan Seh; Kim, Kun Sang

    1980-01-01

    Polycystic disease is defined as a heritable disorder with diffuse involvement of both kidneys. The term 'Polycystic disease' comprises at least two separate, genetically different disease-one with an onset typically in childhood (infantile polycystic disease) and the other with an onset typically in adulthood (adult polycystic disease). Adult polycystic kidney disease is the most common form of cystic kidney disease in humans. Ultrasonography is a very useful noninvasive diagnostic modality in the patient with clinically suspected renal diseases as well as screening test. 14 cases of ultrasonography in patient with polycystic kidney were reviewed. All cases show unilateral or bilateral enlarged kidneys. 7 cases reveal kidneys and liver replaced by multiple cysts of varing size. Screening ultrasonography for a familial tree is reported

  1. A top-five list for emergency medicine: a pilot project to improve the value of emergency care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schuur, Jeremiah D; Carney, Dylan P; Lyn, Everett T; Raja, Ali S; Michael, John A; Ross, Nicholas G; Venkatesh, Arjun K

    2014-04-01

    IMPORTANCE The mean cost of medical care in the United States is growing at an unsustainable rate; from 2003 through 2011, the cost for an emergency department (ED) visit rose 240%, from $560 to $1354. The diagnostic tests, treatments, and hospitalizations that emergency clinicians order result in significant costs. OBJECTIVE To create a "top-five" list of tests, treatments, and disposition decisions that are of little value, are amenable to standardization, and are actionable by emergency medicine clinicians. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Modified Delphi consensus process and survey of 283 emergency medicine clinicians (physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners) from 6 EDs. INTERVENTION We assembled a technical expert panel (TEP) and conducted a modified Delphi process to identify a top-five list using a 4-step process. In phase 1, we generated a list of low-value clinical decisions from TEP brainstorming and e-mail solicitation of clinicians. In phase 2, the TEP ranked items on contribution to cost, benefit to patients, and actionability by clinicians. In phase 3, we surveyed all ordering clinicians from the 6 EDs regarding distinct aspects of each item. In phase 4, the TEP voted for a final top-five list based on survey results and discussion. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES A top-five list for emergency medicine. The TEP ranked items on contribution to cost, benefit to patients, and actionability by clinicians. The survey asked clinicians to score items on the potential benefit or harm to patients and the provider actionability of each item. Voting and surveys used 5-point Likert scales. A Pearson interdomain correlation was used. RESULTS Phase 1 identified 64 low-value items. Phase 2 narrowed this list to 7 laboratory tests, 3 medications, 4 imaging studies, and 3 disposition decisions included in the phase 3 survey (71.0% response rate). All 17 items showed a significant positive correlation between benefit and actionability (r, 0.19-0.37 [P

  2. Does Spanish instruction for emergency medicine resident physicians improve patient satisfaction in the emergency department and adherence to medical recommendations?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stoneking LR

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available LR Stoneking,1 AL Waterbrook,1 J Garst Orozco,2 D Johnston,1 A Bellafiore,1 C Davies,3 T Nuño,1 J Fatás-Cabeza,4 O Beita,5 V Ng,1 KH Grall,6 W Adamas-Rappaport7 1Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 2Department of Emergency Medicine, Sinai Health System, Chicago, IL, 3Department of Emergency Medicine, Maricopa Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, 4Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 5Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 6Department of Emergency Medicine, Regions Hospital, St Paul, MN, 7Department of Surgery, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA Background: After emergency department (ED discharge, Spanish-speaking patients with limited English proficiency are less likely than English-proficient patients to be adherent to medical recommendations and are more likely to be dissatisfied with their visit.Objectives: To determine if integrating a longitudinal medical Spanish and cultural competency curriculum into emergency medicine residency didactics improves patient satisfaction and adherence to medical recommendations in Spanish-speaking patients with limited English proficiency.Methods: Our ED has two Emergency Medicine Residency Programs, University Campus (UC and South Campus (SC. SC program incorporates a medical Spanish and cultural competency curriculum into their didactics. Real-time Spanish surveys were collected at SC ED on patients who self-identified as primarily Spanish-speaking during registration and who were treated by resident physicians from both residency programs. Surveys assessed whether the treating resident physician communicated in the patient’s native Spanish language. Follow-up phone calls assessed patient satisfaction and adherence to discharge instructions.Results: Sixty-three patients self-identified as primarily Spanish-speaking from August 2014 to July 2015 and were initially included in this pilot study

  3. Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing in Emergency Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yun, Brian J; Prabhakar, Anand M; Warsh, Jonathan; Kaplan, Robert; Brennan, John; Dempsey, Kyle E; Raja, Ali S

    2016-06-01

    Value in emergency medicine is determined by both patient-important outcomes and the costs associated with achieving them. However, measuring true costs is challenging. Without an understanding of costs, emergency department (ED) leaders will be unable to determine which interventions might improve value for their patients. Although ongoing research may determine which outcomes are meaningful, an accurate costing system is also needed. This article reviews current costing mechanisms in the ED and their pitfalls. It then describes how time-driven activity-based costing may be superior to these current costing systems. Time-driven activity-based costing, in addition to being a more accurate costing system, can be used for process improvements in the ED. Copyright © 2015 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Investigation on legal problems encountered by emergency medicine physicians in Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kayipmaz, Afsin Emre; Kavalci, Cemil; Gulalp, Betul; Kocalar, Ummu Gulsum; Giray, Tufan Akin; Yesilagac, Hasan; Ozel, Betul Akbuga; Celikel, Elif; Karagun, Ozlem

    2015-01-01

    Medicine is a profession that carries certain risks. One risky area of practice is the emergency department. Emergency physicians diagnose and treat a high volume of patients, and are also responsible for preparing reports for forensic cases. In this study, we aim to investigate emergency physicians' legal-administrative problems and reveal their level of understanding on forensic cases. An electronic questionnaire form was prepared after the approval of an ethical committee. This form was sent to the residents, specialists and academicians of emergency medicine by e-mail. The physicians were asked to fill out the form online. All the gathered data was analyzed. Descriptive statistics were presented as frequency percentages with mean and standard deviation. Chi-square tests were used to compare the groups. Correlation between number of complaint cases and age, sex, career, institution, and duration of service in emergency department were investigated. pmedicine and age. There was a significant difference between number of complaint reports and career (p<0.05). The physicians' level of awareness on forensic cases was found to be insufficient. Lack of legislation knowledge may be an important cause of complaint reports concerning emergency physicians, who have a high load of patients. Thus, we think that increasing the frequency of post-graduate education sessions and periodical reviews might be beneficial.

  5. Ultrasonography of jaundice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Byung Jae; Bae, Sang Hoon; Lee, Seung Ro; Kim, Chu Wan

    1980-01-01

    The importance of ultrasonography in the evaluation of jaundice is stressed with an analysis of 47 cases of jaundice. 31 cases proved to be obstructive and 16 non-obstructive jaundice. Obstructive jaundice could be differentiated from non-obstructive jaundice in all but 2 cases, (96%). The site of obstruction in 31 cases of obstructive jaundice could be predicted correctly in 23 cases of 31, (90%), and cause of obstruction with an accuracy of 35% as well. One can certainly recommend ultrasonography as an initial procedure of choice in jaundice patients

  6. Real-time tracheal ultrasonography for confirmation of endotracheal tube placement during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chou, Hao-Chang; Chong, Kah-Meng; Sim, Shyh-Shyong; Ma, Matthew Huei-Ming; Liu, Shih-Hung; Chen, Nai-Chuan; Wu, Meng-Che; Fu, Chia-Ming; Wang, Chih-Hung; Lee, Chien-Chang; Lien, Wan-Ching; Chen, Shyr-Chyr

    2013-12-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of tracheal ultrasonography for assessing endotracheal tube position during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). We performed a prospective observational study of patients undergoing emergency intubation during CPR. Real-time tracheal ultrasonography was performed during the intubation with the transducer placed transversely just above the suprasternal notch, to assess for endotracheal tube positioning and exclude esophageal intubation. The position of trachea was identified by a hyperechoic air-mucosa (A-M) interface with posterior reverberation artifact (comet-tail artifact). The endotracheal tube position was defined as endotracheal if single A-M interface with comet-tail artifact was observed. Endotracheal tube position was defined as intraesophageal if a second A-M interface appeared, suggesting a false second airway (double tract sign). The gold standard of correct endotracheal intubation was the combination of clinical auscultation and quantitative waveform capnography. The main outcome was the accuracy of tracheal ultrasonography in assessing endotracheal tube position during CPR. Among the 89 patients enrolled, 7 (7.8%) had esophageal intubations. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of tracheal ultrasonography were 100% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 94.4-100%), 85.7% (95% CI: 42.0-99.2%), 98.8% (95% CI: 92.5-99.0%) and 100% (95% CI: 54.7-100%), respectively. Positive and negative likelihood ratios were 7.0 (95% CI: 1.1-43.0) and 0.0, respectively. Real-time tracheal ultrasonography is an accurate method for identifying endotracheal tube position during CPR without the need for interruption of chest compression. Tracheal ultrasonography in resuscitation management may serve as a powerful adjunct in trained hands. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Executive Summary from the 2017 Emergency Medicine Resident Wellness Consensus Summit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Felix Ankel

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Physician wellness has recently become a popular topic of conversation and publication within the house of medicine and specifically within emergency medicine (EM. Through a joint collaboration involving Academic Life in Emergency Medicine’s (ALiEM Wellness Think Tank, Essentials of Emergency Medicine (EEM, and the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA, a one-day Resident Wellness Consensus Summit (RWCS was organized. Methods: The RWCS was held on May 15, 2017, as a pre-day event prior to the 2017 EEM conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Seven months before the RWCS event, pre-work began in the ALiEM Wellness Think Tank, which was launched in October 2016. The Wellness Think Tank is a virtual community of practice involving EM residents from the U.S. and Canada, hosted on the Slack digital-messaging platform. A working group was formed for each of the four predetermined themes: wellness curriculum development; educator toolkit resources for specific wellness topics; programmatic innovations; and wellness-targeted technologies. Results: Pre-work for RWCS included 142 residents from 100 different training programs in the Wellness Think Tank. Participants in the actual RWCS event included 44 EM residents, five EM attendings who participated as facilitators, and three EM attendings who acted as participants. The four working groups ultimately reached a consensus on their specific objectives to improve resident wellness on both the individual and program level. Conclusion: The Resident Wellness Consensus Summit was a unique and novel consensus meeting, involving residents as the primary stakeholders. The summit demonstrated that it is possible to galvanize a large group of stakeholders in a relatively short time by creating robust trust, communication, and online learning networks to create resources that support resident wellness.

  8. Survey of emergency medicine resident debt status and financial planning preparedness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glaspy, Jeffrey N; Ma, O John; Steele, Mark T; Hall, Jacqueline

    2005-01-01

    Most resident physicians accrue significant financial debt throughout their medical and graduate medical education. The objective of this study was to analyze emergency medicine resident debt status, financial planning actions, and educational experiences for financial planning and debt management. A 22-item questionnaire was sent to all 123 Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education-accredited emergency medicine residency programs in July 2001. Two follow-up mailings were made to increase the response rate. The survey addressed four areas of resident debt and financial planning: 1) accrued debt, 2) moonlighting activity, 3) financial planning/debt management education, and 4) financial planning actions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Survey responses were obtained from 67.4% (1,707/2,532) of emergency medicine residents in 89 of 123 (72.4%) residency programs. Nearly one half (768/1,707) of respondents have accrued more than 100,000 dollars of debt. Fifty-eight percent (990/1,707) of all residents reported that moonlighting would be necessary to meet their financial needs, and more than 33% (640/1,707) presently moonlight to supplement their income. Nearly one half (832/1,707) of residents actively invested money, of which online trading was the most common method (23.3%). Most residents reported that they received no debt management education during residency (82.1%) or medical school (63.7%). Furthermore, 79.1% (1,351/1,707) of residents reported that they received no financial planning lectures during residency, although 84.2% (1,438/1,707) reported that debt management and financial planning education should be available during residency. Most emergency medicine residency programs do not provide their residents with financial planning education. Most residents have accrued significant debt and believe that more financial planning and debt management education is needed during residency.

  9. Difficult airway equipment in departments of emergency medicine in Ireland: results of a national survey.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Walsh, K

    2012-02-03

    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Adverse effects associated with difficult airway management can be catastrophic and include death, brain injury and myocardial injury. Closed-malpractice claims have shown prolonged and persistent attempts at endotracheal intubation to be the most common situation leading to disastrous respiratory events. To date, there has been no evaluation of the types of difficult airway equipment currently available in Irish departments of emergency medicine. The objective of this survey was to identify the difficult airway equipment available in Irish departments of emergency medicine. METHODS: Departments of emergency medicine in the Republic of Ireland with at least one dedicated Emergency Medicine consultant were surveyed via telephone. RESULTS: All of the departments contacted held at least one alternative device on site for both ventilation and intubation. The most common alternative ventilation device was the laryngeal mask airway (89%). The most common alternative intubating device was the surgical airway device (100%). CONCLUSIONS: Irish departments of emergency medicine compare well with those in the UK and USA, when surveyed concerning difficult airway equipment. However, we believe that this situation could be further improved by training inexperienced healthcare providers in the use of the laryngeal mask airway and intubating laryngeal mask airway, by placing greater emphasis on the ready availability of capnography and by the increased use of portable difficult airway storage units.

  10. Advances in point-of-care ultrasound in pediatric emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallagher, Rachel A; Levy, Jason A

    2014-06-01

    Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become an integral part of emergency medicine practice. Research evaluating POCUS in the care of pediatric patients has improved the understanding of its potential role in clinical care. Recent work has investigated the ability of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physicians to perform a wide array of diagnostic and procedural applications in POCUS ultrasound. Studies have demonstrated that PEM providers are able to identify an array of diseases, including intussusception, pyloric stenosis and appendicitis. Novel applications of ultrasound, such as a cardiac evaluation in the acutely ill patient or identification of skull fractures in the assessment of a patient with head injury, have shown excellent promise in recent studies. These novel applications have the potential to reshape pediatric diagnostic algorithms. Key applications in PEM have been investigated in the recent publications. Further exploration of the ability to integrate ultrasound into routine practice will require larger-scale studies and continued growth of education in the field. The use of ultrasound in clinical practice has the potential to improve safety and efficiency of care in the pediatric emergency department.

  11. Acceptability of the flipped classroom approach for in-house teaching in emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Eunicia; Brainard, Andrew; Larkin, Gregory L

    2015-10-01

    To evaluate the relative acceptability of the flipped classroom approach compared with traditional didactics for in-house teaching in emergency medicine. Our department changed its learning model from a 'standard' lecture-based model to a 'flipped classroom' model. The 'flipped classroom' included provided pre-session learning objectives and resources before each 2 h weekly session. In-session activities emphasised active learning strategies and knowledge application. Feedback was sought from all medical staff regarding the acceptability of the new approach using an online anonymous cross-sectional qualitative survey. Feedback was received from 49/57 (86%) medical staff. Ninety-eight per cent (48/49) of respondents preferred the flipped classroom over the traditional approach. Aspects of the flipped classroom learners liked most included case-based discussion, interaction with peers, application of knowledge, self-directed learning and small-group learning. Barriers to pre-session learning include work commitments, 'life', perceived lack of time, family commitments, exam preparation and high volume of learning materials. Reported motivational factors promoting pre-session learning include formal assessment, participation requirements, more time, less material, more clinical relevance and/or more interesting material. Case studies and 'hands-on' activities were perceived to be the most useful in-session activities. The flipped classroom shows promise as an acceptable approach to in-house emergency medicine teaching. © 2015 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  12. Disaster Education: A Survey Study to Analyze Disaster Medicine Training in Emergency Medicine Residency Programs in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarin, Ritu R; Cattamanchi, Srihari; Alqahtani, Abdulrahman; Aljohani, Majed; Keim, Mark; Ciottone, Gregory R

    2017-08-01

    The increase in natural and man-made disasters occurring worldwide places Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians at the forefront of responding to these crises. Despite the growing interest in Disaster Medicine, it is unclear if resident training has been able to include these educational goals. Hypothesis This study surveys EM residencies in the United States to assess the level of education in Disaster Medicine, to identify competencies least and most addressed, and to highlight effective educational models already in place. The authors distributed an online survey of multiple-choice and free-response questions to EM residency Program Directors in the United States between February 7 and September 24, 2014. Questions assessed residency background and details on specific Disaster Medicine competencies addressed during training. Out of 183 programs, 75 (41%) responded to the survey and completed all required questions. Almost all programs reported having some level of Disaster Medicine training in their residency. The most common Disaster Medicine educational competencies taught were patient triage and decontamination. The least commonly taught competencies were volunteer management, working with response teams, and special needs populations. The most commonly identified methods to teach Disaster Medicine were drills and lectures/seminars. There are a variety of educational tools used to teach Disaster Medicine in EM residencies today, with a larger focus on the use of lectures and hospital drills. There is no indication of a uniform educational approach across all residencies. The results of this survey demonstrate an opportunity for the creation of a standardized model for resident education in Disaster Medicine. Sarin RR , Cattamanchi S , Alqahtani A , Aljohani M , Keim M , Ciottone GR . Disaster education: a survey study to analyze disaster medicine training in emergency medicine residency programs in the United States. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(4):368-373.

  13. Radiologic procedures, policies and protocols for pediatric emergency medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woodward, George A.

    2008-01-01

    Protocol development between radiology and pediatric emergency medicine requires a multidisciplinary approach to manage straightforward as well as complex and time-sensitive needs for emergency department patients. Imaging evaluation requires coordination of radiologic technologists, radiologists, transporters, nurses and coordinators, among others, and might require accelerated routines or occur at sub-optimal times. Standardized protocol development enables providers to design a best practice in all of these situations and should be predicated on evidence, mission, and service expectations. As in any new process, constructive feedback channels are imperative for evaluation and modification. (orig.)

  14. Burnout and Associated Factors among Iranian Emergency Medicine Practitioners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jalili, Mohammad; Sadeghipour Roodsari, Gholamreza; Bassir Nia, Anahita

    2013-09-01

    Emergency physicians are at risk of burnout, which can affect their mental health, as well as patient care. We assessed burnout level among Iranian emergency physicians and investigated demographic, work-related factors and stressors associated with higher burnout. In a cross-sectional study, we surveyed all 188 emergency medicine residents and practitioners in Iran. We measured burnout using 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory assessing emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment, also demographic factors, work related factors and sources of stress in emergency department using anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive analysis, univariate analysis to evaluate association with higher score of burnout, and multivariate logistic regression analysis to predict high burnout in 3 subscales was performed. Totally, 165 questionnaires were filled (response rate: 88%; mean age: 33.6 years, 91% male). Mean burnout scores were 22.94 for emotional exhaustion (95% CI=20.78-25.01; moderate), 9.3 for depersonalization (95% CI=8.24-10.36; moderate to high), and 31.47 for personal accomplishment (95% CI=29.87-33.07; moderate to high). Frequent reported sources of stress were shortage of equipment, problem with work physical environment, and relationship with other services. All 19 sources of stress were associated with higher score of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization; while twelve out of 19 were significantly associated with lower level of personal accomplishment. In logistic regression model, the significant predictors for high emotional exhaustion were work overload, feeling of insecurity for future career and difficulties to balance professional and private life. Burnout is high among Iranian emergency medicine practitioners and some interventions can be proposed to reduce stress.

  15. Human factors and safety in emergency medicine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaefer, H. G.; Helmreich, R. L.; Scheidegger, D.

    1994-01-01

    A model based on an input process and outcome conceptualisation is suggested to address safety-relevant factors in emergency medicine. As shown in other dynamic and demanding environments, human factors play a decisive role in attaining high quality service. Attitudes held by health-care providers, organisational shells and work-cultural parameters determine communication, conflict resolution and workload distribution within and between teams. These factors should be taken into account to improve outcomes such as operational integrity, job satisfaction and morale.

  16. A Case of Fetal Herpes Simplex Encephalitis Diagnosed Prenatally by Ultrasonography in the Third Trimester

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Mi Bum; Kim, Yu Ri; Hwang, Han Sung; Park, Yong Won; Kim, Young Han

    2007-01-01

    Almost all reported incidences of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in newborns result as a complication of rupture of the amniotic membranes or the delivery of the baby, but infection via the placenta and amniotic membranes is rare. Ventriculomegaly was detected at 36 weeks of gestation by prenatal ultrasonography, and an emergency cesarean section was then performed at 36 weeks of gestation. We report a case of herpes simplex encephalitis detected at 36 weeks of gestation by prenatal ultrasonography, which was confirmed by a postnatal serologic test and CSF test with a brief review of literature

  17. A Case of Fetal Herpes Simplex Encephalitis Diagnosed Prenatally by Ultrasonography in the Third Trimester

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Mi Bum; Kim, Yu Ri; Hwang, Han Sung; Park, Yong Won; Kim, Young Han [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-12-15

    Almost all reported incidences of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in newborns result as a complication of rupture of the amniotic membranes or the delivery of the baby, but infection via the placenta and amniotic membranes is rare. Ventriculomegaly was detected at 36 weeks of gestation by prenatal ultrasonography, and an emergency cesarean section was then performed at 36 weeks of gestation. We report a case of herpes simplex encephalitis detected at 36 weeks of gestation by prenatal ultrasonography, which was confirmed by a postnatal serologic test and CSF test with a brief review of literature

  18. CAEP 2014 Academic Symposium: "How to make research succeed in your emergency department: How to develop and train career researchers in emergency medicine".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, Jeffrey J; Snider, Carolyn E; Artz, Jennifer D; Stiell, Ian G; Shaeri, Sedigheh; McLeod, Shelley; Le Sage, Natalie; Hohl, Corinne; Calder, Lisa A; Vaillancourt, Christian; Holroyd, Brian; Hollander, Judd E; Morrison, Laurie J

    2015-05-01

    We sought to 1) identify best practices for training and mentoring clinician researchers, 2) characterize facilitators and barriers for Canadian emergency medicine researchers, and 3) develop pragmatic recommendations to improve and standardize emergency medicine postgraduate research training programs to build research capacity. We performed a systematic review of MEDLINE and Embase using search terms relevant to emergency medicine research fellowship/graduate training. We conducted an email survey of all Canadian emergency physician researchers. The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) research fellowship program was analysed, and other similar international programs were sought. An expert panel reviewed these data and presented recommendations at the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) 2014 Academic Symposium. We refined our recommendations based on feedback received. Of 1,246 potentially relevant citations, we included 10 articles. We identified five key themes: 1) creating training opportunities; 2) ensuring adequate protected time; 3) salary support; 4) infrastructure; and 5) mentorship. Our survey achieved a 72% (67/93) response rate. From these responses, 42 (63%) consider themselves clinical researchers (i.e., spend a significant proportion of their career conducting research). The single largest constraint to conducting research was funding. Factors felt to be positive contributors to a clinical research career included salary support, research training (including an advanced graduate degree), mentorship, and infrastructure. The SAEM research fellowship was the only emergency medicine research fellowship program identified. This 2-year program requires approval of both the teaching centre and each applying fellow. This program requires training in 15 core competencies, manuscript preparation, and submission of a large grant to a national peer-review funding organization. We recommend that the CAEP Academic Section create a

  19. Generational influences in academic emergency medicine: teaching and learning, mentoring, and technology (part I).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohr, Nicholas M; Moreno-Walton, Lisa; Mills, Angela M; Brunett, Patrick H; Promes, Susan B

    2011-02-01

    For the first time in history, four generations are working together-traditionalists, baby boomers, generation Xers (Gen Xers), and millennials. Members of each generation carry with them a unique perspective of the world and interact differently with those around them. Through a review of the literature and consensus by modified Delphi methodology of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Aging and Generational Issues Task Force, the authors have developed this two-part series to address generational issues present in academic emergency medicine (EM). Understanding generational characteristics and mitigating strategies can help address some common issues encountered in academic EM. Through recognition of the unique characteristics of each of the generations with respect to teaching and learning, mentoring, and technology, academicians have the opportunity to strategically optimize interactions with one another. © 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  20. The role of emergency physicians in the institutionalization of emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Schothorst, Jannine; van den Brand, Crispijn L; Gaakeer, Menno I; Wallenburg, Iris

    2017-08-01

    Emergency medicine is a fast-growing medical profession. Nevertheless, the clinical activities emergency physicians (EPs) carry out and the responsibilities they have differ considerably between hospitals. This article addresses the question how the role of EPs is shaped and institutionalized in the everyday context of acute care in hospitals. A cross-case ethnographic study was conducted, comprising observations, document analysis, and in-depth interviews in three emergency departments in the Netherlands. Drawing on the theoretical concept of institutional work, we show that managers, already established medical specialties, and EPs all conduct institutional work to enhance private interests, which both restricts and enlarges EPs' work domain. These actions are strategic and intentional, as well as unintentional and part of EPs' everyday work in acute care delivery. It is in this very process that tasks and responsibilities are redistributed and the role of the EP is shaped. In contemporary literature it is often argued that the role and status of EPs should be enhanced by strengthening regulation and improving training programs. This article shows that attention should also be paid to the more subtle everyday processes of role development.

  1. Towards a new era in fetal medicine in the Nordic countries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sitras, Vasilis; Brodszki, Jana; Carlsson, Ylva

    2016-01-01

    Fetal medicine is a subspecialty of obstetrics investigating the development, growth and disease of the human fetus. The advances in fetal imaging (ultrasonography, MRI) and molecular diagnostic techniques, together with the possibility of intervention in utero, make fetal medicine an important, ...

  2. Novel Emergency Medicine Curriculum Utilizing Self-Directed Learning and the Flipped Classroom Method: Genitourinary Emergencies Small Group Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew King

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This curriculum, created and implemented at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, was designed to educate our emergency medicine (EM residents, PGY-1 to PGY-3, as well as medical students. Introduction: In 2013, there were over 6 million Emergency Department visits in the United States which resulted in a primary diagnosis of the genitourinary system. This represents 5.2% of all Emergency Department visits.1 Residents must be proficient in the differential diagnosis and management of the wide variety of genitourinary emergencies. This flipped classroom curricular model emphasizes self-directed learning activities completed by learners, followed by small group discussions pertaining to the topic reviewed. The active learning fostered by this curriculum increases faculty and learner engagement and interaction time typically absent in traditional lecture-based formats.2-4 Studies have revealed that the application of knowledge through case studies, personal interaction with content experts, and integrated questions are effective learning strategies for emergency medicine residents.4-6 The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center EM Residency didactic curriculum recently transitioned to a “flipped classroom” approach.7-10 We created this innovative curriculum aimed to improve our residency education program and to share educational resources with other EM residency programs. Our curriculum utilizes an 18-month curricular cycle to cover the defined emergency medicine content. The flipped classroom curriculum maximizes didactic time and resident engagement, fosters intellectual curiosity and active learning, and meets the needs of today’s learners. 3,6,11 Objectives: We aim to teach the presentation and management of genitourinary emergencies through the creation of a flipped classroom design. This unique, innovative curriculum utilizes resources chosen by education faculty and resident learners, study questions, real

  3. Novel Emergency Medicine Curriculum Utilizing Self-Directed Learning and the Flipped Classroom Method: Psychiatric Emergencies Small Group Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew King

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This curriculum created and implemented at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center was designed to educate our emergency medicine (EM residents, PGY-1 to PGY-3, as well as medical students and attending physicians. Introduction: In 2007, there were 12 million adult Emergency Department visits for mental health and substance abuse complaints. This represents 12.5% of all adult emergency department visits.1 Residents must be proficient in the differential diagnosis and management of the wide variety of psychiatric emergencies. The flipped classroom curricular model emphasizes self-directed learning activities completed by learners, followed by small group discussions pertaining to the topic reviewed. The active learning fostered by this curriculum increases faculty and learner engagement and interaction time typically absent in traditional lecture-based formats.2-4 Studies have revealed that the application of knowledge through case studies, personal interaction with content experts, and integrated questions are effective learning strategies for emergency medicine residents.4-6 The Ohio State University EM Residency didactic curriculum recently transitioned to a “flipped classroom” approach.7-10 We created this innovative curriculum aimed to improve our residency education program and to share educational resources with other EM residency programs. Our curriculum utilizes an 18-month curricular cycle to cover the defined emergency medicine content. The flipped classroom curriculum maximizes didactic time and resident engagement, fosters intellectual curiosity and active learning, and meets the needs of today’s learners. 3,6,11 Objectives: We aim to teach the presentation and management of psychiatric emergencies through the creation of a flipped classroom design. This unique, innovative curriculum utilizes resources chosen by education faculty and resident learners, study questions, real-life experiences, and small group

  4. Systematic Molecular Phenotyping: A Path Towards Precision Emergency Medicine?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limkakeng, Alexander T.; Monte, Andrew; Kabrhel, Christopher; Puskarich, Michael; Heitsch, Laura; Tsalik, Ephraim L.; Shapiro, Nathan I.

    2016-01-01

    Precision medicine is an emerging approach to disease treatment and prevention that considers variability in patient genes, environment, and lifestyle. However, little has been written about how such research impacts emergency care. Recent advances in analytical techniques have made it possible to characterize patients in a more comprehensive and sophisticated fashion at the molecular level, promising highly individualized diagnosis and treatment. Among these techniques are various systematic molecular phenotyping analyses (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics). Although a number of emergency physicians use such techniques in their research, widespread discussion of these approaches has been lacking in the emergency care literature and many emergency physicians may be unfamiliar with them. In this article, we briefly review the underpinnings of such studies, note how they already impact acute care, discuss areas in which they might soon be applied, and identify challenges in translation to the emergency department. While such techniques hold much promise, it is unclear whether the obstacles to translating their findings to the emergency department will be overcome in the near future. Such obstacles include validation, cost, turnaround time, user interface, decision support, standardization, and adoption by end users. PMID:27288269

  5. Combined residency training in emergency medicine and internal medicine: an update on career outcomes and job satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kessler, Chad S; Stallings, Leonard A; Gonzalez, Andrew A; Templeman, Todd A

    2009-09-01

    This study was designed to provide an update on the career outcomes and experiences of graduates of combined emergency medicine-internal medicine (EM-IM) residency programs. The graduates of the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) and American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)-accredited EM-IM residencies from 1998 to 2008 were contacted and asked to complete a survey concerning demographics, board certification, fellowships completed, practice setting, academic affiliation, and perceptions about EM-IM training and careers. There were 127 respondents of a possible 163 total graduates for a response rate of 78%. Seventy graduates (55%) practice EM only, 47 graduates (37%) practice both EM and IM, and nine graduates (7%) practice IM or an IM subspecialty only. Thirty-one graduates (24%) pursued formal fellowship training in either EM or IM. Graduates spend the majority of their time practicing clinical EM in an urban (72%) and academic (60%) environment. Eighty-seven graduates (69%) spend at least 10% of their time in an academic setting. Most graduates (64%) believe it practical to practice both EM and IM. A total of 112 graduates (88%) would complete EM-IM training again. Dual training in EM-IM affords a great deal of career opportunities, particularly in academics and clinical practice, in a number of environments. Graduates hold their training in high esteem and would do it again if given the opportunity.

  6. Emergency medicine clerkship curriculum in a high-income developing country: methods for development and application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cevik, Arif Alper; Cakal, Elif Dilek; Abu-Zidan, Fikri M

    2018-06-07

    The published recommendations for international emergency medicine curricula cover the content, but exclude teaching and learning methods, assessment, and evaluation. We aim to provide an overview on available emergency medicine clerkship curricula and report the development and application experience of our own curriculum. Our curriculum is an outcome-based education, enriched by e-learning and various up-to-date pedagogic principles. Teaching and learning methods, assessment, and evaluation are described. The theory behind our practice in the light of recent literature is discussed aiming to help other colleagues from developing countries to have a clear map for developing and tailoring their own curricula depending on their needs. The details of our emergency medicine clerkship will serve as an example for developing and developed countries having immature undergraduate emergency medicine clerkship curricula. However, these recommendations will differ in various settings depending on available resources. The main concept of curriculum development is to create a curriculum having learning outcomes and content relevant to the local context, and then align the teaching and learning activities, assessments, and evaluations to be in harmony. This may assure favorable educational outcome even in resource limited settings.

  7. Knowledge, Skills and Experience Managing Tracheostomy Emergencies: A Survey of Critical Care Medicine trainees

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Nizam, AA

    2016-10-01

    Since the development of percutaneous tracheostomy, the number of tracheostomy patients on hospital wards has increased. Problems associated with adequate tracheostomy care on the wards are well documented, particularly the management of tracheostomy-related emergencies. A survey was conducted among non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) starting their Critical Care Medicine training rotation in a university affiliated teaching hospital to determine their basic knowledge and skills in dealing with tracheostomy emergencies. Trainees who had received specific tracheostomy training or who had previous experience of dealing with tracheostomy emergencies were more confident in dealing with such emergencies compared to trainees without such training or experience. Only a minority of trainees were aware of local hospital guidelines regarding tracheostomy care. Our results highlight the importance of increased awareness of tracheostomy emergencies and the importance of specific training for Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine trainees.

  8. [Biomarkers in emergency medicine and critical care patients: advances and pitfalls for news tools].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claessens, Yann-Erick; Mallet-Coste, Thomas; Riqué, Thomas; Macchi, Marc-Alexis; Ray, Patrick; Chenevier-Gobeaux, Camille

    2014-01-01

    The use of biomarkers has changed approach of diagnosis and treatment procedures in emergency medicine, especially in the field of cardiovascular disorders. Effectiveness of new strategies that integrate biomarkers has precluded development and research in novel tools that may improve safety and efficiency at bedside. This mini-review presents current knowledge on utility of biomarkers in emergency medicine, including data that should be taken into account to avoid misleading utilization. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

  9. A national survey of terrorism preparedness training among pediatric, family practice, and emergency medicine programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Shelly D; Bush, Anneke C; Lynch, Julia A

    2006-09-01

    Domestic terrorism is a real threat focusing on a need to engage in effective emergency preparedness planning and training. Front-line physicians are an important component of any emergency preparedness plan. Potential victims of an attack include children who have unique physiologic and psychological vulnerabilities in disasters. Front-line providers need to have adequate training to effectively participate in local planning initiatives and to recognize and treat casualties including children. The goal of the survey was to assess the current state of terrorism preparedness training, including child victims, by emergency medicine, family practice, and pediatric residency programs in the United States and to assess methods of training and barriers to establishing effective training. A survey was e-mailed to a comprehensive list of all US pediatric, family practice, and emergency medicine residency programs 3 times between September 2003 and January 2004. The survey measured the perceived risk of terrorist attack, level of training by type of attack, level of training regarding children, method of training, and barriers to training. Overall, 21% of programs responded (46 of 182 pediatric, 75 of 400 family practice, and 29 of 125 emergency medicine programs). Across all of the event types, emergency medicine programs were more likely to report adequate/comprehensive training. However, terrorism preparedness funding, these data suggest that we are failing to provide adequate training to front-line providers who may care for children in a catastrophic domestic terrorist event.

  10. Nanotechnology in reproductive medicine: emerging applications of nanomaterials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barkalina, Natalia; Charalambous, Charis; Jones, Celine; Coward, Kevin

    2014-07-01

    In the last decade, nanotechnology has been extensively introduced for biomedical applications, including bio-detection, drug delivery and diagnostic imaging, particularly in the field of cancer diagnostics and treatment. However, there is a growing trend towards the expansion of nanobiotechnological tools in a number of non-cancer applications. In this review, we discuss the emerging uses of nanotechnology in reproductive medicine and reproductive biology. For the first time, we summarise the available evidence regarding the use of nanomaterials as experimental tools for the detection and treatment of malignant and benign reproductive conditions. We also present an overview of potential applications for nanomaterials in reproductive biology, discuss the benefits and concerns associated with their use in a highly delicate system of reproductive tissues and gametes, and address the feasibility of this innovative and potentially controversial approach in the clinical setting and for investigative research into the mechanisms underlying reproductive diseases. This unique review paper focuses on the emerging use of nanotechnology in reproductive medicine and reproductive biology, highlighting the role of nanomaterials in the detection and treatment of various reproductive conditions, keeping in mind the benefits and potential concerns associated with nanomaterial use in the delicate system of reproductive tissue and gametes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. EM Talk: communication skills training for emergency medicine patients with serious illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grudzen, Corita R; Emlet, Lillian L; Kuntz, Joanne; Shreves, Ashley; Zimny, Erin; Gang, Maureen; Schaulis, Monique; Schmidt, Scott; Isaacs, Eric; Arnold, Robert

    2016-06-01

    The emergency department visit for a patient with serious illness represents a sentinel event, signalling a change in the illness trajectory. By better understanding patient and family wishes, emergency physicians can reinforce advance care plans and ensure the hospital care provided matches the patient's values. Despite their importance in care at the end of life, emergency physicians have received little training on how to talk to seriously ill patients and their families about goals of care. To expand communication skills training to emergency medicine, we developed a programme to give emergency medicine physicians the ability to empathically deliver serious news and to talk about goals of care. We have built on lessons from prior studies to design an intervention employing the most effective pedagogical techniques, including the use of simulated patients/families, role-playing and small group learning with constructive feedback from master clinicians. Here, we describe our evidence-based communication skills training course EM Talk using simulation, reflective feedback and deliberate practice. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  12. Use of musculoskeletal ultrasonography in the diagnosis of pes anserine tendinitis: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valley, V T; Shermer, C D

    2001-01-01

    A 45-year-old woman presented to the Emergency Department with a chief complaint of acute, nontraumatic medial knee pain. Musculoskeletal ultrasonography was performed, and the diagnosis of pes anserine tendinitis was elucidated. A discussion of this clinical entity, the characteristic ultrasonographic findings, and therapy follow in this case report.

  13. Attitude of interns towards implementation and contribution of undergraduate Emergency Medicine training: Experience of an Ethiopian Medical School

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Temesgen Beyene

    2017-09-01

    Conclusion: An Emergency Medicine rotation during the final year of medical school provides opportunities to learn about undifferentiated medical emergencies and it should be included for other medical schools in the country. Participants suggest that leadership aspects of Emergency Medicine need more emphasis as the curriculum is further developed in the future.

  14. A framework for implementation, education, research and clinical use of ultrasound in emergency departments by the Danish Society for Emergency Medicine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laursen, Christian B; Nielsen, Klaus; Riishede, Minna

    2014-01-01

    The first Danish Society for Emergency Medicine (DASEM) recommendations for the use of clinical ultrasound in emergency departments has been made. The recommendations describes what DASEM believes as being current best practice for training, certification, maintenance of acquired competencies...

  15. Reflections on the consensus process: a leadership role for emergency medicine in educational scholarship and practice across health care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, James A

    2012-12-01

    In just a few decades, emergency medicine (EM) has assumed a leadership role in medical education across many academic medical centers. This rapid evolution suggests medical education as a natural priority area for EM scholarship. This year's Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference provides an ideal forum to focus on educational research as a core element of the specialty's academic portfolio. © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  16. International guidelines for contrast-enhanced ultrasonography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nolsøe, Christian Pállson; Lorentzen, Torben

    2016-01-01

    The intent of this review is to discuss and comment on common clinical scenarios in which contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) may play a decisive role and to illustrate important points with typical cases. With the advent of CEUS, the scope of indications for ultrasonography has been dramati...

  17. Development of a productive research culture in emergency medicine: Report of the outcomes of a research forum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, David McD; Cohen, Donna R; Epstein, Joseph; Freeman, Peter; Gosbell, Andrew D; Judkins, Simon; Mowatt, Elizabeth J M; O'Reilly, Gerard M; Vinen, John

    2016-02-01

    In recent years, the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) has increasingly focused on the need for high-quality research in emergency medicine (EM). One important initiative was the establishment of the ACEM Foundation, which among other responsibilities, is required to support clinical research through the provision of research funding and other measures. In February 2015, the Foundation held a Research Forum that was attended by the leading EM researchers from Australasia. The Forum aimed to determine how a productive research culture could be developed within the ACEM. Nine key objectives were determined including that research should be a core business of the ACEM and a core activity of the EM workforce, and that EM research should be sustainable and adequately supported. This report describes the background and conduct of the Forum, its recommendations and the way in which they could be implemented. © 2015 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  18. Transvaginal ultrasonography of rectal endometriosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egekvist, Anne Gisselmann; Seyer-Hansen, Mikkel; Forman, Axel

    Objectives: The aim of this present study was to evaluate the interobserver variation of transvaginal ultrasonographic measurements of endometriosis infiltrating the rectosigmoid wall. Methods: Transvaginal ultrasonography was performed independently by two observers. Observer 1 had several years...... of experience in ultrasonography while observer 2 was a medical student with no prior experience in ultrasonography or endometriosis. In 24 patient length, width and depth of endometriosis infiltrating the rectosigmoid bowel was measured. The differences between the observers were analysed by Bland and Altman...... for a relatively short period gives comparable scanning results between the two observers. It seems that transvaginal ultrasound could be used as a diagnostic tool for rectal endometriosis in most departments. However, the irregular morphology of the lesions makes the measurements very complex, and a strict...

  19. The Effect of Emergency Department Overcrowding on Efficiency of Emergency Medicine Residents’ Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anita Sabzghabaei

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Creating a calm and stress-free environment affects education significantly. The effects of the emergency department overcrowding (EDO on the training of emergency medicine residents (EMR is a highly debated subject. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of EDO on efficiency of EMR’s education. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the effects of overcrowding on EMR’s education in the resuscitation room and acute care unit. Data collection was done using a questionnaire, which was filled out by the second year EMRs.  The crowding level was calculated based on the national emergency department overcrowding scale (NEDOCS. The relationship between the two studied variables was evaluated using independent sample t-test and SPSS 21 statistical software. Results: 130 questionnaires were filled out during 61 shifts. 47 (77.05% shifts were overcrowded. The attend’s ability to teach was not affected by overcrowding in the resuscitation room (p=0.008. The similar results were seen regarding the attend’s training ability in the acute care unit. Conclusion: It seems that the emergency department overcrowding has no effect on the quality of education to the EMRs.

  20. Ultrasonography and surgery of canine biliary diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vörös, K; Németh, T; Vrabély, T; Manczur, F; Tóth, J; Magdus, M; Perge, E

    2001-01-01

    Findings of hepatic and gallbladder ultrasonography were analyzed in 12 dogs with gallbladder and/or extrahepatic biliary tract obstruction and compared with the results of exploratory laparotomy. Hepatic ultrasonography demonstrated normal liver in 2 dogs and hepatic abnormalities in 10 animals. The following ultrasonographic diagnoses were established compared to surgical findings: gallbladder obstruction caused by bile sludge (correct/incorrect: 1/2, surgical diagnosis: choleliths in one case), gallbladder obstruction caused by neoplasm (0/1, surgical diagnosis: mucocele), gallbladder and extrahepatic biliary tract obstruction due to choleliths (3/3), extrahepatic biliary tract obstruction caused by pancreatic mass (1/1) and small intestinal volvulus (1/1). Bile peritonitis caused by gallbladder rupture (4/4) was correctly diagnosed by ultrasound, aided with ultrasonographically-guided abdominocentesis and peritoneal fluid analysis. Rupture of the gallbladder should be suspected in the presence of a small, echogenic gallbladder or in the absence of the organ together with free abdominal fluid during ultrasonography. Laparotomy was correctly indicated by ultrasonography in all cases. However, the direct cause of obstruction could not be determined in 2 of the 12 dogs by ultrasonography alone.

  1. Development of geriatric competencies for emergency medicine residents using an expert consensus process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hogan, Teresita M; Losman, Eve D; Carpenter, Christopher R; Sauvigne, Karen; Irmiter, Cheryl; Emanuel, Linda; Leipzig, Rosanne M

    2010-03-01

    The emergency department (ED) visit rate for older patients exceeds that of all age groups other than infants. The aging population will increase elder ED patient utilization to 35% to 60% of all visits. Older patients can have complex clinical presentations and be resource-intensive. Evidence indicates that emergency physicians fail to provide consistent high-quality care for elder ED patients, resulting in poor clinical outcomes. The objective was to develop a consensus document, "Geriatric Competencies for Emergency Medicine Residents," by identified experts. This is a minimum set of behaviorally based performance standards that all residents should be able to demonstrate by completion of their residency training. This consensus-based process utilized an inductive, qualitative, multiphase method to determine the minimum geriatric competencies needed by emergency medicine (EM) residents. Assessments of face validity and reliability were used throughout the project. In Phase I, participants (n=363) identified 12 domains and 300 potential competencies. In Phase II, an expert panel (n=24) clustered the Phase I responses, resulting in eight domains and 72 competencies. In Phase III, the expert panel reduced the competencies to 26. In Phase IV, analysis of face validity and reliability yielded a 100% consensus for eight domains and 26 competencies. The domains identified were atypical presentation of disease; trauma, including falls; cognitive and behavioral disorders; emergent intervention modifications; medication management; transitions of care; pain management and palliative care; and effect of comorbid conditions. The Geriatric Competencies for EM Residents is a consensus document that can form the basis for EM residency curricula and assessment to meet the demands of our aging population. Copyright (c) 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  2. [The importance of teamwork in emergency medicine training].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vermeulen, B; Carron, P-N

    2007-08-15

    The study of dynamics in relation to performing in small groups has increased pedagogic knowledge about teamwork. The successful management of patients with life-threatening pathologies depends highly from a succession of teams with a specific mission as: the call centre 144, Paramedics, the ED, the Operating Theatre and the Intensive care. To enable each team to operate successfully, it is essential to coordinate their qualifications and synergism. This can be efficiently attained by simulating real situations and by following protocols dedicated to teamwork. Emergency Medicine, which is on the brink of acquiring its proper curriculum, must adopt this concept to integrate knowledge and know-how, and the art of being and doing. At this stage, the Emergency Physician will have the competence which will enable him to be a real "team leader".

  3. Ultrasonography in Obstertrics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Hyon U.

    1982-01-01

    The usefulness of pulse-echo ultrasonography of the practices of obstetrics has been great. It is more reliable than many biochemical and biophysical technics that have been developed in recent years to try to improve pregnancy outcome. When carefully performed and accurately interpreted, it can supply most vital information about the status of the fetus without any known risks to both mother and the fetus itself. The main obstertricalindications of ultrasonography coule be summarized as follows. 1. Diagnosis of early pregnancy. 2. Fetal growth and its maturity. 3. Complications of pregnancy and abnormal pregnancy. a) Vaginal bleeding in early intrauterinepregnancy. b) Multiple pregnancy. c) Ectopic pregnancy d) Hydatidiform mole e) Pelvic mass complicated with pregnancy f) Fetal anomaly 4. Fetal presenation and attitude 5. Placentography

  4. Optically neuronavigated ultrasonography in an intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katisko, Jani P A; Koivukangas, John P

    2007-04-01

    To develop a clinically useful method that shows the corresponding planes of intraoperative two-dimensional ultrasonography and intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans determined with an optical neuronavigator from an intraoperative three-dimensional MRI scan data set, and to determine the qualitative and the quantitative spatial correspondence between the ultrasonography and MRI scans. An ultrasound probe was interlinked with an ergonomic and MRI scan-compatible ultrasonography probe tracker to the optical neuronavigator used in a low-field intraoperative MRI scan environment for brain surgery. Spatial correspondence measurements were performed using a custom-made ultrasonography/MRI scan phantom. In this work, instruments to combine intraoperatively collected ultrasonography and MRI scan data with an optical localization method in a magnetic environment were developed. The ultrasonography transducer tracker played an important role. Furthermore, a phantom for ultrasonography and MRI scanning was produced. This is the first report, to our knowledge, regarding the possibility of combining the two most important intraoperative imaging modalities used in neurosurgery, ultrasonography and MRI scanning, to guide brain tumor surgery. The method was feasible and, as shown in an illustrative surgical case, has direct clinical impact on image-guided brain surgery. The spatial deviation between the ultrasonography and the MRI scans was, on average, 1.90 +/- 1.30 mm at depths of 0 to 120 mm from the ultrasonography probe. The overall result of this work is a unique method to guide the neurosurgical operation with neuronavigated ultrasonography imaging in an intraoperative MRI scanning environment. The relevance of the method is emphasized in minimally invasive neurosurgery.

  5. Gender- and sex-specific sports-related injury research in emergency medicine: a consensus on future research direction and focused application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raukar, Neha P; Zonfrillo, Mark R; Kane, Kathleen; Davenport, Moira; Espinoza, Tamara R; Weiland, Jessica; Franco, Vanessa; Vaca, Federico E

    2014-12-01

    Title IX, the commercialization of sports, the social change in sports participation, and the response to the obesity epidemic have contributed to the rapid proliferation of participation in both competitive organized sports and nontraditional athletic events. As a consequence, emergency physicians are regularly involved in the acute diagnosis, management, disposition, and counseling of a broad range of sports-related pathology. Three important and highly publicized mechanisms of injury in sports relevant to emergency medicine (EM) include concussion, heat illness, and sudden cardiac death. In conjunction with the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference "Gender-specific Research in Emergency Care: Investigate, Understand, and Translate How Gender Affects Patient Outcomes," a consensus group consisting of experts in EM, emergency neurology, sports medicine, and public health convened to deliberate and develop research questions that could ultimately advance the field of sports medicine and allow for meaningful application in the emergency department (ED) clinical setting. Sex differences in injury risk, diagnosis, ED treatment, and counseling are identified in each of these themes. This article presents the consensus-based priority research agenda. © 2014 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  6. Social media in the emergency medicine residency curriculum: social media responses to the residents' perspective article.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayes, Bryan D; Kobner, Scott; Trueger, N Seth; Yiu, Stella; Lin, Michelle

    2015-05-01

    In July to August 2014, Annals of Emergency Medicine continued a collaboration with an academic Web site, Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM), to host an online discussion session featuring the 2014 Annals Residents' Perspective article "Integration of Social Media in Emergency Medicine Residency Curriculum" by Scott et al. The objective was to describe a 14-day worldwide clinician dialogue about evidence, opinions, and early relevant innovations revolving around the featured article and made possible by the immediacy of social media technologies. Six online facilitators hosted the multimodal discussion on the ALiEM Web site, Twitter, and YouTube, which featured 3 preselected questions. Engagement was tracked through various Web analytic tools, and themes were identified by content curation. The dialogue resulted in 1,222 unique page views from 325 cities in 32 countries on the ALiEM Web site, 569,403 Twitter impressions, and 120 views of the video interview with the authors. Five major themes we identified in the discussion included curriculum design, pedagogy, and learning theory; digital curation skills of the 21st-century emergency medicine practitioner; engagement challenges; proposed solutions; and best practice examples. The immediacy of social media technologies provides clinicians the unique opportunity to engage a worldwide audience within a relatively short time frame. Copyright © 2015 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Diagnostic nerve ultrasonography; Diagnostische Nervensonographie

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baeumer, T. [Universitaet zu Luebeck CBBM, Haus 66, Institut fuer Neurogenetik, Luebeck (Germany); Grimm, A. [Universitaetsklinikum Tuebingen, Klinik und Poliklinik fuer Neurologie, Tuebingen (Germany); Schelle, T. [Staedtisches Klinikum Dessau, Neurologische Klinik, Dessau (Germany)

    2017-03-15

    For the diagnostics of nerve lesions an imaging method is necessary to visualize peripheral nerves and their surrounding structures for an etiological classification. Clinical neurological and electrophysiological investigations provide functional information about nerve lesions. The information provided by a standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination is inadequate for peripheral nerve diagnostics; however, MRI neurography is suitable but on the other hand a resource and time-consuming method. Using ultrasonography for peripheral nerve diagnostics. With ultrasonography reliable diagnostics of entrapment neuropathies and traumatic nerve lesions are possible. The use of ultrasonography for neuropathies shows that a differentiation between different forms is possible. Nerve ultrasonography is an established diagnostic tool. In addition to the clinical examination and clinical electrophysiology, structural information can be obtained, which results in a clear improvement in the diagnostics. Ultrasonography has become an integral part of the diagnostic work-up of peripheral nerve lesions in neurophysiological departments. Nerve ultrasonography is recommended for the diagnostic work-up of peripheral nerve lesions in addition to clinical and electrophysiological investigations. It should be used in the clinical work-up of entrapment neuropathies, traumatic nerve lesions and spacy-occupying lesions of nerves. (orig.) [German] Fuer die Diagnostik von Nervenlaesionen ist ein bildgebendes Verfahren zur Darstellung des peripheren Nervs und seiner ihn umgebenden Strukturen fuer eine aetiologische Einordnung erforderlich. Mit der klinisch-neurologischen Untersuchung und Elektrophysiologie ist eine funktionelle Aussage ueber die Nervenlaesion moeglich. In der Standard-MRT-Untersuchung wird der periphere Nerv nur unzureichend gut dargestellt. Die MRT-Neurographie ist ein sehr gutes, aber auch zeit- und ressourcenintensives Verfahren. Nutzung des Ultraschalls fuer die

  8. Full-text publication of abstracts in emergency medicine in Denmark.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravn, Anne Katrine; Petersen, Dan Brun; Folkestad, Lars; Hallas, Peter; Brabrand, Mikkel

    2014-05-24

    Abstracts presented at medical conferences or scientific meetings should ideally be published as full-text articles in peer-reviewed journals after initial presentation and feedback regardless of the findings. The aim of this survey was to determine the publication rate of papers presented at the Danish Emergency Medicine Conferences in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Abstracts presented at the conferences were identified and authors contacted to obtain publication information. A further search was conducted using relevant databases. Publication rates for the 2009 and 2010 were approximately 30% (25-31.6%). The publication rate for the 2011 conference was 14.5% within 18 months with an additional 9% under review prior to publication. When comparing full-text publication rates from DEMC to previous international studies in EM Danish EM research community has similar publication rates. However, other more established specialties have higher publication levels. Knowledge of reasons for non-publication could lead to efforts to promote publication like funding; the possibility of discussion between authors and editors at conferences; "publication mentors"; and/or research courses provided by the Danish Society of Emergency Medicine.

  9. Emergency ultrasound usage among recent emergency medicine residency graduates of a convenience sample of 14 residencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dean, Anthony J; Breyer, Michael J; Ku, Bon S; Mills, Angela M; Pines, Jesse M

    2010-02-01

    Emergency Medicine (EM) residency graduates are trained to perform Emergency Medicine bedside ultrasound (EMBU). However, the degree to which they use this skill in their practice after graduation is unknown. We sought to test the amount and type of usage of EMBU among recent residency graduates, and how usage and barriers vary among various types of EM practice settings. Graduates from 14 EM residency programs in 2003-2005 were surveyed on their current practice setting and use of EMBU. There were 252 (73%) graduates who completed the survey. Of the 73% of respondents reporting access to EMBU, 98% had used it within the past 3 months. Access to EMBU was higher in academic (97%) vs. community teaching (79%) vs. community non-teaching settings (62%) (p < 0.001), and in Emergency Departments (EDs) where yearly census exceeded 60,000 visits (87% vs. 65%, p < 0.001). Physicians in academic settings reported "high use" of EMBU more frequently than those in community settings for most modalities. FAST (focused assessment by sonography in trauma) was the most common high-use application and the most useful in practice. The greatest impediment to EMBU use was "not enough time" (61%). Ultrasound usage among recent EM residency graduates is significantly higher in teaching than in community settings and in high-volume EDs. Its use is more widespread than in previous reports in all types of practice. There is a wide range of utilization of ultrasound in the various applications in emergency practice, with the evaluation of trauma being the most common. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Creation and implementation of an emergency medicine education and training program in Turkey: an effective educational intervention to address the practitioner gap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellows, Jennifer Whitfield; Douglass, Katherine; Atilla, Ridvan; Smith, Jeffrey; Kapur, G Bobby

    2013-07-22

    The specialty of Emergency Medicine has enjoyed recognition for nearly 20 years in Turkey. However, the majority of underserved and rural Turkish emergency departments are staffed by general practitioners who lack formal training in the specialty and have few opportunities to increase emergency medicine-specific knowledge and skills. To address this "practitioner gap," the authors developed a four-phase comprehensive emergency medicine education and training program for general practitioners practicing in government hospitals in Turkey. From April 2006 until June 2009, 42 courses were taught by 62 trainers across seven regions in Turkey. A total of 2,262 physicians were trained. The mean course pre-test score for all regions was 42.3 (95% CI 39.8 to 44.7). The mean course post-test score was 70.1 (95% CI 67.2 to 72.9). The difference between the mean scores was 27.8 (95% CI 25.3 to 30.4, P emergency medicine department and an emergency medicine society to implement country-wide training of physicians practicing in public emergency departments can serve as a successful model for capacity-building global emergency medicine endeavors.

  11. Developing emergency medical dispatch systems in Africa – Recommendations of the African Federation for Emergency Medicine/International Academies of Emergency Dispatch Working Group

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nee-Kofi Mould-Millman

    2015-09-01

    To facilitate the development of EMD systems appropriate for the African setting, the African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM and the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED convened a working group in November 2014 to provide conceptual, technical, and innovative recommendations for contextually appropriate EMD systems for African settings. It is hoped that these recommendations will augment efficiency, effectiveness, and standardisation within and among African EMD systems, thereby improving health outcomes for sufferers of acute illness or injury.

  12. Strategies for coping with stress in emergency medicine: Early education is vital

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gillian R Schmitz

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Physician burnout has received considerable attention in the literature and impacts a large number of emergency medicine physicians, but there is no standardized curriculum for wellness in resident education. A culture change is needed to educate about wellness, adopt a preventative and proactive approach, and focus on resiliency. Discussion: We describe a novel approach to wellness education by focusing on resiliency rather than the unintended endpoint of physician burnout. One barrier to adoption of wellness education has been establishing legitimacy among emergency medicine (EM residents and educators. We discuss a change in the language of wellness education and provide several specific topics to facilitate the incorporation of these topics in resident education. Conclusion: Wellness education and a culture of training that promotes well-being will benefit EM residents. Demonstrating the impact of several factors that positively affect emergency physicians may help to facilitate alert residents to the importance of practicing activities that will result in wellness. A change in culture and focus on resiliency is needed to adequately address and optimize physician self-care.

  13. [Current emergency medicine for neurological disorders in children].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osamura, Toshio

    2010-01-01

    In 2006, the number of pediatric outpatients consulting our hospital during non-practice hours increased by 218.1% of that in 1996. The number of pediatric inpatients during non-practice hours in 2006 increased by 71.3% of that in 1996. In 2006, the number of patients who were admitted with neurological disorders in children during non-practice hours increased to 213.3% of that in 1996. The proportion of these pediatric patients among those who were admitted during non-practice hours was 16.6% in our hospital, suggesting the importance of neurological disorders in pediatric emergency medicine. More than 60% of inpatients with neurological disorders in children were 3 years old or younger. The most common neurological symptoms observed at admission included convulsion (81.6%) and disturbance of consciousness (8.5%). The disorders were mainly febrile seizure (41.4%) and epilepsy (29.0%). Most patients with severe disorders requiring emergency medicine, such as head bruise, acute encephalitis/encephalopathy, purulent meningitis, and head trauma, were admitted during non-practice hours. The prognoses of most neurological disorders in children were favorable. However, patients with sequelae (especially, hypoxic encephalopathy, acute encephalitis/encephalopathy) showed an unfavorable neurological prognosis. Early rehabilitation during admission was useful as a support method for their families. In the future, a comprehensive rehabilitation program for children with acquired brain injury should be established and laws to promote home care must be passed.

  14. [The diagnostic performance of color Doppler ultrasonography for newborn four cases of midgut volvulus accompanied by intestinal malrotation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikeshima, Yukari; Hisano, Katsuya; Morisawa, Takeshi; Inoue, Kozue; Shimamoto, Masahiro; Koujitani, Toshiaki; Yonetani, Masahiko; Yasufuku, Masao

    2014-03-01

    Midgut volvulus accompanied by intestinal malrotation is classified as a surgical emergency disease of the newborn, which emerges with the bilious vomiting or melena. This report presents four patients of this disease in our hospital, evaluated by color Doppler ultrasonography before surgical operation. All four patients were presented by bilious vomiting at the onset. By color Doppler ultrasonography method, the whirlpool sign which is the view of intestine and superior mesenteric vein rotated around with the axis of superior mesenteric artery, were shown in all cases. This whirlpool sign led to the diagnosis of midgut volvulus accompanied by intestinal malrotation. Intestinal contrast imaging was tested in three patients for the purpose of confirming the diagnosis. Repair of the volvulus and a ladd operation was performed in all four patients, without the excision of intestine because of no intestinal ischemic change. The clinical courses of four cases were good, and all patients were discharged within 17 days. Early diagnosis and timely surgical operation are essential for decreasing the possibility of occurring intestinal ischemic changes and improving clinical outcome after surgical operation. We propose that color Doppler ultrasonography is the powerful tool for the diagnosis of this disease, especially for the newborn, for whom the available diagnostic tests are limited.

  15. Ethical issues in the response to Ebola virus disease in United States emergency departments: a position paper of the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Emergency Nurses Association, and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venkat, Arvind; Asher, Shellie L; Wolf, Lisa; Geiderman, Joel M; Marco, Catherine A; McGreevy, Jolion; Derse, Arthur R; Otten, Edward J; Jesus, John E; Kreitzer, Natalie P; Escalante, Monica; Levine, Adam C

    2015-05-01

    The 2014 outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa has presented a significant public health crisis to the international health community and challenged U.S. emergency departments (EDs) to prepare for patients with a disease of exceeding rarity in developed nations. With the presentation of patients with Ebola to U.S. acute care facilities, ethical questions have been raised in both the press and medical literature as to how U.S. EDs, emergency physicians (EPs), emergency nurses, and other stakeholders in the health care system should approach the current epidemic and its potential for spread in the domestic environment. To address these concerns, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Emergency Nurses Association, and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine developed this joint position paper to provide guidance to U.S. EPs, emergency nurses, and other stakeholders in the health care system on how to approach the ethical dilemmas posed by the outbreak of EVD. This paper will address areas of immediate and potential ethical concern to U.S. EDs in how they approach preparation for and management of potential patients with EVD. © 2015 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  16. Emergency medicine: an operations management view.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soremekun, Olan A; Terwiesch, Christian; Pines, Jesse M

    2011-12-01

    Operations management (OM) is the science of understanding and improving business processes. For the emergency department (ED), OM principles can be used to reduce and alleviate the effects of crowding. A fundamental principle of OM is the waiting time formula, which has clear implications in the ED given that waiting time is fundamental to patient-centered emergency care. The waiting time formula consists of the activity time (how long it takes to complete a process), the utilization rate (the proportion of time a particular resource such a staff is working), and two measures of variation: the variation in patient interarrival times and the variation in patient processing times. Understanding the waiting time formula is important because it presents the fundamental parameters that can be managed to reduce waiting times and length of stay. An additional useful OM principle that is applicable to the ED is the efficient frontier. The efficient frontier compares the performance of EDs with respect to two dimensions: responsiveness (i.e., 1/wait time) and utilization rates. Some EDs may be "on the frontier," maximizing their responsiveness at their given utilization rates. However, most EDs likely have opportunities to move toward the frontier. Increasing capacity is a movement along the frontier and to truly move toward the frontier (i.e., improving responsiveness at a fixed capacity), we articulate three possible options: eliminating waste, reducing variability, or increasing flexibility. When conceptualizing ED crowding interventions, these are the major strategies to consider. © 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  17. Creation and implementation of an emergency medicine education and training program in Turkey: an effective educational intervention to address the practitioner gap

    OpenAIRE

    Bellows, Jennifer Whitfield; Douglass, Katherine; Atilla, Ridvan; Smith, Jeffrey; Kapur, G Bobby

    2013-01-01

    Background The specialty of Emergency Medicine has enjoyed recognition for nearly 20 years in Turkey. However, the majority of underserved and rural Turkish emergency departments are staffed by general practitioners who lack formal training in the specialty and have few opportunities to increase emergency medicine-specific knowledge and skills. Methods To address this ?practitioner gap,? the authors developed a four-phase comprehensive emergency medicine education and training program for gen...

  18. Novel Emergency Medicine Curriculum Utilizing Self-Directed Learning and the Flipped Classroom Method: Gastrointestinal Emergencies Small Group Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew King

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Audience and type of curriculum: This curriculum created and implemented at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center was designed to educate our emergency medicine (EM residents, PGY-1 to PGY-3, as well as medical students and attending physicians. Introduction/Background: Gastrointestinal (GI emergencies comprise approximately 12% of emergency department (ED visits.1 Residents must be proficient in the differential diagnosis and management of the wide variety of GI emergencies. The flipped classroom curricular model emphasizes self-directed learning activities completed by learners, followed by small group discussions pertaining to the topic reviewed. The active learning fostered by this curriculum increases faculty and learner engagement and interaction time typically absent in traditional lecture-based formats.2-4 Studies have revealed that the application of knowledge through case studies, personal interaction with content experts, and integrated questions are effective learning strategies for emergency medicine residents.4-6 The Ohio State University EM Residency didactic curriculum recently transitioned to a “flipped classroom” approach.7-10 We created this innovative curriculum aimed to improve our residency education program and to share educational resources with other EM residency programs. This proposed curriculum utilizes an 18-month curricular cycle. The flipped classroom curriculum maximizes didactic time and resident engagement, fosters intellectual curiosity and active learning, and meets the needs of today’s learners. 3,6,11 Objectives: We aim to teach the presentation and management of GI emergencies through the creation of a flipped classroom design. This unique, innovative curriculum utilizes resources chosen by education faculty and resident learners, study questions, real-life experiences, and small group discussions in place of traditional lectures. In doing so, a goal of the curriculum is to encourage self

  19. Emergency medicine and internal medicine trainees’ smartphone use in clinical settings in the United States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sonja E. Raaum

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Smartphone technology offers a multitude of applications (apps that provide a wide range of functions for healthcare professionals. Medical trainees are early adopters of this technology, but how they use smartphones in clinical care remains unclear. Our objective was to further characterize smartphone use by medical trainees at two United States academic institutions, as well as their prior training in the clinical use of smartphones. Methods: In 2014, we surveyed 347 internal medicine and emergency medicine resident physicians at the University of Utah and Brigham and Women’s Hospital about their smartphone use and prior training experiences. Scores (0%–100% were calculated to assess the frequency of their use of general features (email, text and patient-specific apps, and the results were compared according to resident level and program using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: A total of 184 residents responded (response rate, 53.0%. The average score for using general features, 14.4/20 (72.2% was significantly higher than the average score for using patient-specific features and apps, 14.1/44 (33.0%, P<0.001. The average scores for the use of general features, were significantly higher for year 3–4 residents, 15.0/20 (75.1% than year 1–2 residents, 14.1/20 (70.5%, P=0.035, and for internal medicine residents, 14.9/20 (74.6% in comparison to emergency medicine residents, 12.9/20 (64.3%, P= 0.001. The average score reflecting the use of patient-specific apps was significantly higher for year 3–4 residents, 16.1/44 (36.5% than for year 1–2 residents, 13.7/44 (31.1%; P=0.044. Only 21.7% of respondents had received prior training in clinical smartphone use. Conclusion: Residents used smartphones for general features more frequently than for patient-specific features, but patient-specific use increased with training. Few residents have received prior training in the clinical use of smartphones.

  20. Transabdominal Ultrasonography of the Small Bowel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rudolf Kralik

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In the era of double balloon enteroscopy, capsule endoscopy, CT, and MRI enterography is transabdominal ultrasonography (TUS underestimated method for evaluation of small bowel pathology. As often initial imagine method in abdominal complaints, nowadays has TUS much better diagnostic potential than two decades ago. High-resolution ultrasound probes with harmonic imaging significantly improve resolution of bowel wall in real time, with possibility to asses bowel peristalsis. Color flow doppler enables evaluation of intramural bowel vascularisation, pulse wave doppler helps to quantificate flow in coeliac and superior mesenteric arteries. Small intestine contrast ultrasonography with oral contrast fluid, as well as contrast enhanced ultrasonography with intravenous microbubble contrast also improves small bowel imaging. We present a review of small intestine pathology that should be detected during ultrasound examinations, discuss technical requirements, advantages and limitations of TUS, typical ultrasound signs of Crohn's disease, ileus, celiac disease, intussusception, infectious enteritis, tumours, ischemic and haemorrhagic conditions of small bowel. In the hands of experienced investigator, despite some significant limitations(obesity, meteorism, is transabdominal ultrasonography reliable, noninvasive and inexpensive alternative method to computerised tomography (CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI in small bowel examination.

  1. The British Columbia Emergency Medicine Network: A Paradigm Shift in a Provincial System of Emergency Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abu-Laban, Riyad B; Drebit, Sharla; Lindstrom, Ronald R; Archibald, Chantel; Eggers, Kim; Ho, Kendall; Khazei, Afshin; Lund, Adam; MacKinnon, Carolyn; Markham, Ray; Marsden, Julian; Martin, Ed; Christenson, Jim

    2018-01-04

    As generalists, emergency practitioners face challenges in providing state-of-the-art care owing to the broad spectrum of practice and the rapid rate of new knowledge generation. Networks have become increasingly prevalent in health care, and it was in this backdrop, and the resulting opportunity to advance evidence-informed emergency care in the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC), that a new "Emergency Medicine Network" (EM Network) was launched in 2017. The EM Network consists of four programs, each led by a physician with expertise and a track record in the domain: (1) Clinical Resources; (2) Innovation; (3) Continuing Professional Development; and (4) Real-time Support. This paper provides an overview of the EM Network, including its background, purpose, programs, anticipated evolution, and impact on the BC health care system.

  2. The women in emergency medicine mentoring program: an innovative approach to mentoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welch, Julie L; Jimenez, Heather L; Walthall, Jennifer; Allen, Sheryl E

    2012-09-01

    Women in medicine report many gender-specific barriers to their career success and satisfaction, including a lack of mentors and role models. The literature calls for innovative strategies to enhance mentorship for women in medicine. To describe the content, perceived value, and ongoing achievements of a mentoring program for women in emergency medicine. The program offered mentoring for female faculty and residents in an academic emergency medicine department. Volunteers participated in group mentoring sessions using a mosaic of vertical and peer mentoring. Sessions focused on topics specific to women in medicine. An anonymous, electronic survey was sent to women who participated during 2004-2010 to assess the perceived value of the program and to collect qualitative feedback. Preliminary achievements fulfilling the program's goals were tracked. A total of 46 women (64%) completed the survey. The results showed a positive perceived value of the program (average, 4.65 on a 5-point Likert scale) in providing mentors and role models (4.41), in offering a supportive environment (4.39), in providing discussions pertinent to both personal (4.22) and professional development (4.22), while expanding networking opportunities (4.07). Notable achievements included work on the creation of a family leave policy, establishing lactation space, collaboration on projects, awards, and academic advancement. This innovative model for mentoring women is perceived as a valuable asset to the academic department and residency. It offers the unique combination of expanding a female mentor pool by recruiting alumni and using a mosaic of vertical and peer mentoring.

  3. Sexual Assault Training in Emergency Medicine Residencies: A Survey of Program Directors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margaret K Sande

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: There is currently no standard forensic medicine training program for emergency medicine residents. In the advent of sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE programs aimed at improving the quality of care for sexual assault victims, it is also unclear how these programs impact emergency medicine (EM resident forensic medicine training. The purpose of this study was togather information on EM residency programs’ training in the care of sexual assault patients and determine what impact SANE programs may have on the experience of EM resident training from the perspective of residency program directors (PDs.Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey. The study cohort was all residency PDs from approved EM residency training programs who completed a closed-response self-administered survey electronically.Results: We sent surveys to 152 PDs, and 71 responded for an overall response rate of 47%. Twenty-two PDs (31% reported that their residency does not require procedural competency for the sexual assault exam, and 29 (41% reported their residents are required only to observe sexual assault exam completion to demonstrate competency. Residency PDs were asked how their programs established resident requirements for sexual assault exams. Thirty-seven PDs (52% did not know how their sexual assault exam requirement was established.Conclusion: More than half of residency PDs did not know how their sexual assault guidelines were established, and few were based upon recommendations from the literature. There is no clear consensus as to how PDs view the effect of SANE programs on resident competency with the sexual assault exam. This study highlights both a need for increased awareness of EM resident sexual assault education nationally and also a possible need for a training curriculum defining guidelines forEM residents performing sexual assault exams. [West J Emerg Med. 2013;14(5:461–466.

  4. Emergency radiology in Canada: a national survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torreggiani, W.C.; Nicolaou, S.; Lyburn, I.D.; Harris, A.C.; Buckley, A.R.

    2002-01-01

    To document the existing radiology services available to emergency physicians in hospitals across Canada and to preview future trends and needs. Questionnaires (n = 130) regarding the type, availability and satisfaction with radiology services were distributed to radiologists and emergency physicians at 65 hospitals across Canada. Fifty-three (41%) questionnaires were returned, and 45 (35%) completed questionnaires from 35 hospitals were used for analysis (24 from radiologists and 21 from emergency physicians). Plain radiographs were available in all hospitals at all times. Ultrasonography, intravenous pyleograms and computed tomography (CT) were available in all departments during normal working hours; after hours, CT was unavailable in 1 hospital and ultrasonography was unavailable in 2. Focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) was routinely performed for blunt abdominal trauma in 6 centres, and 10 centres had teleradiology services. Regarding the quality of emergency service, 7 of 45 responded 'poor,' 4 'average,' 14 'good,' and 17 of 45 rated service 'excellent.' Interestingly, most radiologists answered 'good' or 'excellent,' and most of the 'poor' responses came from emergency physicians. Regarding staff coverage after 5 pm, 34 hospitals provided CT services, 20 had ultrasonography staff available, and there was radiology nursing coverage in 14 hospitals. Clinical details on requisitions were generally rated 'adequate' or 'poor.' Although most radiograph reports were available within 48 hours, some took longer. Hot-seat reporting was available in 11 centres. During normal working hours, radiologists were the first to read films in 5 of 35 hospitals. After hours, emergency physicians were the first to read films in all hospitals, but only 14 hospitals indicated they were 'formally' trained to do so. This survey documents the strengths and weaknesses of the radiology services available to emergency physicians. The perceptions of emergency physicians

  5. The imperative for emergency medicine to create its own alternative payment model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medford-Davis, Laura N

    2017-06-01

    Seven years after the Affordable Care Act legislated Alternative Payment Models, it is time for Emergency Medicine to find its place within this value-based trend by developing its own Alternative Payment Model. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Nuclear medicine, a proven partnership

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henderson, L. A.

    2009-01-01

    Full text:Ultrasonography is the modality of choice for demonstrating many cystic structures within the body. However nuclear medicine is often able to demonstrate functional disturbance where ultrasound and conventional radiography are unsuccessful. A case is presented in which a 16 day old male child presented to nuclear medicine with a right upper quadrant cyst found in ultrasound with exact location equivocal. Determining the location and nature of the cyst was essential to the treatment team for patient management. A hepatobiliary study was performed and evidence of a choledochal cyst was found. In partnership with ultrasound, nuclear medicine was able to identify a possibly malignant structure and consequently patient management was determined.

  7. Serial 2-point ultrasonography plus D-Dimer vs whole-leg color-coded doppler ultrasonography for diagnosing suspected symptomatic deep vein thrombosis - A randomized controlled trial

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bernardi, Enrico; Camporese, Giuseppe; Buller, Harry R.; Siragusa, Sergio; Imberti, Davide; Berchio, Arrigo; Ghirarduzzi, Angelo; Verlato, Fabio; Anastasio, Raffaela; Prati, Carolina; Piccioli, Andrea; Pesavento, Raffaele; Bova, Carlo; Maltempi, Patrizia; Zanatta, Nello; Cogo, Alberto; Cappelli, Roberto; Bucherini, Eugenio; Cuppini, Stefano; Noventa, Franco; Prandoni, Paolo

    2008-01-01

    Context Patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis ( DVT) of the lower extremities are usually investigated with ultrasonography either by the proximal veins ( 2-point ultrasonography) or the entire deep vein system ( whole- leg ultrasonography). The latter approach is thought to be better based

  8. On a Work Expected to the Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine and the Emergency Unit of the Niigata University Hospital

    OpenAIRE

    小山, 真; Koyama, Shin

    2001-01-01

    The author would like to celebrate the start of the Department of emergency and critical care medicine and the Emergency unit of the Niigata University Hospital. The author also wishes to express his opinion, which is mentioned below, on preparing the Department and the Emergency unit for their future activity. 1 . The stuff members of the Department are expected to instruct undergraduate students in the knowledge and technique of Triage and the first aid in emergency exactly. 2 . The Emergen...

  9. Ultrasonography of the scrotum in adults

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuhn, Anna L.; Scotegagna, Eduardo; Nowitaki, Kristina M.; Kim, Young M. [Dept. of UMass Memorial Medical Center, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester (United States)

    2016-07-15

    Ultrasonography is the ideal noninvasive imaging modality for evaluation of scrotal abnormalities. It is capable of differentiating the most important etiologies of acute scrotal pain and swelling, including epididymitis and testicular torsion, and is the imaging modality of choice in acute scrotal trauma. In patients presenting with palpable abnormality or scrotal swelling, ultrasonography can detect, locate, and characterize both intratesticular and extratesticular masses and other abnormalities. A 12-17 MHz high frequency linear array transducer provides excellent anatomic detail of the testicles and surrounding structures. In addition, vascular perfusion can be easily assessed using color and spectral Doppler analysis. In most cases of scrotal disease, the combination of clinical history, physical examination, and information obtained with ultrasonography is sufficient for diagnostic decision-making. This review covers the normal scrotal anatomy as well as various testicular and scrotal lesions.

  10. Diabetic Nephropathy : Evaluation with Doppler Ultrasonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sim, Jung Suk; Kim, Seung Hyup; Kang, Heung Sik; Park, Jae Hyung; Han, Man Chung

    1996-01-01

    To compare Doppler ultrasonography with laboratory tests in evaluation of diabetic nephropathy. Fifty-five patients (mean age = 60, M : F = 26 : 29) with diabetes mellitus underwent renal Doppler ultrasonography. Resistive indices were compared with degree of proteinuria, serum creatinine level, and creatinine clearance rate. Eighteen patients who showed no proteinuria or microscopic proteinuria had a mean resistive index (RI) of 0.72 (SD, 0.05), 16 patients with macroscopic proteinuria without nephrotic syndrome had a mean RI of 0.82 (SD, 0.13), and 21 patients with nephrotic syndrome had a mean RI of 0.90 (SD, 0.12). Renal RI correlated highly with serum creatinine level (r = 0.62) and creatinine clearance rate (r = -0.43). Renal Doppler ultrasonography provides a useful indication of renal function in diabetic nephropathy but cannot offer an advantage over conventional laboratory test

  11. Web technology for emergency medicine and secure transmission of electronic patient records.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halamka, J D

    1998-01-01

    The American Heritage dictionary defines the word "web" as "something intricately contrived, especially something that ensnares or entangles." The wealth of medical resources on the World Wide Web is now so extensive, yet disorganized and unmonitored, that such a definition seems fitting. In emergency medicine, for example, a field in which accurate and complete information, including patients' records, is urgently needed, more than 5000 Web pages are available today, whereas fewer than 50 were available in December 1994. Most sites are static Web pages using the Internet to publish textbook material, but new technology is extending the scope of the Internet to include online medical education and secure exchange of clinical information. This article lists some of the best Web sites for use in emergency medicine and then describes a project in which the Web is used for transmission and protection of electronic medical records.

  12. Development of experts for radiation emergency medicine. An experience at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tatsuzaki, H.; Hachiya, M.

    2016-01-01

    The National Institute of Radiological Sciences has been conducting many training courses on radiation emergency medicine, both for Japanese and foreigners. Medical professionals working in hospitals and first responders who deal with victims have been main participants of these courses for Japanese. Typically, these courses include table top exercises and/or practical drills, which give unique features to our courses, in addition to lectures. Apart from training courses, some medical professionals came to work as a staff member of NIRS for a long term, such as two years, to learn about radiation emergency medicine. Some foreigners also stayed in NIRS as short to middle term visitors to learn about the fields. Courses for foreigners were organized sometimes in cooperation with international organizations. Participants were mainly from Asian countries, and some courses targeted one country. For example, courses for Korean professionals were organized nine times. The NIRS will continue to contribute to human development in radiation emergency medicine with training courses and other methods of education. (author)

  13. Surgeon-performed ultrasonography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Todsen, Tobias

    2017-01-01

    Surgeons are increasingly using ultrasonography (US) in their clinical management of patients. However, US is a very user-dependent imaging modality and proper skills of the US operator are needed to ensure quality in patient care. This thesis explores the validity evidence for assessment...

  14. Can You Multitask? Evidence and Limitations of Task Switching and Multitasking in Emergency Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skaugset, L Melissa; Farrell, Susan; Carney, Michele; Wolff, Margaret; Santen, Sally A; Perry, Marcia; Cico, Stephen John

    2016-08-01

    Emergency physicians work in a fast-paced environment that is characterized by frequent interruptions and the expectation that they will perform multiple tasks efficiently and without error while maintaining oversight of the entire emergency department. However, there is a lack of definition and understanding of the behaviors that constitute effective task switching and multitasking, as well as how to improve these skills. This article reviews the literature on task switching and multitasking in a variety of disciplines-including cognitive science, human factors engineering, business, and medicine-to define and describe the successful performance of task switching and multitasking in emergency medicine. Multitasking, defined as the performance of two tasks simultaneously, is not possible except when behaviors become completely automatic; instead, physicians rapidly switch between small tasks. This task switching causes disruption in the primary task and may contribute to error. A framework is described to enhance the understanding and practice of these behaviors. Copyright © 2015 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. History and Guideline of Emergency Medicine Residency Discipline in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Review of 2014

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid Shojaee

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Since many years ago several problems have been felt in emergency departments (ED of hospitals. In fact, none of physicians in the hospital have accepted the direct responsibility of patients’ management in the EDs and emergency wards of University centers have been managed by residents of various disciplines. Thus, the first line of therapy does not have guardian and several consultants with various specialists have been performed regarding patient’s management. The necessity of physician training was noticed for the first time in 1950 and after 24 years in 1974, the academic emergency medicine was established in United States of America (USA in response to people expectations for overnight accessibility to specialized and quality medical cares. It was performed with foundation of the first period of resident’s training in emergency medicine discipline at University of Cincinnati, Ohio. At beginning, specialists of different fields such as internal medicine, surgery, anesthesia, orthopedics, and neurosurgery initiated the training of emergency medicine residents together which could be responsible to most of referees. Finally, with formal accepting the specialty board in 1978, this field has been officially identified as the 23th discipline in USA. Today the EDs of most hospitals in European and American countries has been managing by emergency medicine specialists which leads to improve the quality of education and treatment, significantly. Also in Iran the request of establishing this major has been presented in the secretariat of the council for graduate medical education for the first time in 1996. This request was approved and principles of its initiating recognized officially by the ministry of health. But, considering to lack of an appropriate infrastructure, it postponed until 2000 that again this discipline was missioned for initiating to the council for graduate medical education by the minister and its outcome was

  16. Training in Emergency Obstetrics: A Needs Assessment of U.S. Emergency Medicine Program Directors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel W. Robinson

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Obstetrical emergencies are a high-risk yet infrequent occurrence in the emergency department. While U.S. emergency medicine (EM residency graduates are required to perform 10 low-risk normal spontaneous vaginal deliveries, little is known about how residencies prepare residents to manage obstetrical emergencies. We sought to profile the current obstetrical training curricula through a survey of U.S. training programs. Methods We sent a web-based survey covering the four most common obstetrical emergencies (pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH, shoulder dystocia, and breech presentation through email invitations to all program directors (PD of U.S. EM residency programs. The survey focused on curricular details as well as the comfort level of the PDs in the preparation of their graduating residents to treat obstetrical emergencies and normal vaginal deliveries. Results Our survey had a 55% return rate (n=105/191. Of the residencies responding, 75% were in the academic setting, 20.2% community, 65% urban, and 29.8% suburban, and the obstetrical curricula were 2–4 weeks long occurring in post-graduate year one. The most common teaching method was didactics (84.1–98.1%, followed by oral cases for pre-eclampsia (48% and PPH (37.2%, and homemade simulation for shoulder dystocia (37.5% and breech delivery (33.3%. The PDs’ comfort about residency graduate skills was highest for normal spontaneous vaginal delivery, pre-eclampsia, and PPH. PDs were not as comfortable about their graduates’ skill in handling shoulder dystocia or breech delivery. Conclusion Our survey found that PDs are less comfortable in their graduates’ ability to perform non-routine emergency obstetrical procedures.

  17. Emergency medicine educational resource use in Cape Town: modern or traditional?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kleynhans, A C; Oosthuizen, A H; van Hoving, D J

    2017-05-01

    The integration of online resources and social media into higher education and continued professional development is an increasingly common phenomenon. To describe the usage of various traditional and modern educational resources by members of the divisions of emergency medicine at Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town. Members affiliated with the divisions during 2014 were invited to participate in an online survey. Participants were given 8 weeks to complete the questionnaire; with weekly reminders until they responded or the deadline expired. Summary statistics were used to describe the variables. Eighty-seven divisional members completed the survey (69.6% response rate). The resources most preferred were textbooks (n=78, 89.7%), open access educational resources (n=77, 88.5%) and journals (n=76, 87.4%). Emergency medicine trainees (n=31, 92.1%) and respondents ≤30 years (n=17, 94.4%) were more inclined to use social media. International Emergency Medicine and Critical Care blogs are frequently being used by 71% of respondents. YouTube (35%) and podcasts (21%) were the most commonly used multimedia resources. Computers (desktop and laptop) were most frequently used to access educational resources except for social media where smart phones were preferred. The use of modern and electronic resources is relatively common, but traditional educational resources are still preferred. This study illustrates an opportunity for greater integration of online resources and social media in educational activities to enhance multimodal and self-directed learning. Specific training in the use of these resources and how to appraise them may further improve their utility. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  18. Approach to Acute Headache: A Flipped Classroom Module for Emergency Medicine Trainees

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeff Riddell

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This module is designed for emergency medicine trainees. Though it focuses on those early in their career (medical students and junior residents, it is applicable to all emergency medicine learners. Introduction: In the United States, headache is the fifth most-common primary complaint of patients presenting to the emergency department and can be the primary symptomatic manifestation of many life-threatening illnesses. The emergency physician plays a unique role in diagnosing and managing these patients. The emergency physician’s two major responsibilities are to relieve headache pain and to ensure that life-threatening causes are diagnosed and treated. Objectives: At the end of this module, the learner will be able to: 1 list the diagnoses critical to the emergency physician that may present with headache; 2 identify key historical and examination findings that help differentiate primary (benign from secondary (serious causes of headache; 3 discuss the indications for diagnostic imaging, lumbar puncture and laboratory testing in patients with headache; 4 recognize life-threatening diagnoses on CT imaging and CSF examination; 5 describe treatment strategies to relieve headache symptoms. Methods: This module includes a complete flipped classroom module. Learners are responsible for viewing a 20-minute video prior to the 30-minute small-group, case-based didactic discussion portion. The learners are assessed with multiple-choice question assessments, for low stakes retrieval practice or spaced practice. This could alternatively be run as a team-based learning session, with the pre- and post-tests used as an individual or group readiness assessment test, and the small group exercises converted to a group application exercise.

  19. Echo intensity obtained from ultrasonography images reflecting muscle strength in elderly men

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Watanabe Y

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Yuya Watanabe,1 Yosuke Yamada,1,2 Yoshihiro Fukumoto,3 Tatsuro Ishihara,4 Keiichi Yokoyama,1 Tsukasa Yoshida,1 Motoko Miyake,1 Emi Yamagata,5 Misaka Kimura1 1Laboratory of Sports and Health Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan; 2Research Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan; 3Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kobe Gakuin University, Kobe, Japan; 4Faculty of Health and Sports Science, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan; 5Laboratory of Gerontological Nursing, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan Background: It is well known that loss of muscle mass (quantitative change is a major change that occurs with aging. Qualitative changes in skeletal muscle, such as increased intramuscular fat, also occur as one ages. Enhanced echo intensity (EI on ultrasonography images of skeletal muscle is believed to reflect muscle quality. Recent studies evaluating the quality of skeletal muscle using computer-aided gray scale analysis showed that EI is associated with muscle strength independently of age or muscle size in middle-aged and elderly women. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether muscle quality based on EI is associated with muscle strength independently of muscle size for elderly men. Methods: A total of 184 elderly men (65–91 years living independently in Kyoto, Japan, participated in this study. The EI, muscle thickness (MT, and subcutaneous fat thickness (FT of the anterior compartment of the right thigh were determined by assessing ultrasonography images. The maximum isometric torque of knee extension at a knee angle of 90° was measured. Results: The EI showed a significant negative correlation with muscle strength (r = -0.333, P < 0.001. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the MT and EI of the knee extensor muscle were independently associated with maximum isometric knee extension strength. Even when partial correlation analysis was performed with age

  20. Evaluation of Social Media Use by Emergency Medicine Residents and Faculty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearson, David; Bond, Michael C; Kegg, Jason; Pillow, Tyson; Hopson, Laura; Cooney, Robert; Garg, Manish; Khadpe, Jay; Runyon, Michael; Patterson, Leigh

    2015-09-01

    Clinicians and residency programs are increasing their use of social media (SM) websites for educational and promotional uses, yet little is known about the use of these sites by residents and faculty. The objective of the study is to assess patterns of SM use for personal and professional purposes among emergency medicine (EM) residents and faculty. In this multi-site study, an 18-question survey was sent by e-mail to the residents and faculty in 14 EM programs and to the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD) listserv via the online tool SurveyMonkey™. We compiled descriptive statistics, including assessment with the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. StatsDirect software (v 2.8.0, StatsDirect, Cheshire, UK) was used for all analyses. We received 1,314 responses: 63% of respondents were male, 40% were respondents completed residency more than 10 years ago. Residents used SM markedly more than faculty for social interactions with family and friends (83% vs 65% [psocial media. Awareness of these utilization patterns could benefit future educational endeavors.

  1. The current status and reinforcement plan for radiation emergency medicine in Korea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hyun Ki; Lee, Youngmin; Lee, Jai Ki

    2011-01-01

    Korea operating twenty nuclear power plants was ranked 6th in nuclear power generation in the world. The potential risk for radiological emergency also increases along with the growing use of radiation and radioisotopes and a constant expansion of the nuclear industry in neighboring countries, Japan and China. This paper is intended for finding ways to strengthen medical planning and response preparedness from achievements in radiation emergency medicine over the years. 'Integrated Medical Preparedness System' for a radiological disaster is proposed as a practical way to enhance mobilization of existing human and material resources in the health care. It is based on the collaborative response among the related medical institutes : radiation emergency medical institutes around the Korean Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, emergency medical centers around the National Emergency Medical Center and other hospitals available. (author)

  2. Clinical audit of emergency unit before and after establishment of the emergency medicine department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amini, Afshin; Dindoost, Payam; Moghimi, Mehrdad; Kariman, Hamid; Shahrami, Ali; Dolatabadi, Ali Arhami; Ali-Mohammadi, Hossein; Alavai-Moghaddam, Mostafa; Derakhshanfar, Hojjat; Hatamabadi, HamidReza; Heidari, Kamran; Alamdari, Shahram; Meibodi, Mohammad Kalantar; Shojaee, Majid; Foroozanfar, Mohammad Mehdi; Hashemi, Behrooz; Sabzeghaba, Anita; Kabir, Ali

    2012-02-01

    To assess the deficiencies and potential areas through a medical audit of the emergency departments, in six general hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences at Tehran, Iran, after preparing specific wards-based international standards. A checklist was completed for all hospitals which met our eligibility criteria mainly observation and interviews with head nurses and managers of the emergency medicine unit of the hospitals before (2003) and after (2008) the establishment of emergency departments there. Domains studied included staffing, education and continuing professional development (CPD), facility (design), equipment, ancillary services, medical records, manuals and references, research, administration, pre-hospital care, information systems, disaster planning, bench-marking and hospital accreditation. Education and CPD (p = 0.042), design and facility (p = 0.027), equipment (p = 0.028), and disaster (p = 0.026) had significantly improved after the establishment of emergency departments. Nearly all domains showed a positive change though it was non-significant in a few. In terms of observation, better improvement was seen in disaster, security, design, and research. According to the score for each domain compared to what it was in the earlier phase, better improvement was observed in hospital accreditation, information systems, security, disaster planning, and research. Security, disaster planning, research, design and facility had improved in hospitals that wave studied, while equipment, records, ancillary services, administration and bench-marking had the lowest improvement even after the establishment of emergency department, and, hence, needed specific attention.

  3. Do emergency medicine journals promote trial registration and adherence to reporting guidelines? A survey of "Instructions for Authors".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sims, Matthew T; Henning, Nolan M; Wayant, C Cole; Vassar, Matt

    2016-11-24

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the current state of two publication practices, reporting guidelines requirements and clinical trial registration requirements, by analyzing the "Instructions for Authors" of emergency medicine journals. We performed a web-based data abstraction from the "Instructions for Authors" of the 27 Emergency Medicine journals catalogued in the Expanded Science Citation Index of the 2014 Journal Citation Reports and Google Scholar Metrics h5-index to identify whether each journal required, recommended, or made no mention of the following reporting guidelines: EQUATOR Network, ICMJE, ARRIVE, CARE, CONSORT, STARD, TRIPOD, CHEERS, MOOSE, STROBE, COREQ, SRQR, SQUIRE, PRISMA-P, SPIRIT, PRISMA, and QUOROM. We also extracted whether journals required or recommended trial registration. Authors were blinded to one another's ratings until completion of the data validation. Cross-tabulations and descriptive statistics were calculated using IBM SPSS 22. Of the 27 emergency medicine journals, 11 (11/27, 40.7%) did not mention a single guideline within their "Instructions for Authors," while the remaining 16 (16/27, 59.3%) mentioned one or more guidelines. The QUOROM statement and SRQR were not mentioned by any journals whereas the ICMJE guidelines (18/27, 66.7%) and CONSORT statement (15/27, 55.6%) were mentioned most often. Of the 27 emergency medicine journals, 15 (15/27, 55.6%) did not mention trial or review registration, while the remaining 12 (12/27, 44.4%) at least mentioned one of the two. Trial registration through ClinicalTrials.gov was mentioned by seven (7/27, 25.9%) journals while the WHO registry was mentioned by four (4/27, 14.8%). Twelve (12/27, 44.4%) journals mentioned trial registration through any registry platform. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current state of two publication practices, reporting guidelines requirements and clinical trial registration requirements, by analyzing the "Instructions for Authors" of

  4. Computed tomography of hepatocellular carcinoma. Comparison with scintigraphy and ultrasonography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaneko, Kuniyuki; Nakata, Hajime; Honda, Hiroshi [University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka (Japan)

    1983-09-01

    The detectability of hepatocellular carcinoma by computed tomography (CT) was evaluated on 76 cases. The detectability by plain CT was 93% with only slight improvement following a drip infusion of contrast medium. A comparison of scintigraphy, ultrasonography, and CT was also done on 63 cases. From the standpoint of the overall detectability of the tumor, CT was as good as ultrasonography or scintigraphy. Several cases were positive only on either CT or ultrasonography but no case was positive on scintigraphy alone. We believe that the combination of CT and ultrasonography is the most reliable as the screening method.

  5. Novel Emergency Medicine Curriculum Utilizing Self-Directed Learning and the Flipped Classroom Method: Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat Emergencies Small Group Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew King

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This curriculum created and implemented at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center was designed to educate our emergency medicine (EM residents, PGY-1 to PGY-3, as well as medical students and attending physicians. Introduction: Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat (HEENT complaints are very commonly seen in the Emergency Department. Numbers vary as to exact prevalence, but sources show that there are about 2 million annual emergency department (ED visits in the United States for non-traumatic dental problems, representing 1.5% of all ED visits.1 Other sources show that symptoms referable to the throat encompass 2,496,000 visits or 1.9% of total visits.2 Notably, about 8% of the written exam in emergency medicine covers the topic of head and neck complaints, making it the second most tested topic behind cardiovascular.3 Residents must be proficient in the differential diagnosis and management of the wide variety of HEENT emergencies. The flipped classroom curricular model emphasizes self-directed learning activities completed by learners, followed by small group discussions pertaining to the topic reviewed. The active learning fostered by this curriculum increases faculty and learner engagement and interaction time typically absent in traditional lecture-based formats.4-6 Studies have revealed that the application of knowledge through case studies, personal interaction with content experts, and integrated questions are effective learning strategies for emergency medicine residents.6-8 The Ohio State University EM Residency didactic curriculum recently transitioned to a “flipped classroom” approach.9-13 We created this innovative curriculum aimed to improve our residency education program and to share educational resources with other EM residency programs. Our curriculum utilizes an 18-month curricular cycle to cover the defined emergency medicine content. The flipped classroom curriculum maximizes didactic time and resident

  6. The search for common ground: developing emergency medicine in Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Jeffrey P; Shokoohi, Hamid; Holliman, James C

    2007-05-01

    Academic ties between Iran and the United States were extensive before the 1979 revolution in Iran. After 20 years of negligible academic exchanges, there has been a growing trend of professional contacts between the two countries over the past few years. The genuine warmth of friendship and commitment to excellence in emergency medicine (EM) among Iranians has transcended the political barriers to allow international contribution of EM development in the country. Since 1999, there has been a successful academic collaboration between Iranian and U.S. universities to help develop EM in Iran. Today, remarkable progresses have been achieved through recognition of EM as a distinct profession, developing EM residency programs, improving emergency medical services, establishing qualified emergency departments, training faculty and staff, starting physician exchange programs, and building mutual contributions with professionals throughout the world. A supportive policy environment and a high-quality health care system have had incredible impacts on EM development in the country.

  7. Ultrasonography of the equine shoulder

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dik, K.J.

    1996-01-01

    Six horses with shoulder injuries were presented in this report with emphasis on the use of ultrasonography vs. radiography in diagnosis. The two imaging modalities represented valuable and complementary diagnostic procedures. Two horses had fracture fragments of the lateral humeral tuberosity, the accurate ultrasonographic findings encouraging clearer radiographic identification by oblique projections. In one horseultrasonography enabled more accurate localization of calcification within the supraspinatus muscle. In the remaining three cases ultrasonography visualized distension of the bicipital bursa due to aseptic bursitis, bursal hemorrhage, or associated with injury of the biceps brachii muscle and the underlying intermediate humeral tubercle, the bony involvement more clearly demonstrated radiographically

  8. Current Status of Gender and Racial/Ethnic Disparities Among Academic Emergency Medicine Physicians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madsen, Tracy E; Linden, Judith A; Rounds, Kirsten; Hsieh, Yu-Hsiang; Lopez, Bernard L; Boatright, Dowin; Garg, Nidhi; Heron, Sheryl L; Jameson, Amy; Kass, Dara; Lall, Michelle D; Melendez, Ashley M; Scheulen, James J; Sethuraman, Kinjal N; Westafer, Lauren M; Safdar, Basmah

    2017-10-01

    A 2010 survey identified disparities in salaries by gender and underrepresented minorities (URM). With an increase in the emergency medicine (EM) workforce since, we aimed to 1) describe the current status of academic EM workforce by gender, race, and rank and 2) evaluate if disparities still exist in salary or rank by gender. Information on demographics, rank, clinical commitment, and base and total annual salary for full-time faculty members in U.S. academic emergency departments were collected in 2015 via the Academy of Administrators in Academic Emergency Medicine (AAAEM) Salary Survey. Multiple linear regression was used to compare salary by gender while controlling for confounders. Response rate was 47% (47/101), yielding data on 1,371 full-time faculty: 33% women, 78% white, 4% black, 5% Asian, 3% Asian Indian, 4% other, and 7% unknown race. Comparing white race to nonwhite, 62% versus 69% were instructor/assistant, 23% versus 20% were associate, and 15% versus 10% were full professors. Comparing women to men, 74% versus 59% were instructor/assistant, 19% versus 24% were associate, and 7% versus 17% were full professors. Of 113 chair/vice-chair positions, only 15% were women, and 18% were nonwhite. Women were more often fellowship trained (37% vs. 31%), less often core faculty (59% vs. 64%), with fewer administrative roles (47% vs. 57%; all p disparities in salary and rank persist among full-time U.S. academic EM faculty. There were gender and URM disparities in rank and leadership positions. Women earned less than men regardless of rank, clinical hours, or training. Future efforts should focus on evaluating salary data by race and developing systemwide practices to eliminate disparities. © 2017 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  9. Accuracy of Point-of-care Ultrasonography for Diagnosing Acute Appendicitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthew Fields, J; Davis, Joshua; Alsup, Carl; Bates, Amanda; Au, Arthur; Adhikari, Srikar; Farrell, Isaac

    2017-09-01

    The use of ultrasonography (US) to diagnose appendicitis is well established. More recently, point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) has also been studied for the diagnosis of appendicitis, which may also prove a valuable diagnostic tool. The purpose of this study was through systematic review and meta-analysis to identify the test characteristics of POCUS, specifically US performed by a nonradiologist physician, in accurately diagnosing acute appendicitis in patients of any age. We conducted a thorough and systematic literature search of English language articles published on point-of-care, physician-performed transabdominal US used for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis from 1980 to May, 2015 using OVID MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-indexed Citations and Scopus. Studies were selected and subsequently independently abstracted by two trained reviewers. A random-effects pooled analysis was used to construct a hierarchical summary receiver operator characteristic curve, and a meta-regression was performed. Quality of studies was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool. Our search yielded 5,792 unique studies and we included 21 of these in our final review. Prevalence of disease in this study was 29.8%, (range = 6.4%-75.4%). The sensitivity and specificity for POCUS in diagnosing appendicitis were 91% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 83%-96%) and 97% (95% CI = 91%-99%), respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 91 and 94%, respectively. Studies performed by emergency physicians had slightly lower test characteristics (sensitivity = 80%, specificity = 92%). There was significant heterogeneity between studies (I 2 = 99%, 95% CI = 99%-100%) and the quality of the reported studies was moderate, mostly due to unclear reporting of blinding of physicians and timing of scanning and patient enrollment. Several of the studies were performed by a single operator, and the education and training of the operators were variably reported. Point-of-care US has relatively

  10. Education scholarship in emergency medicine part 1: innovating and improving teaching and learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherbino, Jonathan; Van Melle, Elaine; Bandiera, Glen; McEwen, Jill; Leblanc, Constance; Bhanji, Farhan; Frank, Jason R; Regehr, Glenn; Snell, Linda

    2014-05-01

    As emergency medicine (EM) education evolves, a more advanced understanding of education scholarship is required. This article is the first in a series of three articles that reports the recommendations of the 2013 education scholarship consensus conference of the Academic Section of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. Adopting the Canadian Association for Medical Education's definition, education scholarship (including both research and innovation) is defined. A rationale for why education scholarship should be a priority for EM is discussed.

  11. Academic Emergency Medicine Physicians’ Knowledge of Mechanical Ventilation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susan R. Wilcox

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Although emergency physicians frequently intubate patients, management of mechanical ventilation has not been emphasized in emergency medicine (EM education or clinical practice. The objective of this study was to quantify EM attendings’ education, experience, and knowledge regarding mechanical ventilation in the emergency department. Methods: We developed a survey of academic EM attendings’ educational experiences with ventilators and a knowledge assessment tool with nine clinical questions. EM attendings at key teaching hospitals for seven EM residency training programs in the northeastern United States were invited to participate in this survey study. We performed correlation and regression analyses to evaluate the relationship between attendings’ scores on the assessment instrument and their training, education, and comfort with ventilation. Results: Of 394 EM attendings surveyed, 211 responded (53.6%. Of respondents, 74.5% reported receiving three or fewer hours of ventilation-related education from EM sources over the past year and 98 (46% reported receiving between 0-1 hour of education. The overall correct response rate for the assessment tool was 73.4%, with a standard deviation of 19.9. The factors associated with a higher score were completion of an EM residency, prior emphasis on mechanical ventilation during one’s own residency, working in a setting where an emergency physician bears primary responsibility for ventilator management, and level of comfort with managing ventilated patients. Physicians’ comfort was associated with the frequency of ventilator changes and EM management of ventilation, as well as hours of education. Conclusion: EM attendings report caring for mechanically ventilated patients frequently, but most receive fewer than three educational hours a year on mechanical ventilation, and nearly half receive 0-1 hour. Physicians’ performance on an assessment tool for mechanical ventilation is

  12. Success Rate and Complications of Internal Jugular Vein Catheterization With and Without Ultrasonography Guide

    OpenAIRE

    Karimi-Sari, Hamidreza; Faraji, Mehrdad; Mohazzab Torabi, Saman; Asjodi, Gholamreza

    2014-01-01

    Background: Central venous catheterization (CVC) is an important procedure in emergency departments (EDs). Despite existence of ultrasonography (US) devices in every ED, CVC is done using anatomical landmarks in many EDs in Iran. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the traditional landmark method vs. US-guided method of CVC placement in terms of complications and success rate. Patients and Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, patients who were candidate for internal jugular vein ...

  13. The German emergency and disaster medicine and management system-history and present.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hecker, Norman; Domres, Bernd Dieter

    2018-04-01

    As well for optimized emergency management in individual cases as for optimized mass medicine in disaster management, the principle of the medical doctors approaching the patient directly and timely, even close to the site of the incident, is a long-standing marker for quality of care and patient survival in Germany. Professional rescue and emergency forces, including medical services, are the "Golden Standard" of emergency management systems. Regulative laws, proper organization of resources, equipment, training and adequate delivery of medical measures are key factors in systematic approaches to manage emergencies and disasters alike and thus save lives. During disasters command, communication, coordination and cooperation are essential to cope with extreme situations, even more so in a globalized world. In this article, we describe the major historical milestones, the current state of the German system in emergency and disaster management and its integration into the broader European approach. Copyright © 2018. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.

  14. The Place of Ultrasonography in the Evaluation of Rib Fractures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fulya Bakılan

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether ultrasonography is superior to chest x-ray in detecting rib fractures in patients with minor blunt chest trauma and chest pain. Materials and Methods: Ultrasonography findings of 32 patients with minor blunt chest trauma showing no evidence of a rib fracture on anteroposterior chest x-rays, were documented. Presence of cortical discontinuities, acoustic shadows, reverberation artifacts, and hematoma by ultrasonography was proposed as the diagnostic criteria for detecting the rib fracture. Results: Rib fracture was detected in 20 patients (62.5% according to ultrasonography results. A mildly displaced fracture was detected in 7 patients (35%, hematoma was detected in 3 patients (15% and multiple fractures (in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th ribs were detected in 1 patient (5%. Conclusion: The results of our study showed that ultrasonography is superior to chest x-ray, in detecting rib fractures.

  15. The Place of Ultrasonography in the Evaluation of Rib Fractures

    OpenAIRE

    Fulya Bakılan; Gökhan Yüce; Ahmet Çağdaş Biçen; Tanju Keten

    2015-01-01

    Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether ultrasonography is superior to chest x-ray in detecting rib fractures in patients with minor blunt chest trauma and chest pain. Materials and Methods: Ultrasonography findings of 32 patients with minor blunt chest trauma showing no evidence of a rib fracture on anteroposterior chest x-rays, were documented. Presence of cortical discontinuities, acoustic shadows, reverberation artifacts, and hematoma by ultrasonography was...

  16. Effect of Ultrasonography on Student Learning of Shoulder Anatomy and Landmarks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vries, Kristen D; Brown, Rebecca; Mazzie, Joseph; Jung, Min-Kyung; Yao, Sheldon C; Terzella, Michael J

    2018-01-01

    Ultrasonography is becoming more common in clinical use, and it has been shown to have promising results when introduced into medical school curricula. To determine whether the use of ultrasonography as an educational supplement can improve osteopathic medical students' confidence and ability to locate 4 specific shoulder anatomical landmarks: the coracoid process, the transverse process of T1, the long head of the biceps within the bicipital groove, and the supraspinatus tendon. In this randomized controlled study, first-year osteopathic medical students aged 18 years or older were recruited and randomly assigned to a group with exposure (ultrasonography group) or without exposure (control group) to an ultrasonography machine. First, a survey was administered to measure students' baseline knowledge of shoulder anatomy, confidence in palpation skills, and opinion on anatomical landmark identification teaching methods. Next, students were shown presentations on shoulder anatomy and allowed to practice locating and palpating the specified landmarks. Students in the ultrasonography group were also given instruction on the use of ultrasonography. All students were asked to locate each of the 4 specified anatomical landmarks and then given a follow-up survey. A Mann Whitney U test was used to compare the confidence of the students before and after the intervention. A secondary analysis was performed to compare the degree of deviance from the correct position of the specified anatomical landmark between the ultrasonography and control groups. P values less than .05 were considered statistically significant. Sixty-four students participated. Compared with the control group, students in the ultrasonography group had a greater increase in confidence after the session in their ability to locate the coracoid process, bicipital tendon, and supraspinatus tendon (P=.022, P=.029, P=.44, respectively). Students in the ultrasonography group were also able to more accurately palpate

  17. Conference attendance does not correlate with emergency medicine residency in-training examination scores.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gene Hern, H; Wills, Charlotte; Alter, Harrison; Bowman, Steven H; Katz, Eric; Shayne, Philip; Vahidnia, Farnaz

    2009-12-01

    The residency review committee for emergency medicine (EM) requires residents to have greater than 70% attendance of educational conferences during residency training, but it is unknown whether attendance improves clinical competence or scores on the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) in-training examination (ITE). This study examined the relationship between conference attendance and ITE scores. The hypothesis was that greater attendance would correlate to a higher examination score. This was a multi-center retrospective cohort study using conference attendance data and examination results from residents in four large county EM residency training programs. Longitudinal multi-level models, adjusting for training site, U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 score, and sex were used to explore the relationship between conference attendance and in-training examination scores according to year of training. Each year of training was studied, as well as the overall effect of mean attendance as it related to examination score. Four training sites reported data on 405 residents during 2002 to 2008; 386 residents had sufficient data to analyze. In the multi-level longitudinal models, attendance at conference was not a significant predictor of in-training percentile score (coefficient = 0.005, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.053 to 0.063, p = 0.87). Score on the USMLE Step 1 examination was a strong predictor of ITE score (coefficient = 0.186, 95% CI = 0.155 to 0.217; p ITE scores. Conference attendance may represent an important part of EM residency training but perhaps not of ITE performance. (c) 2009 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  18. Generational Influences in Academic Emergency Medicine: Teaching and Learning, Mentoring, and Technology (Part I)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohr, Nicholas M.; Moreno-Walton, Lisa; Mills, Angela M.; Brunett, Patrick H.; Promes, Susan B.

    2010-01-01

    For the first time in history, four generations are working together – Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and Millennials. Members of each generation carry with them a unique perspective of the world and interact differently with those around them. Through a review of the literature and consensus by modified Delphi methodology of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Aging and Generational Issues Task Force, the authors have developed this two-part series to address generational issues present in academic emergency medicine (EM). Understanding generational characteristics and mitigating strategies can help address some common issues encountered in academic EM. Through recognition of the unique characteristics of each of the generations with respect to teaching and learning, mentoring, and technology, academicians have the opportunity to strategically optimize interactions with one another. PMID:21314779

  19. Doppler ultrasonography of the lower extremity arteries: anatomy and scanning guidelines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwang, Ji Young [Dept. of Radiology, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-04-15

    Doppler ultrasonography of the lower extremity arteries is a valuable technique, although it is less frequently indicated for peripheral arterial disease than for deep vein thrombosis or varicose veins. Ultrasonography can diagnose stenosis through the direct visualization of plaques and through the analysis of the Doppler waveforms in stenotic and poststenotic arteries. To perform Doppler ultrasonography of the lower extremity arteries, the operator should be familiar with the arterial anatomy of the lower extremities, basic scanning techniques, and the parameters used in color and pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasonography.

  20. Doppler ultrasonography of the lower extremity arteries: anatomy and scanning guidelines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ji Young Hwang

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Doppler ultrasonography of the lower extremity arteries is a valuable technique, although it is less frequently indicated for peripheral arterial disease than for deep vein thrombosis or varicose veins. Ultrasonography can diagnose stenosis through the direct visualization of plaques and through the analysis of the Doppler waveforms in stenotic and poststenotic arteries. To perform Doppler ultrasonography of the lower extremity arteries, the operator should be familiar with the arterial anatomy of the lower extremities, basic scanning techniques, and the parameters used in color and pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasonography.

  1. Complex systems thinking in emergency medicine: A novel paradigm for a rapidly changing and interconnected health care landscape.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widmer, Matthew A; Swanson, R Chad; Zink, Brian J; Pines, Jesse M

    2017-12-27

    The specialty of emergency medicine is experiencing the convergence of a number of transformational forces in the United States, including health care reform, technological advancements, and societal shifts. These bring both opportunity and uncertainty. 21ST CENTURY CHALLENGES: Persistent challenges such as the opioid epidemic, rising health care costs, misaligned incentives, patients with multiple chronic diseases, and emergency department crowding continue to plague the acute, unscheduled care system. The traditional approach to health care practice and improvement-reductionism-is not adequate for the complexity of the twenty-first century. Reductionist thinking will likely continue to produce unintended consequences and suboptimal outcomes. Complex systems thinking provides a perspective and set of tools better suited for the challenges and opportunities facing public health in general, and emergency medicine more specifically. This article introduces complex systems thinking and argues for its application in the context of emergency medicine by drawing on the history of the circumstances surrounding the formation of the specialty and by providing examples of its application to several practice challenges. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. Type-1 diabetes mellitus, nephrotic syndrome, and vur with ace gene polymorphism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiani, I.G.; Mansoor, Q.; Ismail, M.; Khan, A.N.; Butt, G.

    2012-01-01

    Objectives: To determine sensitivity, specificity and other operating characteristics of bedside three-point compression ultrasonography performed in emergency department by emergency physicians in comparison with duplex ultrasonography. Methods: The cross-sectional study at Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital in Tehran, Iran, prospectively evaluated 81 suspected patients of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis between March 2006 and March 2007. A trained second-year resident and one attending physician of emergency medicine evaluated the veins of all the patients with through compression ultrasonography. Then, a second-year resident of radiology assessed the patients with duplex ultrasonography. Finally, data were compared and quantitative and categorical variables were worked out along with other statistical analysis through SPSS version 16. Results: The mean age of the patients was 47.2 +- 18.6 years. When cases who lost the compressibility of at least one of their femoral or popliteal veins were considered to be positive, there were 80.2% diagnosed by compression ultrasonography and 79% by the duplex variety. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the former in comparison with the latter were 85.9%, 41.2% and 84.6% respectively. Conclusion: Compression ultrasonography has relatively an acceptable sensitivity and accuracy level, but has low specificity in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis in the hands of Iranian emergency physicians. It is better to implement duplex ultrasonography whenever accessible. Otherwise, compression ultrasonography results should be compared with the results of duplex ultrasonography as soon as possible. (author)

  3. [Diagnostic utility of endoscopic ultrasonography elastography and contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography in a patient with type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yokode, Masataka; Shiomi, Hideyuki; Itai, Ryosuke; Mikami, Sakae; Yamashita, Yukimasa; Nakano, Ryota; Ezaki, Takeshi; Masuda, Atsuhiro; Zen, Yoh

    2018-01-01

    A referring hospital diagnosed a 57-year-old man with a pancreatic head mass. The initial endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) was inconclusive because of the small sample size. Endoscopic ultrasonography elastography (EUS-EG) and contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography (CE-EUS), conducted at our institute, raised the possibility of mass-forming pancreatitis or autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). A repeat EUS-FNA revealed inflammatory changes, including a neutrophilic duct injury suggestive of type 2 AIP. The pancreatic lesion responded well to the steroid therapy. The present case suggests that EUS-EG and CE-EUS may be useful for diagnostic exclusion of pancreatic cancers, and the combined use of EUS-EG and CE-EUS, with EUS-FNA, may help characterize inflammatory pancreatic lesions.

  4. Evidence-based emergency medicine. Creating a system to facilitate translation of evidence into standardized clinical practice: a preliminary report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Stewart W; Trott, Alexander; Lindsell, Christopher J; Smith, Carol; Gibler, W Brian

    2008-01-01

    The Institute of Medicine, through its landmark report concerning errors in medicine, suggests that standardization of practice through systematic development and implementation of evidence-based clinical pathways is an effective way of reducing errors in emergency systems. The specialty of emergency medicine is well positioned to develop a complete system of innovative quality improvement, incorporating best practice guidelines with performance measures and practitioner feedback mechanisms to reduce errors and therefore improve quality of care. This article reviews the construction, ongoing development, and initial impact of such a system at a large, urban, university teaching hospital and at 2 affiliated community hospitals. The Committee for Procedural Quality and Evidence-Based Practice was formed within the Department of Emergency Medicine to establish evidence-based guidelines for nursing and provider care. The committee measures the effect of such guidelines, along with other quality measures, through pre- and postguideline patient care medical record audits. These measures are fed back to the providers in a provider-specific, peer-matched "scorecard." The Committee for Procedural Quality and Evidence-Based Practice affects practice and performance within our department. Multiple physician and nursing guidelines have been developed and put into use. Using asthma as an example, time to first nebulizer treatment and time to disposition from the emergency department decreased. Initial therapeutic agent changed and documentation improved. A comprehensive, guideline-driven, evidence-based approach to clinical practice is feasible within the structure of a department of emergency medicine. High-level departmental support with dedicated personnel is necessary for the success of such a system. Internet site development (available at http://www.CPQE.com) for product storage has proven valuable. Patient care has been improved in several ways; however, consistent and

  5. Quality Improvement Practices in Academic Emergency Medicine: Perspectives from the Chairs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DelliFraine, Jami L

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To assess academic emergency medicine (EM chairs’ perceptions of quality improvement (QI training programs.Methods: A voluntary anonymous 20 item survey was distributed to a sample of academic chairs of EM through the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine. Data was collected to assess the percentage of academic emergency physicians who had received QI training, the type of training they received, their perception of the impact of this training on behavior, practice and outcomes, and any perceived barriers to implementing QI programs in the emergency department.Results: The response rate to the survey was 69% (N = 59. 59.3% of respondents report that their hospital has a formal QI program for physicians. Chairs received training in a variety of QI programs. The type of QI program used by respondents was perceived as having no impact on goals achieved by QI (χ2 = 12.382; p = 0.260, but there was a statistically significant (χ2 = 14.383; p = 0.006 relationship between whether or not goals were achieved and academic EM chairs’ perceptions about return on investment for QI training. Only 22% of chairs responded that they have already made changes as a result of the QI training. 78.8% of EM chairs responded that quality programs could have a significant positive impact on their practice and the healthcare industry. Chairs perceived that QI programs had the most potential value in the areas of understanding and reducing medical errors and improving patient flow and throughput. Other areas of potential value of QI include improving specific clinical indicators and standardizing physician care.Conclusion: Academic EM chairs perceived that QI programs were an effective way to drive needed improvements. The results suggest that there is a high level of interest in QI but a low level of adoption of training and implementation.[West J Emerg Med. 2010; 11(5:479-485.

  6. Experience with Emergency Ultrasound Training by Canadian Emergency Medicine Residents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel J. Kim

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Starting in 2008, emergency ultrasound (EUS was introduced as a core competency to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (Royal College emergency medicine (EM training standards. The Royal College accredits postgraduate EM specialty training in Canada through 5-year residency programs. The objective of this study is to describe both the current experience with and the perceptions of EUS by Canadian Royal College EM senior residents. Methods: This was a web-based survey conducted from January to March 2011 of all 39 Canadian Royal College postgraduate fifth-year (PGY-5 EM residents. Main outcome measures were characteristics of EUS training and perceptions of EUS. Results: Survey response rate was 95% (37/39. EUS was part of the formal residency curriculum for 86% of respondents (32/37. Residents most commonly received training in focused assessment with sonography for trauma, intrauterine pregnancy, abdominal aortic aneurysm, cardiac, and procedural guidance. Although the most commonly provided instructional material (86% [32/37] was an ultrasound course, 73% (27/37 of residents used educational resources outside of residency training to supplement their ultrasound knowledge. Most residents (95% [35/37] made clinical decisions and patient dispositions based on their EUS interpretation without a consultative study by radiology. Residents had very favorable perceptions and opinions of EUS. Conclusion: EUS training in Royal College EM programs was prevalent and perceived favorably by residents, but there was heterogeneity in resident training and practice of EUS. This suggests variability in both the level and quality of EUS training in Canadian Royal College EM residency programs.

  7. Granulomatous Prostatitis: Gray-scale Transrectal Ultrasonography and Color Doppler Ultrasonography Findings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Hyoung Jung; Lim, Joo Won; Lee, Dong Ho; Ko, Young Tae; Kim, Eui Jong [Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-12-15

    We report here three cases of granulomatous prostatitis. All cases were confirmed by a transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided core biopsy of the prostate. Two cases received intravesical BCG therapy for a bladder tumor, and one case had no known predisposing condition. Gray-scale TRUS showed low echoic nodules in the outer gland in all cases. Color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) showed several dot-like blood flows within the low echoic nodules in two cases and several dot-like blood flows and short linear blood flows within the low echoic nodules in one case. Gray-scale TRUS findings of granulomatous prostatitis are similar to findings of prostate cancer. On CDUS, several dot-like blood flows or short linear blood flows were noted within the low echoic nodules in patients with granulomatous prostatitis. If low echoic nodules with dot-like or short linear blood flows are noted in patients with genitourinary tract tuberculosis or previous BCG therapy, granulomatous prostatitis should be included in the differential diagnosis. However, a prostatic biopsy is required for a final diagnosis

  8. Emergency supply of prescription-only medicines to patients by community pharmacists: a mixed methods evaluation incorporating patient, pharmacist and GP perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morecroft, Charles W; Mackridge, Adam J; Stokes, Elizabeth C; Gray, Nicola J; Wilson, Sarah E; Ashcroft, Darren M; Mensah, Noah; Pickup, Graham B

    2015-07-10

    To evaluate and inform emergency supply of prescription-only medicines by community pharmacists (CPs), including how the service could form an integral component of established healthcare provision to maximise adherence. Mixed methods. 4 phases: prospective audit of emergency supply requests for prescribed medicines (October-November 2012 and April 2013); interviews with CPs (February-April 2013); follow-up interviews with patients (April-May 2013); interactive feedback sessions with general practice teams (October-November 2013). 22 community pharmacies and 6 general practices in Northwest England. 27 CPs with experience of dealing with requests for emergency supplies; 25 patients who received an emergency supply of a prescribed medicine; 58 staff at 6 general practices. Clinical audit in 22 pharmacies over two 4-week periods reported that 526 medicines were requested by 450 patients. Requests peaked over a bank holiday and around weekends. A significant number of supplies were made during practice opening hours. Most requests were for older patients and for medicines used in long-term conditions. Difficulty in renewing repeat medication (forgetting to order, or prescription delays) was the major reason for requests. The majority of medicines were 'loaned' in advance of a National Health Service (NHS) prescription. Interviews with CPs and patients indicated that continuous supply had a positive impact on medicines adherence, removing the need to access urgent care. General practice staff were surprised and concerned by the extent of emergency supply episodes. CPs regularly provide emergency supplies to patients who run out of their repeat medication, including during practice opening hours. This may aid adherence. There is currently no feedback loop, however, to general practice. Patient care and interprofessional communication may be better served by the introduction of a formally structured and funded NHS emergency supply service from community pharmacies, with

  9. System for radiation emergency medicine. Activities of tertiary radiation emergency hospitals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamiya, Kenji; Tanigawa, Koichi; Hosoi, Yoshio

    2011-01-01

    Japanese system for radiation emergency medicine is primarily built up by Cabinet Nuclear Safety Commission in 2001 based on previous Tokai JCO Accident (1999) and is composed from the primary, secondary and tertiary medical organizations. This paper describes mainly about roles and actions of the tertiary facilities at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident and tasks to be improved in future. The primary and secondary organizations in the system above are set up in the prefectures with or neighboring the nuclear facility, and tertiary ones, in two parts of western and eastern Japan. The western organization is in Hiroshima University having its cooperating 7 hospitals, and is responsible for such patients as exposed to high dose external radiation, having serious complication, and difficult to treat in the primary/secondary hospitals. The eastern is in National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) with 6 cooperating hospitals and responsible for patients with internal radiation exposure difficult to treat, with contaminated body surface with difficulty in decontamination and/or with causable of secondary contamination, and difficult to treat in the secondary hospitals. The tertiary organizations have made efforts for the education and training of medical staff, for network construction among the primary, secondary and other medicare facilities, for establishment of transferring system of patients, and for participation to the international network by global organizations like Response Assistance Network (RANET) in International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and Radiation Emergency Preparedness and Network (REMPAN) in World Health Organization (WHO). At the Fukushima Accident, staffs of the two tertiary hospitals began to conduct medicare on site (Mar. 12-) and learned following tasks to be improved in future: the early definition of medicare and its network system, and Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ); urgent evacuation of residents weak to disaster like elderly

  10. Emergency Medicine: On the Frontlines of Medical Education Transformation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmboe, Eric S

    2015-11-01

    Emergency medicine (EM) has always been on the frontlines of healthcare in the United States. I experienced this reality first hand as a young general medical officer assigned to an emergency department (ED) in a small naval hospital in the 1980s. For decades the ED has been the only site where patients could not be legally denied care. Despite increased insurance coverage for millions of Americans as a result of the Affordable Care Act, ED directors report an increase in patient volumes in a recent survey.1 EDs care for patients from across the socioeconomic spectrum suffering from a wide range of clinical conditions. As a result, the ED is still one of few components of the American healthcare system where social justice is enacted on a regular basis. Constant turbulence in the healthcare system, major changes in healthcare delivery, technological advances and shifting demographic trends necessitate that EM constantly adapt and evolve as a discipline in this complex environment.

  11. Ultrasonography of the Kidney

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindskov Hansen, Kristoffer; Nielsen, Michael Bachmann; Ewertsen, Caroline

    2016-01-01

    Ultrasonography of the kidneys is essential in the diagnosis and management of kidney-related diseases. The kidneys are easily examined, and most pathological changes in the kidneys are distinguishable with ultrasound. In this pictorial review, the most common findings in renal ultrasound...

  12. Endoscopic Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Gastric Subepithelial Lesions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eun Jeong Gong

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Subepithelial lesions occasionally found in the stomach of patients undergoing endoscopy may be either benign lesions or tumors with malignant potential. They may also appear due to extrinsic compression. Discrimination of gastric subepithelial lesions begins with meticulous endoscopic examination for size, shape, color, mobility, consistency, and appearance of the overlying mucosa. Accurate diagnosis can be achieved with endoscopic ultrasonography, which provides useful information on the exact size, layer-of-origin, and characteristic morphologic features to support a definitive diagnosis. Endoscopic ultrasonography also aids in the prediction of malignant potential, especially in gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Features of subepithelial lesions identified on endoscopic ultrasonography can be used to determine whether further diagnostic procedures such as endoscopic resection, fine needle aspiration, or core biopsy are required. Endoscopic ultrasonography is a valuable tool for diagnosis and clinical decision making during follow-up of gastric subepithelial lesions.

  13. Evaluation of breast symptoms with mammography and ultrasonography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emine Devolli Disha

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Aim of the study was to discern which are more frequent symptoms presented in malign and benign masses diagnosed by mammography and ultrasonography.Methods: Our study group consisted of 546 female patients, with breast symptoms such as palpable lumps (40.8%, pain in the breast (26%, localized lumpiness or nodularity (13.7%, nipple retraction (11.2%, nipplebloody discharge (5.1% and redness and swelling of the breast (3.1%. All 546 patients were examined by ultrasonography and mammography. Biopsy was performed according to the findings of mammography and ultrasonography.Results: In breast cancer detection ultrasonography showed an efficiency of 79.4% compared to 55.0% for mammography in detecting breast lump, in the case of nipple retraction mammography showed an efficiency of 89.1% compared to 80.4% for ultrasound, while the lowest efficiency for mammography was in the cases with localized lumpiness or nodularity 17.1% compared to 45.7% for ultrasound. In detecting fibrocystic changes where the most common symptoms was pain, ultrasonography showed an efficiency of 99.3 % compared to 84.2 % for mammography.Conclusions: Our study confirmed that breast lumps are detectable in the majority of patients with breast cancer. The most frequent symptoms in patient with benign lesions were pain or localized discomfort. The diagnostic accuracy for carcinomas of the breast and for benign lesions according to symptoms was higher for ultrasound than for mammography.

  14. "Futile Care"-An Emergency Medicine Approach: Ethical and Legal Considerations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, Jeremy R; Kraus, Chadd; Rosenberg, Mark; Wang, David H; Clayborne, Elizabeth P; Derse, Arthur R

    2017-11-01

    Futility often serves as a proposed reason for withholding or withdrawing medical treatment, even in the face of patient and family requests. Although there is substantial literature describing the meaning and use of futility, little of it is specific to emergency medicine. Furthermore, the literature does not provide a widely accepted definition of futility, and thus is difficult if not impossible to apply. Some argue that even a clear concept of futility would be inappropriate to use. This article will review the origins of and meanings suggested for futility, specific challenges such cases create in the emergency department (ED), and the relevant legal background. It will then propose an approach to cases of perceived futility that is applicable in the ED and does not rely on unilateral decisions to withhold treatment, but rather on avoiding and resolving the conflicts that lead to physicians' believing that patients are asking them to provide "futile" care. Copyright © 2017 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Is the inferior vena cava diameter measured by bedside ultrasonography valuable in estimating the intravascular volume in patients with septic shock?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mortaza Talebi Doluie

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction:Resuscitation should be initiated immediately in shock. Early goal-directed therapy is an established algorithm for the resuscitation in septic shock. The first step is to maintain cardiac preload. Central venous pressure (CVP plays an important role in goal-directed therapy. Central venous catheterization is invasive and time-consuming in emergency conditions. There are some alternative and noninvasive methods for estimating the intravascular volume such as measuring the inferior vena cava (IVC diameter by ultrasonography. Methods: We searched PubMed, Google scholar, and Scopus databases with keywords (central venous pressure OR venous pressure OR CVP AND (ultrasonography OR sonography AND (sepsis OR septic shock AND (inferior vena cava OR IVC.Result: The search resulted in 2550 articles. The articles were appraised regarding the relevance, type of article, and statistical methods. Finally, 12 articles were selected. The number of patients was between 30 and 83 cases (mean age=57-67 years, intubated and non-intubated in each study. The IVC diameter was measured in respiratory cycle by bedside ultrasonography in longitudinal subxiphoid view and caval index was calculated, then they were compared with the CVP measured by central venous catheter.Discussion: CVP is an indicator of intravascular fluid status and right heart function. CVP measurement is an invasive method and of course with some complications. The IVC is the biggest vein of venous system with low-pressure; expansion of the vein reflects intravascular volume.Conclusion: It seems that IVC diameter measured by ultrasonography could be used as an alternative method for the determination of CVP in the emergency or critical patients.

  16. A Systems Medicine Approach: Translating Emerging Science into Individualized Wellness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. S. Bland

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In today’s aging society, more people are living with lifestyle-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Numerous opinion-leader organizations recommend lifestyle medicine as the first-line approach in NCD prevention and treatment. However, there is a strong need for a personalized approach as “one-size-fits-all” public health recommendations have been insufficient in addressing the interindividual differences in the diverse populations. Advancement in systems biology and the “omics” technologies has allowed comprehensive analysis of how complex biological systems are impacted upon external perturbations (e.g., nutrition and exercise, and therefore is gradually pushing personalized lifestyle medicine toward reality. Clinicians and healthcare practitioners have a unique opportunity in advocating lifestyle medicine because patients see them as a reliable source of advice. However, there are still numerous technical and logistic challenges to overcome before personal “big data” can be translated into actionable and clinically relevant solutions. Clinicians are also facing various issues prior to bringing personalized lifestyle medicine to their practice. Nevertheless, emerging ground-breaking research projects have given us a glimpse of how systems thinking and computational methods may lead to personalized health advice. It is important that all stakeholders work together to create the needed paradigm shift in healthcare before the rising epidemic of NCDs overwhelm the society, the economy, and the dated health system.

  17. Feasibility of ultrasonography and MR arthrography during evaluation of rotator cuff injury

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Jin Guang; Lee, Jong Min; Ryeom, Hun Kyu

    2005-01-01

    To evaluate the feasibility of MR arthrography and ultrasonography in evaluating shoulder pain. The subject group consisted of all patients who visited our institute complaining of shoulder pain or instability form June 2002 to December 2004. There were a total of 92 patients with an mean age of 48. On the basis of arthroscopic results, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ultrasonography and MR arthrography were evaluated by comparing them with each other. In the diagnosis of separateness tendon tears, ultrasonography had sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 64%, respectively, whereas MR arthrography had sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 94%, respectively. Ultrasonography also had high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of subscapularis tendon tears (100% and 90%). MR arthrography was appropriate for identifying glenoid labral abnormalities (sensitivity, 95% and specificity, 61%). Similar results from ultrasonography and MR arthrography were obtained in the diagnosis of subscapular tendon tears or full-thickness tears of the rotator cuff tendons (kappa value, 0.644 and 0.911). While evaluating rotator cuff abnormalities, ultrasonography was appropriate for screening, whereas MR arthrography was useful to confirm the results of the ultrasonography

  18. Capturing the 'art' of emergency medicine: Does film foster reflection in medical students?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brand, Gabrielle; Wise, Steve; Siddiqui, Zarrin S; Celenza, Antonio; Fatovich, Daniel M

    2017-08-01

    Integrating arts and humanities-based pedagogy into curricula is of growing interest among medical educators, particularly how it promotes reflection and empathy. Our aim was to explore whether a 2.50 min film titled 'The Art of the ED' stimulated reflective learning processes in a group of first year medical students. The film was shown prior to their first clinical placement in an ED. Student participation was voluntary and not assessable. Using an exploratory qualitative research approach, this study drew on data collected from students' individual written reflections, exploring their perceptions towards clinical experience in an emergency medicine (EM) attachment. A total of 123 (51% of 240) students submitted a reflection. The qualitative data revealed three main themes: the opportunity for students to preview EM ('While watching the film, I felt like I was the patient and the doctor all at once, in that I was living the experience both from within and as an observer …'); exposed the reality of ED; and fostered a growing awareness of the fragility of human life. These findings highlight how visual methodologies (like film) create a safe, non-threatening space to access, experience and process emotion around their perceptions towards EM, and to anticipate and emotionally prepare for their impending clinical experience in the ED. These data support the use of visual methodologies to foster reflective processes that assist medical students to integrate the 'art' of EM, and the development and commitment of core doctoring values of empathy, service and respect for patients. © 2017 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  19. Delivering bad news in emergency care medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maynard, Douglas W

    2017-01-01

    Forecasting is a strategy for delivering bad news and is compared to two other strategies, stalling and being blunt. Forecasting provides some warning that bad news is forthcoming without keeping the recipient in a state of indefinite suspense (stalling) or conveying the news abruptly (being blunt). Forecasting appears to be more effective than stalling or being blunt in helping a recipient to "realize" the bad news because it involves the deliverer and recipient in a particular social relation. The deliverer of bad news initiates the telling by giving an advance indication of the bad news to come; this allows the recipient to calculate the news in advance of its final presentation, when the deliverer confirms what the recipient has been led to anticipate. Thus, realization of bad news emerges from intimate collaboration, whereas stalling and being blunt require recipients to apprehend the news in a social vacuum. Exacerbating disruption to recipients' everyday world, stalling and being blunt increase the probability of misapprehension (denying, blaming, taking the situation as a joke, etc.) and thereby inhibit rather than facilitate realization. Particular attention is paid to the "perspective display sequence", a particular forecasting strategy that enables both confirming the recipient's perspective and using that perspective to affirm the clinical news. An example from acute or emergency medicine is examined at the close of the paper.

  20. Autopsy interrogation of emergency medicine dispute cases: how often are clinical diagnoses incorrect?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Danyang; Gan, Rongchang; Zhang, Weidi; Wang, Wei; Saiyin, Hexige; Zeng, Wenjiao; Liu, Guoyuan

    2018-01-01

    Emergency medicine is a 'high risk' specialty. Some diseases develop suddenly and progress rapidly, and sudden unexpected deaths in the emergency department (ED) may cause medical disputes. We aimed to assess discrepancies between antemortem clinical diagnoses and postmortem autopsy findings concerning emergency medicine dispute cases and to figure out the most common major missed diagnoses. Clinical files and autopsy reports were retrospectively analysed and interpreted. Discrepancies between clinical diagnoses and autopsy diagnoses were evaluated using modified Goldman classification as major and minor discrepancy. The difference between diagnosis groups was compared with Pearson χ 2 test. Of the 117 cases included in this study, 71 of cases (58 class I and 13 class II diagnostic errors) were revealed as major discrepancies (60.7%). The most common major diagnoses were cardiovascular diseases (54 cases), followed by pulmonary diseases, infectious diseases and so on. The difference of major discrepancy between the diagnoses groups was significant (ppay special attention to in practice. This study reaffirmed the necessity and usefulness of autopsy in auditing death in EDs. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  1. Travel medicine physician adherence to guidelines for the emergency self treatment of malaria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flaherty, Gerard T; Walden, Lucas M; Townend, Michael

    2016-05-01

    Few studies have examined emergency self treatment (EST) antimalarial prescribing patterns. 110 physician-members of the Travel Medicine Society of Ireland and British Global and Travel Health Association participated in this study. There was a trend towards the prescription of EST for travel to remote low-risk malaria areas; for long-term residents living in low-risk areas; and for frequent travellers to low-risk areas. This study provides insights into the use of EST in travellers' malaria. © International Society of Travel Medicine, 2016. All rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. Improving the attractiveness of an emergency medicine career to medical students: An exploratory study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celenza, Antonio; Bharath, Jude; Scop, Jason

    2012-12-01

    To describe perceptions of medical students and emergency doctors towards careers in emergency medicine (EM), and to identify influences on career choice. A prospective, cross-sectional questionnaire study was performed in three EDs. The instrument used Likert-type items addressing: factors important in the choice of a career, factors offered by a career in EM, and opinions of EM. EM consultants and registrars and a cohort of final-year medical students participated. Overall, 22 consultants, 30 registrars and 164 students completed the questionnaire (77.1% overall response). Student interest in an EM career increased from 10/161 (6.2% [95% CI 3.0-11.1%]) before, to 26/137 (19.0% [95% CI 12.8-26.6%]) after an EM attachment (P = 0.0014). The highest proportion of students chose work-life balance as being an important factor for career choice (143/163 students, 87.7% [95% CI 81.2-92.6%]). Compared with consultants and registrars, students had negative perceptions about lifestyle factors that EM offered, as well as about the future of the specialty, job security and workplace stress. Some students also preferred careers with opportunities for research, subspecialty practice, and better pay and conditions, yet perceived EM as not offering these factors. Students considered EM as an acute, procedural, public hospital specialty, with diverse patient problems and minimal continuity of care. Smaller proportions of students considered these factors important for career choice. Increasing the attractiveness of a career in EM requires changing student perceptions of lifestyle and satisfaction benefits, access to EM subspecialties, increasing ED research, information about job security, and improved work conditions. © 2012 The Authors. EMA © 2012 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  3. Systematic Reviews Published in Emergency Medicine Journals Do Not Routinely Search Clinical Trials Registries: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keil, Lukas G; Platts-Mills, Timothy F; Jones, Christopher W

    2015-10-01

    Publication bias compromises the validity of systematic reviews. This problem can be addressed in part through searching clinical trials registries to identify unpublished studies. This study aims to determine how often systematic reviews published in emergency medicine journals include clinical trials registry searches. We identified all systematic reviews published in the 6 highest-impact emergency medicine journals between January 1 and December 31, 2013. Systematic reviews that assessed the effects of an intervention were further examined to determine whether the authors described searching a clinical trials registry and whether this search identified relevant unpublished studies. Of 191 articles identified through PubMed search, 80 were confirmed to be systematic reviews. Our sample consisted of 41 systematic reviews that assessed a specific intervention. Eight of these 41 (20%) searched a clinical trials registry. For 4 of these 8 reviews, the registry search identified at least 1 relevant unpublished study. Systematic reviews published in emergency medicine journals do not routinely include searches of clinical trials registries. By helping authors identify unpublished trial data, the addition of registry searches may improve the validity of systematic reviews. Copyright © 2014 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Gender differences in acute and chronic pain in the emergency department: results of the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference pain section.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Musey, Paul I; Linnstaedt, Sarah D; Platts-Mills, Timothy F; Miner, James R; Bortsov, Andrey V; Safdar, Basmah; Bijur, Polly; Rosenau, Alex; Tsze, Daniel S; Chang, Andrew K; Dorai, Suprina; Engel, Kirsten G; Feldman, James A; Fusaro, Angela M; Lee, David C; Rosenberg, Mark; Keefe, Francis J; Peak, David A; Nam, Catherine S; Patel, Roma G; Fillingim, Roger B; McLean, Samuel A

    2014-12-01

    Pain is a leading public health problem in the United States, with an annual economic burden of more than $630 billion, and is one of the most common reasons that individuals seek emergency department (ED) care. There is a paucity of data regarding sex differences in the assessment and treatment of acute and chronic pain conditions in the ED. The Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference convened in Dallas, Texas, in May 2014 to develop a research agenda to address this issue among others related to sex differences in the ED. Prior to the conference, experts and stakeholders from emergency medicine and the pain research field reviewed the current literature and identified eight candidate priority areas. At the conference, these eight areas were reviewed and all eight were ratified using a nominal group technique to build consensus. These priority areas were: 1) gender differences in the pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for pain, including differences in opioid tolerance, side effects, or misuse; 2) gender differences in pain severity perceptions, clinically meaningful differences in acute pain, and pain treatment preferences; 3) gender differences in pain outcomes of ED patients across the life span; 4) gender differences in the relationship between acute pain and acute psychological responses; 5) the influence of physician-patient gender differences and characteristics on the assessment and treatment of pain; 6) gender differences in the influence of acute stress and chronic stress on acute pain responses; 7) gender differences in biological mechanisms and molecular pathways mediating acute pain in ED populations; and 8) gender differences in biological mechanisms and molecular pathways mediating chronic pain development after trauma, stress, or acute illness exposure. These areas represent priority areas for future scientific inquiry, and gaining understanding in these will be essential to improving our understanding of sex and gender

  5. Organization, execution and evaluation of the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference on Gender-Specific Research in Emergency Care - an executive summary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safdar, Basmah; Greenberg, Marna R

    2014-12-01

    With the goal of reducing inequalities in patient care, the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM) consensus conference, "Gender-Specific Research in Emergency Care: Investigate, Understand, and Translate How Gender Affects Patient Outcomes," convened a diverse group of researchers, clinicians, health care providers, patients, and representatives of federal agencies and policy-makers in Dallas, Texas, in May 2014. The executive and steering committees identified seven clinical domains as key to gender-specific emergency care: cardiovascular, neurological, trauma/injury, substance abuse, pain, mental health, and diagnostic imaging. The main aims of the conference were to: 1) summarize and consolidate current data related to sex- and gender-specific research for acute care and identify critical gender-related gaps in knowledge to inform an EM research agenda; 2) create a consensus-driven research agenda that advances sex- and gender-specific research in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of acute diseases and identify strategies to investigate them; and 3) build a multinational interdisciplinary consortium to disseminate and study the sex and gender medicine of acute conditions. Over a 2-year period, this collaborative network of stakeholders identified key areas where sex- and gender-specific research is most likely to improve clinical care and ultimately patient outcomes. The iterative consensus process culminated in a daylong conference on May 13, 2014, with a total of 133 registrants, with the majority being between ages 31 and 50 years (57%), females (71%), and whites (79%). Content experts led the consensus-building workshops at the conference and used the nominal group technique to consolidate consensus recommendations for priority research. In addition, panel sessions addressed funding mechanisms for gender-specific research as well as gender-specific regulatory challenges to product development and approval. This special issue of AEM reports the

  6. Complementary and alternative medicine use among paediatric emergency department patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, David McDonald; Dhir, Reetika; Craig, Simon S; Lammers, Thalia; Gardiner, Kaya; Hunter, Kirrily; Joffe, Paul; Krieser, David; Babl, Franz E

    2015-09-01

    To determine the period prevalence and nature of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among paediatric emergency department (ED) patients and the perceptions of CAM among the CAM administrators. A survey was undertaken in four Victorian EDs (January to September 2013). A convenience sample of parents/carers accompanying paediatric patients completed a self-administered questionnaire. The main outcome measures were CAM use and perceptions of CAM. The parents/carers of 883 patients participated. Three hundred eighty-eight (43.9%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 40.6-47.3) and 53 (6.0%, 95% CI 4.6-7.8) patients had taken a CAM within the previous 12 months and on the day of presentation, respectively. There were no gender differences between CAM users and non-users (P = 0.83). The use of CAM was significantly more common among older patients (P effective than prescription medicines and safe when taken with prescription medicines. CAM use is common among paediatric ED patients although rarely reported to the ED doctor. Parents/carers who administer CAM have differing perceptions of CAM safety from those who do not. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2015 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

  7. Real time ultrasonography in obstructive jaundice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Kyung Sik; Kim, Ho Kyun; Sung, Nak Kwan; Kim, Soon Yong

    1982-01-01

    Ultrasonography is a predominantly accurate, relatively simple unique diagnostic method of obstructive jaundice. The ultrasonographic findings of obstructive jaundice are dilated intra- and extrahepatic duct with intraluminal hyper reflective echo or mass in and/ or around the bile duct. The superiority of high resolution real time ultrasonography for the diagnosis of obstructive jaundice is bases on the easy detectability of extra- and intrahepatic bile ducts by its multiple sectional images in a short time, the flexibility of probe and small crystal size. Author evaluated real time sonographic findings 46 obstructive jaundice patients confirmed by surgery or radiographical examinations. The results were: 1. Diameter of extrahepatic duct in obstructive jaundice were varied from normal to 4.0 Cm, mostly 8 to 10 mm in diameter (26%). Degree of dilatation of biliary duct appeared more prominent in cancer patients than other causes of obstruction. 2. The site of obstruction was detected in 85% (39/46) and its common site was common bile duct in 63% (29/46). 3. The diagnostic accuracy of choledocholithiasis and cancer was 82% (22/27) and 44% (4/9), respectively. Diagnostic accuracy of the real time ultrasonography in obstructive jaundice was over all 75% (34/46)

  8. An Assessment of an Oral Examination Format for Evaluating Clinical Competence in Emergency Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solomon, David J.; And Others

    1990-01-01

    In July 1989 the American Board of Emergency Medicine conducted a field test of the oral recertification examination process. Sixteen examiners and 25 examinees participated in the field test. The examination included 3 chart-stimulated recall and 3 simulated-patient encounter cases. (MLW)

  9. Ultrasonography X gamma radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mello Campos, A.M. de

    1989-01-01

    The accumulated experience in the last ten years of substitution to essays by gamma radiography to essay by ultrasonography, starting of the systematic comparison and tabulation of the results obtained by both essays applied in welding joints, in field, in steel pipelines of the SABESP. (V.R.B.)

  10. An innovative longitudinal curriculum to increase emergency medicine residents’ exposure to rarely encountered and technically challenging procedures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grall KH

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Kristi H Grall,1 Lisa R Stoneking,1 Lawrence A DeLuca,1 Anna L Waterbrook,1 T Gail Pritchard,2,3 Kurt R Denninghoff1 1Department of Emergency Medicine, The College of Medicine, The University of Arizona, 2Office Medical Student Education, 3Office of Graduate Medical Education, The College of Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA Background: Procedural skills have historically been taught at the bedside. In this study, we aimed to increase resident knowledge of uncommon emergency medical procedures to increase residents’ procedural skills in common and uncommon emergency medical procedures and to integrate cognitive training with hands-on procedural instruction using high- and low-fidelity simulation. Methods: We developed 13 anatomically/physiologically-based procedure modules focusing on uncommon clinical procedures and/or those requiring higher levels of technical skills. A departmental expert directed each session with collaboration from colleagues in related subspecialties. Sessions were developed based on Manthey and Fitch’s stages of procedural competency including 1 knowledge acquisition, 2 experience/technical skill development, and 3 competency evaluation. We then distributed a brief, 10-question, online survey to our residents in order to solicit feedback regarding their perceptions of increased knowledge and ability in uncommon and common emergency medical procedures, and their perception of the effectiveness of integrated cognitive training with hands-on instruction through high- and low-fidelity simulation. Results: Fifty percent of our residents (11/22 responded to our survey. Responses indicated the procedure series helped with understanding of both uncommon (65% strongly agreed [SA], 35% agreed [A] and common (55% SA, 45% A emergency medicine procedures and increased residents’ ability to perform uncommon (55% SA, 45% A and common (45% SA, 55% A emergency medical procedures. In addition, survey results

  11. The role of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in image-guided liver ablations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pescatori, Lorenzo Carlo; Sconfienza, Luca Maria; Mauri, Giovanni

    2016-01-01

    We read with great interest the paper by Kim et al. entitled “Local ablation therapy with contrast enhanced ultrasonography for hepatocellular carcinoma: a practical review,” recently published in Ultrasonography. We think that contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS), together with the development of reliable navigation systems, is likely to represent one of the most important advances in image-guided ablations in recent years. Thus, we offer some considerations on the topic

  12. The American Board of Emergency Medicine ConCert Examination: Emergency Physicians' Perceptions of Learning and Career Benefits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marco, Catherine A; Wahl, Robert P; Counselman, Francis L; Heller, Barry N; Harvey, Anne L; Joldersma, Kevin B; Kowalenko, Terry; Coombs, Andrea B; Reisdorff, Earl J

    2016-09-01

    As part of the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program, ABEM-certified physicians are required to pass the Continuous Certification (ConCert) examination at least every 10 years. With the 2015 ConCert examination, ABEM sought to better understand emergency physicians' perceptions of the benefits of preparing for and taking the examination and the career benefits of staying ABEM-certified. This was a prospective survey study. A voluntary postexamination survey was administered at the end of the 2015 ABEM ConCert examination (September 21-26, 2015). Physicians were asked about the benefits of preparing for the examination and maintaining ABEM certification. Examination performance was compared to perceptions of learning and career benefits. Of the 2,601 on-time test takers, 2,511 respondents participated (96.5% participation rate). The majority of participants (92.0%) identified a benefit to preparing for the ConCert examination, which included reinforced medical knowledge (73.9%), increased knowledge (66.8%), and making them a better clinician (39.4%). The majority of respondents (90.8%) identified a career benefit of maintaining ABEM certification, which included more employment options (73.8%), more positively viewed by other physicians (56.8%), and better financial outcomes (29.8%). There was a statistically significant association between the perception of knowledge reinforcement and examination performance (p Medicine.

  13. Frequency of Burnout, Sleepiness and Depression in Emergency Medicine Residents with Medical Errors in the Emergency Department

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alireza Aala

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Aims: Medical error is a great concern of the patients and physicians. It usually occurs due to physicians’ exhaustion, distress and fatigue. In this study, we aimed to evaluate frequency of distress and fatigue among emergency medicine residents reporting a medical error. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of emergency medicine residents who completed an emailed questionnaire including self-assessment of medical errors, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS score, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and PRIME-MD validated depression screening tool.   Results: In this survey, 100 medical errors were reported including diagnostic errors in 53, therapeutic errors in 24 and following errors in 23 subjects. Most errors were reported by males and third year residents. Residents had no signs of depression, but all had some degrees of sleepiness and burnout. There were significant differences between errors subtypes and age, residency year, depression, sleepiness and burnout scores (p<0.0001.   Conclusion: In conclusion, residents committing a medical error usually experience burnout and have some grades of sleepiness that makes them less motivated increasing the probability of medical errors. However, as none of the residents had depression, it could be concluded that depression has no significant role in medical error occurrence and perhaps it is a possible consequence of medical error.    Keywords: Residents; Medical error; Burnout; Sleepiness; Depression

  14. Pediatric fractures – an educational needs assessment of Canadian pediatric emergency medicine residents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dixon AC

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Andrew C Dixon Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada Objectives: To determine the gaps in knowledge of Canadian pediatric emergency medicine residents with regards to acute fracture identification and management. Due to their predominantly medical prior training, fractures may be an area of weakness requiring a specific curriculum to meet their needs. Methods: A questionnaire was developed examining comfort level and performance on knowledge based questions of trainees in the following areas: interpreting musculoskeletal X-rays; independently managing pediatric fractures, physical examination techniques, applied knowledge of fracture management, and normal development of the bony anatomy. Using modified Dillman technique the instrument was distributed to pediatric emergency medicine residents at seven Canadian sites. Results: Out of 43 potential respondents, 22 (51% responded. Of respondents, mean comfort with X-ray interpretation was 69 (62–76 95% confidence interval [CI] while mean comfort with fracture management was only 53 (45–63 95% CI; mean comfort with physical exam of shoulder 60 (53–68 95% CI and knee 69 (62–76 95% CI was low. Less than half of respondents (47%; 95% CI 26%–69% could accurately identify normal wrist development, correctly manage a supracondylar fracture (39%; 95% CI 20%–61%, or identify a medial epicondyle fracture (44%; 95% CI 24%–66%. Comfort with neurovascular status of the upper (mean 82; 95% CI 75–89 and lower limb (mean 81; 95% CI 74–87 was high. Interpretation: There are significant gaps in knowledge of physical exam techniques, fracture identification and management among pediatric emergency medicine trainees. A change in our current teaching methods is required to meet this need. Keywords: pediatric, fractures, education, radiologic interpretation

  15. Bedside Ultrasonography: A Useful Tool For Traumatic Pneumothorax

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mumtaz, U.; Zahur, Z.; Chaudhry, M. A.; Warraich, R. A.

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of bedside ultrasound and supine chest radiography for the diagnosis of traumatic pneumothorax. Study Design: Analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: PIMS and PAEC General Hospital, Islamabad, from November 2014 to August 2015. Methodology: Patients coming to emergency departments of the study centres, who had sustained chest injuries, were inducted. Their portable bedside ultrasound and supine chest radiographs were taken for assessing pneumothorax and subsequently CT chest was done for confirmation as gold standard. Result: Based on CT findings, sensitivity for ultrasonography and chest radiography was found to be 83.33 percentage and 54.76 percentage, respectively and specificity of 100 percentage for both modalities. Conclusion: Ultrasound can be used as a useful and suitable adjunct to CT in trauma patients as it is easily available, non-invasive, bedside, easily examined with no radiation risk. (author)

  16. Ultrasonography and radiography of the canine postpartum uterus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pharr, J.W.; Post, K.

    1992-01-01

    A vulvovaginal discharge following parturition in a bitch is often a cause of concern to owners and clinicians, especially if whelping was complicated in any way. Ultrasonography could potentially distinguish between normal and abnormal postpartum uterine states because the uterine wall and luminal contents can be imaged in detail. Five normal bitches were examined to determine the normal ultrasonographic appearance of the postpartum uterus and the sensitivity of ultrasonography in detecting the involuting uterus, comparing this sensitivity with that of radiography. Ultrasonography was done at 1, 4, 8, 12, 18 and 24 days postpartum, radiography at 1, 4, 8, 12 and 18 days postpartum. By 12 days postpartum, the uterus could not be seen on radiographs, while at 24 days postpartum the uterus was still sonographically identifiable. The ultrasonographic characteristics of the involuting uterus are described

  17. Emergence of occupational medicine in Victorian times1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, W. R.

    1973-01-01

    Lee, W. R. (1973).British Journal of Industrial Medicine,30, 118-124. Emergence of occupational medicine in Victorian times. The events surrounding the establishment and development of legislation to protect the health of people at work in Victorian times are already well documented. This paper deals with some other aspects of the development of occupational medicine. Medical opinions at the time did not always see the misuse of child labour as due simply to avaricious mill owners, but in part due to the parents and in part to the workmen subcontractors. The establishment of the certifying surgeons is briefly reviewed and their coming together to form an association in 1868 may be related to questions about the need for medical certificates of age which were being requested by the many factory owners brought under factory legislation for the first time in 1864 and 1867. The plight of injured workmen and their dependents was early recognized, although it was late in the Victorian era before any statutory provision was made for them. The idea of linking compensation with preventive measures came to the fore in 1845 when some Manchester doctors, later supported by Edwin Chadwick, examined the workings at the Woodhead railway tunnel across the Pennines. When compensation legislation was passed some half a century later the idea was lost, and to this day compensation for and prevention of industrial injury and disease remain separated. The change of industrial diseases from a medical curiosity to a problem requiring State intervention is traced over the latter part of the Victorian era. The whole piecemeal pattern illustrating the precept that `social problems come first, social philosophy after' has persisted until the far-reaching changes in health and safety legislation of the present day. PMID:4267346

  18. Do emergency medicine residents and faculty have similar learning styles when assessed with the Kolb learning style assessment tool?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fredette, Jenna; O'Brien, Corinne; Poole, Christy; Nomura, Jason

    2015-04-01

    Experiential learning theory and the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (Kolb LSI) have influenced educators worldwide for decades. Knowledge of learning styles can create efficient learning environments, increase information retention, and improve learner satisfaction. Learning styles have been examined in medicine previously, but not specifically with Emergency Medicine (EM) residents and attendings. Using the Kolb LSI, the learning styles of Emergency Medicine residents and attendings were assessed. The findings showed that the majority of EM residents and attendings shared the accommodating learning style. This result was different than prior studies that found the majority of medical professionals had a converging learning style and other studies that found attendings often have different learning styles than residents. The issue of learning styles among emergency medical residents and attendings is important because learning style knowledge may have an impact on how a residency program structures curriculum and how EM residents are successfully, efficiently, and creatively educated.

  19. Critical Emergency Medicine Procedural Skills: A Comparative Study of Methods for Teaching and Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapman, Dane M.; And Others

    Three critical procedural skills in emergency medicine were evaluated using three assessment modalities--written, computer, and animal model. The effects of computer practice and previous procedure experience on skill competence were also examined in an experimental sequential assessment design. Subjects were six medical students, six residents,…

  20. A minimally invasive treatment for zygomatic fracture with intraoperative assessment using ultrasonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soejima, Kazutaka; Sakurai, Hiroyuki; Nozaki, Motohiro; Kitazawa, Yoshihiko; Takeuchi, Masaki; Yamaki, Takashi; Kohno, Taro; Fujiwara, Osamu

    2006-01-01

    In the department of plastic and reconstructive surgery of Tokyo Women's Medical University and Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo General Hospital, twenty-one patients with zygomatic fracture were surgically treated by semi-closed reduction with intraoperative assessment using ultrasonography in the period of April, 2002 to December, 2005. Ultrasonic imaging was carried out at three areas: the infraorbital rim, the zygomatic arch and the frontal wall of maxilla. Only one skin incision was made and that was at the lateral eyebrow region and the reduction was performed by inserting an elevator beneath the zygomatic arch. Just after the reduction, the ultrasound examination was performed intraoperatively and the bone alignment was assessed. When the reduction was accurate, the zygomatic-frontal suture was fixated with a micro-plate and zygoma-to-zygoma pinning with Kirshner wire was performed. In all cases, accurate reduction was obtained. In 5 of the 21 cases, the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) data of the CT was analyzed with 3D imaging software (V-works, CyberMed Co., Korea). The results revealed that post-operative movement of the bone fragment was minimal. The current study suggests that a semi-closed reduction of zygomatic fracture with intraoperative assessment using ultrasonography could be an alternative minimally invasive method'' for the treatment of the zygomatic fracture. (author)

  1. An assessment of emergency medicine residents' ability to perform in a multitasking environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ledrick, David; Fisher, Susan; Thompson, Justin; Sniadanko, Mark

    2009-09-01

    Multitasking (MT) is a term often applied to emergency medicine (EM), but it is still poorly understood. In an effort to facilitate MT research in EM, the authors conducted this pilot study to describe EM residents' scores on a Multi-Tasking Assessment Tool (MTAT) and compare these scores with the residents' work efficiency in the emergency department. The authors administered a previously developed test of MT ability to EM residents. They performed a multiple regression analysis to determine the effect of MT ability on resident work efficiency, defining efficiency as the number of relative value units billed per hour. They controlled the analysis for year of training and medical knowledge using as a standard the in-service exam administered by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. Complete data for 35 residents were available for analysis. Work efficiency was multivariately correlated with MTAT scores and year of training (P training explained the majority of the variance, a resident's MT ability accounted for a smaller but still significant portion. This pilot study further validates the MTAT and lays the groundwork for further research in MT in EM. Resident year of training and MTAT scores explain the variability in resident work efficiency significantly more than medical knowledge. Understanding MT ability may ultimately help in resident selection, education, and remediation as well as career counseling and improvement of practice systems in EM.

  2. Tweeting the meeting: A comparative analysis of an Australian emergency medicine conference over four years

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristian Udovicich

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Social media allows user-generated content and dialog between users and has also entered into the domain of healthcare. The purpose of this study was to compare the use of Twitter at the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting (ACEM ASM from 2011 to 2014 and analyze its ability to spread emergency medicine education. Materials and Methods: Retrospectively, TweetReach was utilized to analyze relevant tweets. Each Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM had an associated Twitter account/s from, which data were collected. Duplicate tweets were excluded from the analysis. Information on the number of total tweets (regular tweets, retweets, and replies and contributors was gathered. The potential audience, the reach, was calculated. Results: From 2011 to 2014 the number of tweets rose from 460 to 4694, a 920% increase. Only 54 Twitter users contributed to the 2011 ASM. This rose to 252 (2012, 291 (2013 and 572 (2014. The average number of tweets per contributor ranged from 8.2 to 10.9. The reach, the potential number of Twitter users exposed to posts, rose >30 times from 2011 (15,502 users to 2014 (471,166. Conclusion: The use of Twitter at the ACEM ASM rose significantly from 2011 to 2014. It is a highly useful tool for the dissemination of emergency medicine education. Twitter has been harnessed by the ASM to enhance the conference experience by further generating interaction between delegates as well as those worldwide.

  3. Tweeting the meeting: A comparative analysis of an Australian emergency medicine conference over four years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Udovicich, Cristian; Barberi, Anthony; Perera, Kalpa

    2016-01-01

    Social media allows user-generated content and dialog between users and has also entered into the domain of healthcare. The purpose of this study was to compare the use of Twitter at the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting (ACEM ASM) from 2011 to 2014 and analyze its ability to spread emergency medicine education. Retrospectively, TweetReach was utilized to analyze relevant tweets. Each Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) had an associated Twitter account/s from, which data were collected. Duplicate tweets were excluded from the analysis. Information on the number of total tweets (regular tweets, retweets, and replies) and contributors was gathered. The potential audience, the reach, was calculated. From 2011 to 2014 the number of tweets rose from 460 to 4694, a 920% increase. Only 54 Twitter users contributed to the 2011 ASM. This rose to 252 (2012), 291 (2013) and 572 (2014). The average number of tweets per contributor ranged from 8.2 to 10.9. The reach, the potential number of Twitter users exposed to posts, rose >30 times from 2011 (15,502 users) to 2014 (471,166). The use of Twitter at the ACEM ASM rose significantly from 2011 to 2014. It is a highly useful tool for the dissemination of emergency medicine education. Twitter has been harnessed by the ASM to enhance the conference experience by further generating interaction between delegates as well as those worldwide.

  4. Characteristics of training and motivation of physicians working in emergency medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gilson Soares Feitosa-Filho

    Full Text Available Summary Introduction: Emergency medicine is an area in which correct decisions often need to be made fast, thus requiring a well-prepared medical team. There is little information regarding the profile of physicians working at emergency departments in Brazil. Objective: To describe general characteristics of training and motivation of physicians working in the emergency departments of medium and large hospitals in Salvador, Brazil. Method: A cross-sectional study with standardized interviews applied to physicians who work in emergency units in 25 medium and large hospitals in Salvador. At least 75% of the professionals at each hospital were interviewed. One hospital refused to participate in the study. Results: A total of 659 physicians were interviewed, with a median age of 34 years (interquartile interval: 29-44 years, 329 (49.9% were female and 96 (14.6% were medical residents working at off hours. The percentage of physicians who had been trained with Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support and Advanced Trauma Life Support courses was 5.2, 18.4 and 11.0%, respectively, with a greater frequency of Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support training among younger individuals (23.6% versus 13.9%; p<0.001. Thirteen percent said they were completely satisfied with the activity, while 81.3% expressed a desire to stop working in emergency units in the next 15 years, mentioning stress levels as the main reason. Conclusion: The physicians interviewed had taken few emergency immersion courses. A low motivational level was registered in physicians who work in the emergency departments of medium and large hospitals in Salvador.

  5. Ultrasonography and computer tomography in the diagnosis of certain abdominal diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wawrzynek, Z.

    1981-01-01

    Ultrasonography and computer tomography in the diagnosis of digestive tract and spleen diseases as well as traumas are compared. It is concluded that ultrasonography is nearly as usefull as computer tomography. (author)

  6. What is the Prevalence and Success of Remediation of Emergency Medicine Residents?

    OpenAIRE

    Silverberg, Mark; Weizberg, Moshe; Murano, Tiffany; Smith, Jessica L.; Burkhardt, John C.; Santen, Sally A.

    2015-01-01

    Introduction: The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of remediation, competency domains for remediation, the length, and success rates of remediation in emergency medicine (EM). Methods: We developed the survey in SurveymonkeyTM with attention to content and response process validity. EM program directors responded how many residents had been placed on remediation in the last three years. Details regarding the remediation were collected inclu...

  7. Virtual Alternative to the Oral Examination for Emergency Medicine Residents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    McGrath, Jillian

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The oral examination is a traditional method for assessing the developing physician’s medical knowledge, clinical reasoning and interpersonal skills. The typical oral examination is a face-to-face encounter in which examiners quiz examinees on how they would confront a patient case. The advantage of the oral exam is that the examiner can adapt questions to the examinee’s response. The disadvantage is the potential for examiner bias and intimidation. Computer-based virtual simulation technology has been widely used in the gaming industry. We wondered whether virtual simulation could serve as a practical format for delivery of an oral examination. For this project, we compared the attitudes and performance of emergency medicine (EM residents who took our traditional oral exam to those who took the exam using virtual simulation. Methods: EM residents (n=35 were randomized to a traditional oral examination format (n=17 or a simulated virtual examination format (n=18 conducted within an immersive learning environment, Second Life (SL. Proctors scored residents using the American Board of Emergency Medicine oral examination assessment instruments, which included execution of critical actions and ratings on eight competency categories (1-8 scale. Study participants were also surveyed about their oral examination experience. Results: We observed no differences between virtual and traditional groups on critical action scores or scores on eight competency categories. However, we noted moderate effect sizes favoring the Second Life group on the clinical competence score. Examinees from both groups thought that their assessment was realistic, fair, objective, and efficient. Examinees from the virtual group reported a preference for the virtual format and felt that the format was less intimidating. Conclusion: The virtual simulated oral examination was shown to be a feasible alternative to the traditional oral examination format for

  8. Gender-specific research for emergency diagnosis and management of ischemic heart disease: proceedings from the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference Cardiovascular Research Workgroup.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safdar, Basmah; Nagurney, John T; Anise, Ayodola; DeVon, Holli A; D'Onofrio, Gail; Hess, Erik P; Hollander, Judd E; Legato, Mariane J; McGregor, Alyson J; Scott, Jane; Tewelde, Semhar; Diercks, Deborah B

    2014-12-01

    Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cause of death for both men and women. However, over the years, emergency physicians, cardiologists, and other health care practitioners have observed varying outcomes in men and women with symptomatic CAD. Women in general are 10 to 15 years older than men when they develop CAD, but suffer worse postinfarction outcomes compared to age-matched men. This article was developed by the cardiovascular workgroup at the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM) consensus conference to identify sex- and gender-specific gaps in the key themes and research questions related to emergency cardiac ischemia care. The workgroup had diverse stakeholder representation from emergency medicine, cardiology, critical care, nursing, emergency medical services, patients, and major policy-makers in government, academia, and patient care. We implemented the nominal group technique to identify and prioritize themes and research questions using electronic mail, monthly conference calls, in-person meetings, and Web-based surveys between June 2013 and May 2014. Through three rounds of nomination and refinement, followed by an in-person meeting on May 13, 2014, we achieved consensus on five priority themes and 30 research questions. The overarching themes were as follows: 1) the full spectrum of sex-specific risk as well as presentation of cardiac ischemia may not be captured by our standard definition of CAD and needs to incorporate other forms of ischemic heart disease (IHD); 2) diagnosis is further challenged by sex/gender differences in presentation and variable sensitivity of cardiac biomarkers, imaging, and risk scores; 3) sex-specific pathophysiology of cardiac ischemia extends beyond conventional obstructive CAD to include other causes such as microvascular dysfunction, takotsubo, and coronary artery dissection, better recognized as IHD; 4) treatment and prognosis are influenced by sex-specific variations in biology, as well as patient

  9. Assessing the New Competencies for Resident Education: A Model from an Emergency Medicine Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reisdorff, Earl J.; Hayes, Oliver W.; Carlson, Dale J.; Walker, Gregory L.

    2001-01-01

    Based on the experience of Michigan State University's emergency medicine residency program, proposes a practical method for modifying an existing student evaluation format. The model provides a template other programs could use in assessing residents' acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes reflected in the six general competencies…

  10. [Applicability of non-invasive imaging methods in forensic medicine and forensic anthropology in particular].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcinková, Mária; Straka, Ľubomír; Novomeský, František; Janík, Martin; Štuller, František; Krajčovič, Jozef

    2018-01-01

    Massive progress in developing even more precise imaging modalities influenced all medical branches including the forensic medicine. In forensic anthropology, an inevitable part of forensic medicine itself, the use of all imaging modalities becomes even more important. Despite of acquiring more accurate informations about the deceased, all of them can be used in the process of identification and/or age estimation. X - ray imaging is most commonly used in detecting foreign bodies or various pathological changes of the deceased. Computed tomography, on the other hand, can be very helpful in the process of identification, whereas outcomes of this examination can be used for virtual reconstruction of living objects. Magnetic resonance imaging offers new opportunities in detecting cardiovascular pathological processes or develompental anomalies. Ultrasonography provides promising results in age estimation of living subjects without excessive doses of radiation. Processing the latest information sources available, authors introduce the application examples of X - ray imaging, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography in everyday forensic medicine routine, with particular focusing on forensic anthropology.

  11. Abdominal emergencies in pediatrics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coca Robinot, D; Liébana de Rojas, C; Aguirre Pascual, E

    2016-05-01

    Abdominal symptoms are among the most common reasons for pediatric emergency department visits, and abdominal pain is the most frequently reported symptom. Thorough history taking and physical examination can often reach the correct diagnosis. Knowing the abdominal conditions that are most common in each age group can help radiologists narrow the differential diagnosis. When imaging tests are indicated, ultrasonography is usually the first-line technique, enabling the diagnosis or adding relevant information with the well-known advantages of this technique. Nowadays, plain-film X-ray studies are reserved for cases in which perforation, bowel obstruction, or foreign body ingestion is suspected. It is also important to remember that abdominal pain can also occur secondary to basal pneumonia. CT is reserved for specific indications and in individual cases, for example, in patients with high clinical suspicion of abdominal disease and inconclusive findings at ultrasonography. We review some of the most common conditions in pediatric emergencies, the different imaging tests indicated in each case, and the imaging signs in each condition. Copyright © 2016 SERAM. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  12. Ethical issues in the response to Ebola virus disease in US emergency departments: a position paper of the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Emergency Nurses Association and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venkat, Arvind; Wolf, Lisa; Geiderman, Joel M; Asher, Shellie L; Marco, Catherine A; McGreevy, Jolion; Derse, Arthur R; Otten, Edward J; Jesus, John E; Kreitzer, Natalie P; Escalante, Monica; Levine, Adam C

    2015-03-01

    The 2014 outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa has presented a significant public health crisis to the international health community and challenged US emergency departments to prepare for patients with a disease of exceeding rarity in developed nations. With the presentation of patients with Ebola to US acute care facilities, ethical questions have been raised in both the press and medical literature as to how US emergency departments, emergency physicians, emergency nurses and other stakeholders in the healthcare system should approach the current epidemic and its potential for spread in the domestic environment. To address these concerns, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Emergency Nurses Association and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine developed this joint position paper to provide guidance to US emergency physicians, emergency nurses and other stakeholders in the healthcare system on how to approach the ethical dilemmas posed by the outbreak of EVD. This paper will address areas of immediate and potential ethical concern to US emergency departments in how they approach preparation for and management of potential patients with EVD. Copyright © 2015 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Setting up and functioning of an Emergency Medicine Department: Lessons learned from a preliminary study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K Asish

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aims: Tertiary care teaching hospitals remain referral centres for victims of trauma and mass casualty. Often specialists from various disciplines manage these crowded casualty areas. These age old casualty areas are being replaced, throughout the country by Emergency Medicine Departments (EMDs, presumed to be better planned to confront a crisis. We aimed to gather basic data contributive in setting up of an EMD at a tertiary care teaching hospital from the lessons learned from functioning existent systems. Methods: This is primarily a questionnaire-based descriptive study at tertiary care referral centres across the country, which was purposively selected.The study models included one from a hospital without designated EMD and the other four from hospitals with established EMDs. Direct observation and focus group meetings with experienced informants at these hospitals contributed to the data. In the absence of a validated hospital preparedness assessment scale, comparison was done with regard to quantitative, qualitative and corroborative parameters using descriptive analysis. Results: The EMDs at best practice models were headed by specialist in Emergency Medicine assisted by organised staff, had protocols for managing mass casualty incident (MCI, separate trauma teams, ergonomic use of infrastructure and public education programmes. In this regard, these hospitals seemed well organised to manage MCIs and disasters. Conclusion: The observation may provide a preliminary data useful in setting up an EMD. In the absence of published Indian literature, this may facilitate further research in this direction. Anaesthesiologists, presently an approved Faculty in Emergency Medicine training can provide creative input with regard to its initial organisation and functioning, thus widening our horizons in a country where there is a severe dearth of trained emergency physicians.

  14. Hamstring Elongation Quantified Using Ultrasonography During the Straight Leg Raise Test in Individuals With Low Back Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kellis, Eleftherios; Ellinoudis, Athanasios; Kofotolis, Nikolaos

    2015-06-01

    Although the straight leg raise (SLR) test frequently is used to assess hamstring extensibility in individuals with low back pain (LBP), evidence relating LBP, SLR, and hamstring extensibility remains unclear. The SLR measures the angle between the lifted leg and the horizontal, however, and, as such, it is not a direct measure of the elongation capacity of the hamstrings. To examine the differences in hamstring elongation (quantified via ultrasonography) and SLR score between individuals with LBP and asymptomatic controls and to determine the relationship between hamstring elongation, SLR, and functional disability scores. Cross-sectional study. University laboratory. Forty men and women with chronic LBP (mean ± SD, age 43.51 ± 3.71 years and 40 control subjects (age 45.11 ± 4.01 years) participated in this study. Passive SLR, elongation assessed via ultrasonography, and functional disability. SLR score, elongation of tendinous tissue within the semitendinosus muscle, and Oswestry Disability Index. Two-way analysis of variance tests indicated a significantly lower SLR score and a greater Oswestry score in LBP group compared with control subjects (P hamstring elongation (P > .05). Gender did not have an effect on all dependent measures (P > .05). Hamstring elongation showed a low correlation with SLR score and a minimal correlation with Oswestry score. These results indicate that the SLR score is not determined by hamstring elongation (quantified via ultrasonography). Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. [Organizational forms of emergency medicine from the perspective of DIVI. Discipline-specific or interdisciplinary?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quintel, M; Kumle, B

    2011-04-01

    Modern processes in the organization in German hospitals are decisive to the development of emergency departments and as these represent the interface between outpatient and inpatient care, they have been identified as a strategic success factor. In larger hospitals emergency departments are generally run as independent units with their own management. The growing number of patients in emergency rooms each year demonstrates the future importance of these structures and successful hospital management has to face and handle this challenge. Clear job profiles for the leadership, staff members and structures of these units are needed. This article highlights the requirements for these structures from the perspective of the German Interdisciplinary Association of Critical Care Medicine (DIVI).

  16. Scintigraphy and ultrasonography of various thyroid diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ban, Yoshio; Nagakura, Hozumi; Kawauchi, Akihiro; Fukunari, Nobuhiro; Itoh, Kunihiko; Higashi, Tomomitsu.

    1987-01-01

    We reported the usefulness of scintigraphy and ultrasonography of various thyroid diseases. The scintigraphy were useful information in the determination of functioning adenoma, location of ectopic thyroid glands and appearance of lang and bone metastasis of thyroid carcinoma. As ultrasonography were able to be observation of internal structure of thyroid gland, that maight be used to determined associated nodular lesions in diffuse goiter and differentiation between benign and malignant tumor in nodular goiter. In observation of calcifications of goiter, soft X rays apparatus were usefull tool. US, as initial diagnostic test before scintiscanning, provided useful information and minimized radiation exposure. (author)

  17. The emerging paradigm of network medicine in the study of human disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Stephen Y; Loscalzo, Joseph

    2012-07-20

    The molecular pathways that govern human disease consist of molecular circuits that coalesce into complex, overlapping networks. These network pathways are presumably regulated in a coordinated fashion, but such regulation has been difficult to decipher using only reductionistic principles. The emerging paradigm of "network medicine" proposes to utilize insights garnered from network topology (eg, the static position of molecules in relation to their neighbors) as well as network dynamics (eg, the unique flux of information through the network) to understand better the pathogenic behavior of complex molecular interconnections that traditional methods fail to recognize. As methodologies evolve, network medicine has the potential to capture the molecular complexity of human disease while offering computational methods to discern how such complexity controls disease manifestations, prognosis, and therapy. This review introduces the fundamental concepts of network medicine and explores the feasibility and potential impact of network-based methods for predicting individual manifestations of human disease and designing rational therapies. Wherever possible, we emphasize the application of these principles to cardiovascular disease.

  18. Comparison of helical computed tomography and ultrasonography in diagnosis of acute appendicitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nafees, M.; Abbas, G.; Sarwar, S.

    2010-01-01

    The objective of study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of helical computed tomography and ultrasonography in acute appendicitis using histopathology as gold standard. Thirty cases of clinically suspected acute appendicitis were included in the study selected on non probability convenience sampling technique. Computed tomography and graded compression ultrasonography of right lower quadrant of abdomen were conducted and results compared with histopathological findings. Amongst 30 patients who underwent computed tomography and graded compression ultrasonography examinations of right lower quadrant for diagnosis of acute appendicitis, on computed tomography 19 were diagnosed with acute appendicitis, 10 were diagnosed as not having the disease and 01 patient diagnosed as not having appendicitis on computed tomography did not improve clinically, was operated upon and histopathology proved it as acute appendicitis. While on graded compression ultrasonography 15 were diagnosed with acute appendicitis, 11 were diagnosed as not having the disease and 04 patients diagnosed as not having appendicitis on ultrasonography, did not improve clinically, were operated upon and histopathology proved it as acute appendicitis. This showed that CT scan has sensitivity of 95%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value 100%, negative predictive value 90.91% and overall accuracy of 96.67% while ultrasonography has sensitivity of 78.9%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value 100%, negative predictive value 73.33% and overall accuracy of 86.67%. We concluded that Helical computed tomography is highly accurate in diagnosing acute appendicitis as compared to ultrasonography and it helps to reduce negative appendectomy rate. (author)

  19. Gender stereotypes: an explanation to the underrepresentation of women in emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelaccia, Thierry; Delplanq, Hervé; Triby, Emmanuel; Bartier, Jean-Claude; Leman, Cécile; Hadef, Hysham; Pottecher, Thierry; Dupeyron, Jean-Pierre

    2010-07-01

    Women are underrepresented in emergency medicine (EM) residency programs in comparison with many other specialties. The reasons for this are unclear. One hypothesis is that negative gender stereotypes about EM careers might exist among female medical students. In the field of education, negative gender stereotypes are known to lead to career avoidance, because they tend to decrease self-efficacy perception. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of negative gender stereotypes about EM practice among medical students and to measure the effects of these stereotypes on females' self-efficacy perception toward EM learning. A survey was conducted of the 255 third-year medical students from three medical schools who attended a mandatory EM academic program in France. They completed an anonymous questionnaire exploring their gender stereotypes about EM practice and their self-efficacy perception toward EM learning. Gender stereotypes are common among medical students, especially in women. Self-efficacy perception is negatively correlated to female students' belief that EM careers are better suited for men (p stereotypes among female medical students may lead to EM career avoidance, because of the decrease in their self-efficacy perception toward EM learning. 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

  20. Multidimensional Attitudes of Emergency Medicine Residents Toward Older Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teresita M. Hogan

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The demands of our rapidly expanding older population strain many emergency departments (EDs, and older patients experience disproportionately high adverse health outcomes. Trainee attitude is key in improving care for older adults. There is negligible knowledge of baseline emergency medicine (EM resident attitudes regarding elder patients. Awareness of baseline attitudes can serve to better structure training for improved care of older adults. The objective of the study is to identify baseline EM resident attitudes toward older adults using a validated attitude scale and multidimensional analysis. Methods: Six EM residencies participated in a voluntary anonymous survey delivered in summer and fall 2009. We used factor analysis using the principal components method and Varimax rotation, to analyze attitude interdependence, translating the 21 survey questions into 6 independent dimensions. We adapted this survey from a validated instrument by the addition of 7 EM-specific questions to measures attitudes relevant to emergency care of elders and the training of EM residents in the geriatric competencies. Scoring was performed on a 5-point Likert scale. We compared factor scores using student t and ANOVA. Results: 173 EM residents participated showing an overall positive attitude toward older adults, with a factor score of 3.79 (3.0 being a neutral score. Attitudes trended to more negative in successive post-graduate year (PGY levels. Conclusion: EM residents demonstrate an overall positive attitude towards the care of older adults. We noted a longitudinal hardening of attitude in social values, which are more negative in successive PGY-year levels. [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(4:511–517.

  1. An Analysis of the Top-cited Articles in Emergency Medicine Education Literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munzer, Brendan W; Love, Jeffery; Shipman, Barbara L; Byrne, Brendan; Cico, Stephen J; Furlong, Robert; Khandelwal, Sorabh; Santen, Sally A

    2017-01-01

    Dissemination of educational research is critical to improving medical education, promotion of faculty and ultimately patient care. The objective of this study was to identify the top 25 cited education articles in the emergency medicine (EM) literature and the top 25 cited EM education articles in all journals, as well as report on the characteristics of the articles. Two searches were conducted in the Web of Science in June 2016 using a list of education-related search terms. We searched 19 EM journals for education articles as well as all other literature for EM education-related articles. Articles identified were reviewed for citation count, article type, journal, authors, and publication year. With regards to EM journals, the greatest number of articles were classified as articles/reviews, followed by research articles on topics such as deliberate practice (cited 266 times) and cognitive errors (cited 201 times). In contrast in the non-EM journals, research articles were predominant. Both searches found several simulation and ultrasound articles to be included. The most common EM journal was Academic Emergency Medicine (n = 18), and Academic Medicine was the most common non-EM journal (n=5). A reasonable number of articles included external funding sources (6 EM articles and 13 non-EM articles.). This study identified the most frequently cited medical education articles in the field of EM education, published in EM journals as well as all other journals indexed in Web of Science. The results identify impactful articles to medical education, providing a resource to educators while identifying trends that may be used to guide EM educational research and publishing efforts.

  2. Ultrasonography findings of gastric carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Chong Ku; Choi, Ji Bai; Ko, Young Tae; Lim, Jae Hoon; Kim, Soon Young

    1985-01-01

    Stomach carcinoma is more common disease in Korea than western countries. The reported ultrasonographic findings of gastric carcinoma were thickening of gastric wall and 'pseudokidney' sign. The author analyzed ultrasonographic findings of 101 cases with gastric carcinoma who were performed ultrasonography and gastroscopy at Kyung Hee University Hospital from October 1982 to October 1985. The results were as followings; 1. Types of gastric carcinoma were consisted with infiltrative type 68 cases, infiltrative type with ulceration 16 cases, polypoid type with ulceration 1 case, infiltrative adn polypoid type 4 cases, limits plastica type 3 cases, ulcerative type 1 case and polypoid type 1 case. 2. Extent of the lesions were in body and antrum 45 cases, entire stomach 18 cases, antrum 18 cases, body 12 cases, body and fundus 6 cases. 3. Ultrasonography was useful in demonstrating the extent of the tumor and the presence of materials elsewhere in abdomen

  3. Ultrasonography findings of gastric carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Chong Ku; Choi, Ji Bai; Ko, Young Tae; Lim, Jae Hoon; Kim, Soon Young [Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1985-12-15

    Stomach carcinoma is more common disease in Korea than western countries. The reported ultrasonographic findings of gastric carcinoma were thickening of gastric wall and 'pseudokidney' sign. The author analyzed ultrasonographic findings of 101 cases with gastric carcinoma who were performed ultrasonography and gastroscopy at Kyung Hee University Hospital from October 1982 to October 1985. The results were as followings; 1. Types of gastric carcinoma were consisted with infiltrative type 68 cases, infiltrative type with ulceration 16 cases, polypoid type with ulceration 1 case, infiltrative adn polypoid type 4 cases, limits plastica type 3 cases, ulcerative type 1 case and polypoid type 1 case. 2. Extent of the lesions were in body and antrum 45 cases, entire stomach 18 cases, antrum 18 cases, body 12 cases, body and fundus 6 cases. 3. Ultrasonography was useful in demonstrating the extent of the tumor and the presence of materials elsewhere in abdomen.

  4. Conservation Triage Falls Short Because Conservation Is Not Like Emergency Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John A. Vucetich

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Conservation triage, as a concept, seems to have been born from analogizing circumstances that characterize conservation with triage, as the concept applies to emergency medicine. Careful consideration—facilitated through the aid of formal argumentation—demonstrates the critical limitations of the analogy. Those limitations reveal how the concept of conservation triage falls short. For example, medical triage presupposes that resources available for an emergency are limited and fixed. By contrast, the resources available for conservation are not fixed. Moreover, the ethics of prioritization in medical triage is characterized by there being universal agreement on the moral value of the patients. However, in conservation there is not universal agreement on the value of various objects of conservation concern. The looming importance of those features of conservation—disputed values and unfixed resources—make conservation triage a largely un-useful concept.

  5. Ultrasonography of symptomatic rotator cuff tears compared with MR imaging and surgery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fotiadou, Anastasia N.; Vlychou, Marianna; Papadopoulos, Periklis; Karataglis, Dimitrios S.; Palladas, Panagiotis; Fezoulidis, Ioannis V.

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: To compare the accuracy of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging in the detection of rotator cuff tears. Materials and methods: Ninety-six patients with clinically suspected rotator cuff pathology underwent ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging of the shoulder. The findings in 88 patients were compared with arthroscopy or open surgery. Results: Full-thickness tear was confirmed in 57 cases, partial-thickness tear in 30 cases and degenerative changes without tear in 1. In all 57 cases of full-thickness tear and in 28 out of 30 cases of partial-thickness tear the supraspinatus tendon was involved. The accuracy in the detection of full-thickness tears was 98 and 100% for ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. The accuracy in the detection of bursal or articular partial-thickness tears was 87 and 90% for ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. Conclusions: In experienced hands ultrasonography should be considered as an accurate modality for the initial investigation of rotator cuff, especially supraspinatus, tears

  6. Ultrasonography of symptomatic rotator cuff tears compared with MR imaging and surgery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fotiadou, Anastasia N. [Radiology Department, University Hospital of Larissa, Mezourlo 41110, Larissa (Greece); Radiology Department, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Exochi 32100, Thessaloniki (Greece)], E-mail: natfot@yahoo.gr; Vlychou, Marianna [Radiology Department, University Hospital of Larissa, Mezourlo 41110, Larissa (Greece)], E-mail: mvlychou@med.uth.gr; Papadopoulos, Periklis [University Orthopaedic Clinic, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Exochi 32100, Thessaloniki (Greece)], E-mail: perpap@otenet.gr; Karataglis, Dimitrios S. [University Orthopaedic Clinic, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Exochi 32100, Thessaloniki (Greece)], E-mail: dkarataglis@yahoo.gr; Palladas, Panagiotis [Radiology Department, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Exochi 32100, Thessaloniki (Greece)], E-mail: palladaspan@in.gr; Fezoulidis, Ioannis V. [Radiology Department, University Hospital of Larissa, Mezourlo 41110, Larissa (Greece)], E-mail: oswestanast@yahoo.gr

    2008-10-15

    Purpose: To compare the accuracy of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging in the detection of rotator cuff tears. Materials and methods: Ninety-six patients with clinically suspected rotator cuff pathology underwent ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging of the shoulder. The findings in 88 patients were compared with arthroscopy or open surgery. Results: Full-thickness tear was confirmed in 57 cases, partial-thickness tear in 30 cases and degenerative changes without tear in 1. In all 57 cases of full-thickness tear and in 28 out of 30 cases of partial-thickness tear the supraspinatus tendon was involved. The accuracy in the detection of full-thickness tears was 98 and 100% for ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. The accuracy in the detection of bursal or articular partial-thickness tears was 87 and 90% for ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. Conclusions: In experienced hands ultrasonography should be considered as an accurate modality for the initial investigation of rotator cuff, especially supraspinatus, tears.

  7. Retrospective comparison of abdominal ultrasonography and radiography in the investigation of feline abdominal disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Won, Wylen Wade; Sharma, Ajay; Wu, Wenbo

    2015-01-01

    Abdominal radiography and ultrasonography are commonly used as part of the initial diagnostic plan for cats with nonspecific signs of abdominal disease. This retrospective study compared the clinical usefulness of abdominal radiography and ultrasonography in 105 feline patients with signs of abdominal disease. The final diagnosis was determined more commonly with ultrasonography (59%) compared to radiography (25.7%). Ultrasonography was also able to provide additional clinically relevant information in 76% of cases, and changed or refined the diagnosis in 47% of cases. Based on these findings, ultrasonography may be sufficient as an initial diagnostic test for the investigation of feline abdominal disease. PMID:26483582

  8. Prenatal diagnosis of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome by two- and three-dimensional ultrasonography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edward Araujo Junior

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome is a genetic syndrome characterized by macroglossia, omphalocele, fetal gigantism and neonatal hypoglycemia. The authors report a case of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome diagnosed in a 32-year-old primigravida in whom two-dimensional ultrasonography revealed the presence of abdominal wall cyst, macroglossia and polycystic kidneys. Three-dimensional ultrasonography in rendering mode was of great importance to confirm the previous two-dimensional ultrasonography findings.

  9. Muscle-tendon-related abnormalities detected by ultrasonography are common in symptomatic hip dysplasia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jacobsen, Julie Sandell; Bolvig, Lars; Hölmich, Per

    2018-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Hip dysplasia is characterized by reduced acetabular coverage of the femoral head leading to an increased mechanical load on the hip joint and the acting hip muscles. Potentially, the muscles and tendons functioning close to the hip joint may present with overuse......-related ultrasonography findings. The primary aim was to report the prevalence of muscle-tendon-related abnormalities detected by ultrasonography in 100 patients with symptomatic hip dysplasia. The secondary aim was to investigate correlations between muscle-tendon-related abnormalities detected by ultrasonography......-tendon-related abnormalities detected by ultrasonography in the hip and groin region are common in patients with symptomatic hip dysplasia, and the ultrasonography findings of the iliopsoas and gluteus medius/minimus tendons are weakly to moderately correlated to pain related to muscles and tendons in these structures. Both...

  10. Combating slavery in the 21st century: the role of emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chisolm-Straker, Makini; Richardson, Lynne D; Cossio, Tania

    2012-08-01

    Human trafficking (HT) victims may present to emergency departments (ED) as patients, but are infrequently identified. To address this issue, we developed and piloted a training intervention for emergency providers on HT and how to identify and treat these patients. Included in the intervention participants were emergency medicine residents, ED attendings, ED nurses, and hospital social workers. Prior to the intervention, 4.8% felt some degree of confidence in their ability to identify and 7.7% to treat a trafficked patient. After the 20-minute intervention, 53.8% felt some degree of confidence in their ability to identify and 56.7% care for this patient population. Because this problem is global, we created a Website that includes an instructive toolkit and an interactive course for self-learning and/or assessment. This intervention will give ED providers the tools they need to assess and treat a patient who might be a victim of human trafficking.

  11. Urinary tract infection in children: Role of ultrasonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Hye Won; Lee, Sun Wha; Ko, Young Tae; Lim, Joo Won

    1994-01-01

    To evaluate diagnostic usefulness of ultrasonography(US) in pediatric patient with urinary tract infection. Fifty-five children with urinary tract infection underwent renal ultrasonography and voiding cystourethrography(VCUG). The imaging findings were analyzed retrospectively. Renal sonograms were normal in 34 of 55 children(62%). Five of 34 patients with normal sonogram had vesicoureteral reflux of grade I and III on VCUG. Renal sonograms were abnormal in 21 of 55 children(38%). Sonographic findings included hydronephrosis, hyperechoic kidney, nephromegaly, altrophic kidney, renal abscess, and duplex ureter. Eleven of 21 patient with abnormal sonogram had vesicoureteral reflux of grade I to IV on VCUG. Ultrasonography is an useful and reliable initial screening examination in the investigation of children with UTI. Unfortunately US is neither sufficiently sensitive nor specific for detecting VUR. VCUG provides confirmative and valuable information about vesicoureteral reflux, and VCUG should be considered as a next modality for UTI. The combined use of sonography and VCUG provides more valuable information in urinary tract infection

  12. Evaluation of abdominal palpation, radiography and ultrasonography for pregenancy diagnosis in bitches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arunmozhi, N.; Naidu, K.V.; Sreenu, M.; Rao, A.S.

    2005-01-01

    Abdominal palpation, radiography and ultrasonography were compared for pregnancy diagnosis in bitches. The earliest correct diagnosis of pregnancy was made by 22 and 21 days with abdominal palpation and ultrasonography respectively, while radiography led to more accurate diagnosis in last trimester of pregnancy. All the methods revealed 100 per cent accuracy in last trimester where as ultrasonography gave constant results from day 21 up to termination of pregnancy followed by abdominal palpation

  13. Association of apneic oxygenation with decreased desaturation rates during rapid sequence intubation by a Chinese emergency medicine service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Yong; Qin, Zong-He

    2015-01-01

    Rapid and safe airway management has always been of paramount importance in successful management of critically ill and injured patients in the emergency department. The achievement rate of emergency medicine inhabitants in airway management improved enhanced essentially subsequent to finishing anaesthesiology turn. There was a slightly higher rate of quick sequence intubation in the postapneic oxygenation groups (preapneic oxygenation 6.4%; postapneic oxygenation 9.1%). The majority of patients intubated in both groups were men (preapneic oxygenation 72.3%; postapneic oxygenation 63.5%). A higher percentage of patients in the preapneic oxygenation group had a Cormack-Lehane grade III or worse view (23.2% versus 11.8%). Anaesthesiology turns should be considered as an essential component of emergency medicine training programs. A collateral curriculum of this nature should also focus on the acquisition of skills in airway management.

  14. The Efficacy of Thoracic Ultrasonography in Postoperative Newborn Patients after Cardiac Surgery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erkut Ozturk

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective: In this study, the efficacy of thoracic ultrasonography during echocardiography was evaluated in newborns. Methods: Sixty newborns who had undergone pediatric cardiac surgery were successively evaluated between March 1, 2015, and September 1, 2015. Patients were evaluated for effusion, pulmonary atelectasis, and pneumothorax by ultrasonography, and results were compared with X-ray findings. Results: Sixty percent (n=42 of the cases were male, the median age was 14 days (2-30 days, and the median body weight was 3.3 kg (2.8-4.5 kg. The median RACHS-1 score was 4 (2-6. Atelectasis was demonstrated in 66% (n=40 of the cases. Five of them were determined solely by X-ray, 10 of them only by ultrasonography, and 25 of them by both ultrasonography and X-ray. Pneumothorax was determined in 20% (n=12 of the cases. Excluding one case determined by both methods, all of the 11 cases were diagnosed by X-ray. Pleural effusion was diagnosed in 26% (n=16 of the cases. Four of the cases were demonstrated solely by ultrasonography, three of them solely by X-ray, and nine of the cases by both methods. Pericardial effusion was demonstrated in 10% (n=6 of the cases. Except for one of the cases determined by both methods, five of the cases were diagnosed by ultrasonography. There was a moderate correlation when all pathologies evaluated together (k=0.51. Conclusion: Thoracic ultrasonography might be a beneficial non-invasive method to evaluate postoperative respiratory problems in newborns who had congenital cardiac surgery.

  15. Novel Emergency Medicine Curriculum Utilizing Self-Directed Learning and the Flipped Classroom Method: Obstetric and Gynecologic Emergencies Small Group Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jillian McGrath

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This curriculum, created and implemented at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, was primarily designed to educate our emergency medicine (EM residents (PGY1-3 and emergency medicine/internal medicine (EM/IM residents (PGY1-5 on core obstetrics and gynecology topics in EM. Additional audience members include medical students and faculty physicians. Introduction: In 2013, there were over 1 million emergency department visits in the United States which resulted in primary obstetric or gynecologic diagnoses.1 EM Residents must be proficient in the differential diagnosis and management of the wide variety of obstetric and gynecologic emergencies. To do this, we developed a flipped classroom curricular model, which consists of self-directed learning activities completed by learners, followed by small group discussions pertaining to the topic reviewed. The active learning fostered by this type of curriculum increases faculty and learner engagement and interaction time typically absent in traditional lecture-based formats.2-4 Studies have revealed that the application of knowledge through case studies, personal interaction with content experts, and integrated questions are effective learning strategies for EM residents.4-6 The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center EM residency didactic curriculum recently transitioned to a “flipped classroom” approach.7-10 Our didactic curriculum is delivered over the course of 18 months; however, it could easily be adapted to other academic calendar cycles. The flipped classroom curriculum maximizes didactic time and resident engagement, fosters intellectual curiosity and active learning, and meets the needs of today’s learners. 3,6,11 Objectives: We aim to teach the presentation and management of obstetric and gynecologic emergencies through the creation of a flipped classroom design. This unique, innovative curriculum utilizes resources chosen by education faculty and resident

  16. [Needs and expectations of general physicians exposed to emergency medicine: a study in Neuchâtel].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanhart, W-A; Gusmini, W; Kehtari, R

    2008-11-12

    The emergency ward constitutes the main extra/intra-hospital interface most in demand by general physicians (GP). In order to evaluate the needs and the expectations of GP and, thus, to improve the cooperation between different partners, we underwent a study over 150 GP in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The rate of participation within the time limit was 61.3%. The results showed that only 49% of GP find an interest in emergency medicine and less than a half (43%) feel not at ease when facing to vital emergencies. However 67% of GP confirmed being highly interested to attend special training in emergency field. The cooperation with medical emergency team (SMUR) and paramedics came out to be satisfactory. Facilities to access to the medico-technical platform of the emergency ward is also highly requested.

  17. Radiology in emergency medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levy, R.; Barsan, W.G.

    1986-01-01

    This book gives a discussion of radiologic modalities currently being used in emergency situations. Radiographs, echocardiographs, radionuclide scans and CT scans are systematically analyzed and evaluated to provide a step-by-step diagnostic process for emergency physicians to follow when a radiologist is not present

  18. Screening ultrasonography of 2,204 patients with blunt abdominal trauma in the Wenchuan earthquake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Jixiang; Huang, Jiwei; Wu, Hong; Jiang, Hui; Zhang, Heqing; Prasoon, Pankaj; Xu, Yinglong; Bai, Yannan; Qiu, Jianguo; Zeng, Yong

    2012-10-01

    Abdominal injuries constitute a small proportion of all earthquake-related traumas; however, it often resulted in fatal hemorrhage. Ultrasonography has been described as an effective triage tool in the evaluation of blunt abdominal trauma. We aimed to present an overview of the diagnostic accuracy of screening ultrasonography for patients with blunt abdominal trauma admitted to various hospitals during the Wenchuan earthquake in China. We retrospectively analyzed the patients with blunt abdominal trauma who underwent ultrasonography after admission to various hospitals. Ultrasonography findings were considered positive if evidence of free fluid or a parenchymal injury was identified. Ultrasonography findings were compared with the findings of computed tomography, diagnostic peritoneal lavage, repeated ultrasonography, cystography, operation, and/or the clinical course. Findings from 2,204 ultrasonographic examinations were evaluated. Findings of 199 ultrasonographic examinations (9.0%) were considered positive. Of the patients, 12 (0.5%) had a false-negative ultrasonographic findings; of this group, 3 (25%) required exploratory laparotomy. Ultrasonography had a sensitivity of 91.9%, specificity of 96.9%, and an accuracy of 96.6% for detection of abdominal injuries. Positive predictive value was 68.3%, and negative predictive value was 99.4%. Screening ultrasonography is highly reliable in the setting of blunt abdominal trauma after earthquake. It should be used as an initial diagnostic modality in the evaluation of most blunt abdominal trauma. Diagnostic study, level III.

  19. Killian-Jamieson Diverticulum Mimicking a Thyroid Nodule on Ultrasonography: A Case Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Eun Soo; Lee, Kwan Seop; Yoon, Hoi Soo; Jeon, Eui Yong; Hwang, Hee Sung; Koh, Sung Hye; Kim, Min Jeong; Jang, Kyung Mi; Lee, Myung Jun; Lee, Yul

    2007-01-01

    Thyroid ultrasonography is widely used for diagnosis and cytologic evaluation of thyroid nodules. We encountered a case of Killian-Jamieson diverticulum, which was differentiated from a thyroid nodule using ultrasonography

  20. Comparison between mammography and ultrasonography for palpable breast mass: focusing fibroadenoma and breast cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Do Kyun; Koh, Mi Kyung; Choi, Chul Soon; Chung, Soo Young; Yi, Jeong Geun; Yoon, Dae Young; Kim, Ho Chul; Bae, Sang Hoon [Hallym Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1997-09-01

    The purpose of our study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of mammography and breast ultrasonography between fibroadenoma and palpable breast cancer and to evaluate the feasibility of ultrasonography as a primary diagnostic modality to differentiate between these two tumor types. In 36 cases of fibroadenoma and 35 of breast cancer, all palpable and pathologically-proven, the diagnostic accuracy of mammography and ultrasonography was retros-pectively analysed. In fibroadenoma cases, the diagnostic accuracy of mammography and ultrasonography was 53% and 80%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant(p=3D0.0162). In cases of breast cancer, the corresponding figures were 74% and 82%, respectively;the difference was not statistically signigicant(p-0.55). Overall, the diagnostic accuracy of mammography and ultrasonog-raphy was 63% and 82%, respectively, and this difference was statistically significant(p=3D0.0164). The total diagnostic accuracy of both studies was 90%, and this was signigicantly different(p=3D0.044) from that of ultrasonography(82%). In patients who have clinically palpable breast masses, ultrasonography can be recommended as the primary diagnostic modality, though for other breast lesions, mammography is the recommended primary modality.=20.

  1. Comparison between mammography and ultrasonography for palpable breast mass: focusing fibroadenoma and breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Do Kyun; Koh, Mi Kyung; Choi, Chul Soon; Chung, Soo Young; Yi, Jeong Geun; Yoon, Dae Young; Kim, Ho Chul; Bae, Sang Hoon

    1997-01-01

    The purpose of our study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of mammography and breast ultrasonography between fibroadenoma and palpable breast cancer and to evaluate the feasibility of ultrasonography as a primary diagnostic modality to differentiate between these two tumor types. In 36 cases of fibroadenoma and 35 of breast cancer, all palpable and pathologically-proven, the diagnostic accuracy of mammography and ultrasonography was retros-pectively analysed. In fibroadenoma cases, the diagnostic accuracy of mammography and ultrasonography was 53% and 80%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant(p=3D0.0162). In cases of breast cancer, the corresponding figures were 74% and 82%, respectively;the difference was not statistically signigicant(p-0.55). Overall, the diagnostic accuracy of mammography and ultrasonog-raphy was 63% and 82%, respectively, and this difference was statistically significant(p=3D0.0164). The total diagnostic accuracy of both studies was 90%, and this was signigicantly different(p=3D0.044) from that of ultrasonography(82%). In patients who have clinically palpable breast masses, ultrasonography can be recommended as the primary diagnostic modality, though for other breast lesions, mammography is the recommended primary modality.=20

  2. The pitfalls of ultrasonography in the evaluation of soft tissue masses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwok, Henry CK.; Pinto, Clinton H.; Doyle, Anthony J.

    2012-01-01

    Ultrasonography is associated with a high error rate in the evaluation of soft tissue masses. The purposes of this study were to examine the nature of the diagnostic errors and to identify areas in which reporting could be improved. Patients who had soft tissue tumours and received ultrasonography during a 10-year period (1999–2009) were identified from a local tumour registry. The sonographic and pathological diagnoses were categorised as either ‘benign’ or ‘non-benign’. The accuracy of ultrasonography was assessed by correlating the sonographic with the pathological diagnostic categories. Recommendations from radiologists, where offered, were assessed for their appropriateness in the context of the pathological diagnosis. One hundred seventy-five patients received ultrasonography, of which 60 had ‘non-benign’ lesions and 115 had ‘benign’ lesions. Ultrasonography correctly diagnosed 35 and incorrectly diagnosed seven of the 60 ‘non-benign’ cases, and did not suggest a diagnosis in 18 cases. Most of the diagnostic errors related to misdiagnosing soft tissue tumours as haematomas (four out of seven). Recommendations for further management were offered by the radiologists in 144 cases, of which 52 had ‘non-benign’ pathology. There were eight ‘non-benign’ cases where no recommendation was offered, and the sonographic diagnosis was either incorrect or unavailable. Ultrasonography lacks accuracy in the evaluation of soft tissue masses. Ongoing education is required to improve awareness of the limitations with its use. These limitations should be highlighted to the referrers, especially those who do not have specific training in this area.

  3. Evaluation of Ultrasonography as a Diagnostic Tool in Maxillofacial Space Infections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Praveen Kumar Pandey

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The purpose of the study was to establish the role of ultrasonography in determining the involvement of specific fascial spaces in maxillofacial region and the stage of infection, in indicating the appropriate time for surgical intervention and to compare clinical and ultrasonographic findings.Material and Methods: Twenty five patients with fascial space infection in maxillofacial region were subjected to ultrasonographic examination following a detailed clinical and radiological examination. Ultrasonography guided needle aspiration was performed. Based on the findings, patients diagnosed with abscess were subjected to incision and drainage and those with cellulitis were subjected to medical line of treatment.Results: More than one fascial space was involved in all patients. On clinical examination 64 spaces were involved, of them 34 spaces had abscess formation and 30 spaces were in the stage of cellulitis. On ultrasonography examination, 28 spaces were reported to have abscess formation and 36 spaces were diagnosed to be in the stage of cellulitis. On comparative analysis of both clinical and ultrasonographic findings, ultrasonography was found to be sensitive in 65% of the cases and having specificity of 80%. It was registered statistically significant (P < 0.001 agreement between these two methods of assessment (kappa index = 0.814.Conclusions: Ultrasonography is a quick, widely available, relatively inexpensive, and painless procedure and can be repeated as often as necessary without risk to the patient. Thus ultrasonography is a valuable diagnostic aid to the oral and maxillofacial surgeon for early and accurate diagnosis of fascial space infection, their appropriate treatment and to limit their further spread.

  4. Can Emergency Medicine Residents Reliably Use the Internet to Answer Clinical Questions?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    June Abbas

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The study objective was to determine the accuracy of answers to clinical questions by emergency medicine (EM residents conducting Internet searches by using Google. Emergency physicians commonly turn to outside resources to answer clinical questions that arise in the emergency department (ED. Internet access in the ED has supplanted textbooks for references because it is perceived as being more up to date. Although Google is the most widely used general Internet search engine, it is not medically oriented and merely provides links to other sources. Users must judge the reliability of the information obtained on the links. We frequently observed EM faculty and residents using Google rather than medicine-specific databases to seek answers to clinical questions. Methods: Two EM faculties developed a clinically oriented test for residents to take without the use of any outside aid. They were instructed to answer each question only if they were confident enough of their answer to implement it in a patient-care situation. Questions marked as unsure or answered incorrectly were used to construct a second test for each subject. On the second test, they were instructed to use Google as a resource to find links that contained answers. Results: Thirty-three residents participated. The means for the initial test were 32% correct, 28% incorrect, and 40% unsure. On the Google test, the mean for correct answers was 59%; 33% of answers were incorrect and 8% were unsure. Conclusion: EM residents’ ability to answer clinical questions correctly by using Web sites from Google searches was poor. More concerning was that unsure answers decreased, whereas incorrect answers increased. The Internet appears to have given the residents a false sense of security in their answers. Innovations, such as Internet access in the ED, should be studied carefully before being accepted as reliable tools for teaching clinical decision making. [West J Emerg Med. 2011

  5. [Organizational forms of emergency medicine in international comparison].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lipp, M

    1993-09-01

    The tasks of preclinical emergency medicine systems (PEMS) are to stabilize and maintain the vital functions and to guarantee qualified transport to the hospital. Worldwide, different structures exist as a result of historical developments. Legal regulations for PEMS have been introduced in most of the industrialized countries since 1960. More and more aspects have been subject to detailed regulations. PEMS are provided either by state-owned or by state-controlled (private) organisations. In most of the "underdeveloped" countries legal regulations do not exist and PEMS is often provided by social workers, by the army or by volunteers. In most countries, PEMS are financed by the state with a charge on the patient. In a few states PEMS are totally financed by the public health structure. Modern PEMS are controlled from dispatch centres which receive emergency calls (mostly by telephone) and send the appropriate rescue unit. In most states the staff of dispatch centres are paramedics; in some countries and in some urban areas physicians control the dispatch centre. In PEMS without physicians on the scene, an information exchange between the scene and the hospital can be observed frequently, in contrast to systems with physicians on the scene. Worldwide, ground-based PEMS are preferred, but in most countries an additional air rescue system has been established. The quality and quantity of the technical equipment of the ground-based PEMS differ widely: nationwide regulations exist, however, in the USA and Germany. Generally, there are two main concepts concerning the personnel structure: PEMS are either physician based or not. Requirements for emergency physicians differ greatly: in some countries no formal requirements exist, in others extensive practical and theoretical training is required.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  6. Determination of gestational age by ultrasonography - wrong, wrong and wrong again?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bratlid, D.

    1991-01-01

    The article is a critical review of principal weaknesses in the current use of ultrasonography for determination of gestational age and discusses the fact that the method in its practical use disregards any biological variation in biparietal diameter. It is concluded that second trimester determination of gestational age by ultrasonography has an accuracy no greater than ±1.5 weeks. This is comparable to the accuracy of the clinical assessment of maturation in the newborn baby. Ultrasonography as the main indicator of gestational age should be used only when the pregnant woman's own menstrual history is obviously incorrect. 6 refs., 1 fig

  7. Ultrasonography in Gastroenterology: The Need for Training

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Pinto

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The use of ultrasonography (US as an imaging modality in medicine has spread across almost every clinical specialty. This diffusion is based on the simplicity, accessibility, portability and affordability of the technique producing real-time high-resolution images using non-ionising radiation. On the other hand, this trend also extended the technique to settings other than healthcare, such as public facilities, private houses or remote sites. This tendency can be observed worldwide, from developing countries to prestigious medical schools and tertiary referral hospitals. Furthermore, point-of-care US (POCUS, i.e., US executed at the patient’s bedside to obtain real-time objective information with diagnostic and clinical monitoring purposes or to guide invasive procedures, has been incorporated in many specialties. In gastroenterology, despite the essential role of endoscopy, clinical practice is highly dependent on non-endoscopic imaging techniques. However, as in other specialties, the indications of US in gastroenterology have been increasing steadily, covering a broad range of conditions. In response to the generalised employment of US by non-radiologists, institutions such as the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology and the Royal College of Radiologists issued recommendations to ensure high-quality practice. These theoretical and practical requisites include performing a certain number of examinations and mandatory skills in order to achieve certification to execute unsupervised US. Therefore, there is a need for modern gastroenterology to include US as a basic skill in its clinical practice. To ensure the provision of high-quality US, adequate instruction of future specialists should be guaranteed by the gastroenterology departments and required in the residency training programme.

  8. An economic evaluation of second-trimester genetic ultrasonography for prenatal detection of down syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vintzileos, A M; Ananth, C V; Fisher, A J; Smulian, J C; Day-Salvatore, D; Beazoglou, T; Knuppel, R A

    1998-11-01

    The objective of this study was to perform an economic evaluation of second-trimester genetic ultrasonography for prenatal detection of Down syndrome. More specifically, we sought to determine the following: (1) the diagnostic accuracy requirements (from the cost-benefit point of view) of genetic ultrasonography versus genetic amniocentesis for women at increased risk for fetal Down syndrome and (2) the possible economic impact of second-trimester genetic ultrasonography for the US population on the basis of the ultrasonographic accuracies reported in previously published studies. A cost-benefit equation was developed from the hypothesis that the cost of universal genetic amniocentesis of patients at increased risk for carrying a fetus with Down syndrome should be at least equal to the cost of universal genetic ultrasonography with amniocentesis used only for those with abnormal ultrasonographic results. The main components of the equation included the diagnostic accuracy of genetic ultrasonography (sensitivity and specificity for detecting Down syndrome), the costs of the amniocentesis package and genetic ultrasonography, and the lifetime cost of Down syndrome cases not detected by the genetic ultrasonography. After appropriate manipulation of the equation a graph was constructed, representing the balance between sensitivity and false-positive rate of genetic ultrasonography; this was used to examine the accuracy of previously published studies from the cost-benefit point of view. Sensitivity analyses included individual risks for Down syndrome ranging from 1:261 (risk of a 35-year-old at 18 weeks' gestation) to 1:44 (risk of a 44-year-old at 18 weeks' gestation). This economic evaluation was conducted from the societal perspective. Genetic ultrasonography was found to be economically beneficial only if the overall sensitivity for detecting Down syndrome was >74%. Even then, the cost-benefit ratio depended on the corresponding false-positive rate. Of the 7

  9. The detection of prostatic carcinoma. 4- or 7-MHz transrectal ultrasonography?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vleeming, R.; Noordzij, J. W.; de Reijke, T. M.; Kurth, K. H.

    1993-01-01

    In this prospective study a comparison of 4-versus 7-MHz transrectal ultrasonography for the detection of prostatic carcinoma is reported. A total of 150 prostates were biopsied due to suspicion of malignancy arising at either digital rectal examination, 4- and/or 7-MHz transrectal ultrasonography,

  10. Imaging of juvenile spondyloarthritis. Part II: Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iwona Sudoł-Szopińska

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Juvenile spondyloarthropathies are mainly manifested by symptoms of peripheral arthritis and enthesitis. Early involvement of sacroiliac joints and spine is exceptionally rare in children; this usually happens in adulthood. Conventional radiographs visualize late inflammatory lesions. Early diagnosis is possible with the use of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging. The first part of the article presented classifications and radiographic presentation of juvenile spondyloarthropathies. This part discusses changes seen on ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging. In patients with juvenile spondyloarthropathies, these examinations are conducted to diagnose inflammatory lesions in peripheral joints, tendon sheaths, tendons and bursae. Moreover, magnetic resonance also shows subchondral bone marrow edema, which is considered an early sign of inflammation. Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging do not show specific lesions for any rheumatic disease. Nevertheless, they are conducted for early diagnosis, treatment monitoring and identifying complications. This article presents a spectrum of inflammatory changes and discusses the diagnostic value of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging.

  11. Identifying Nonprovider Factors Affecting Pediatric Emergency Medicine Provider Efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleh, Fareed; Breslin, Kristen; Mullan, Paul C; Tillett, Zachary; Chamberlain, James M

    2017-10-31

    The aim of this study was to create a multivariable model of standardized relative value units per hour by adjusting for nonprovider factors that influence efficiency. We obtained productivity data based on billing records measured in emergency relative value units for (1) both evaluation and management of visits and (2) procedures for 16 pediatric emergency medicine providers with more than 750 hours worked per year. Eligible shifts were in an urban, academic pediatric emergency department (ED) with 2 sites: a tertiary care main campus and a satellite community site. We used multivariable linear regression to adjust for the impact of shift and pediatric ED characteristics on individual-provider efficiency and then removed variables from the model with minimal effect on productivity. There were 2998 eligible shifts for the 16 providers during a 3-year period. The resulting model included 4 variables when looking at both ED sites combined. These variables include the following: (1) number of procedures billed by provider, (2) season of the year, (3) shift start time, and (4) day of week. Results were improved when we separately modeled each ED location. A 3-variable model using procedures billed by provider, shift start time, and season explained 23% of the variation in provider efficiency at the academic ED site. A 3-variable model using procedures billed by provider, patient arrivals per hour, and shift start time explained 45% of the variation in provider efficiency at the satellite ED site. Several nonprovider factors affect provider efficiency. These factors should be considered when designing productivity-based incentives.

  12. Ultrasonography in Early Diagnosis of Heterotopic Ossification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shan-Hui Lin

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available We report here the case of a 32-year-old man with a history of traumatic brain injury who presented with swelling of his right thigh. Soft tissue ultrasonography performed 3 days after the onset of symptoms showed a heterogeneous hyperechoic lesion with the formation of cysts and hypervascularity in the right iliopsoas abutting the surface of the femoral bone. This became a diffuse echogenic plaque with a posterior acoustic shadowing 12 days later. A diagnosis of heterotopic ossification was made on the basis of the presence of typical ultrasonographic findings and was confirmed by pathology. We emphasize that an early diagnosis of heterotopic ossification can be made with ultrasonography and can lead to early treatment.

  13. Definition of Specific Functions and Procedural Skills Required by Cuban Specialists in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Véliz, Pedro L; Berra, Esperanza M; Jorna, Ana R

    2015-07-01

    INTRODUCTION Medical specialties' core curricula should take into account functions to be carried out, positions to be filled and populations to be served. The functions in the professional profile for specialty training of Cuban intensive care and emergency medicine specialists do not include all the activities that they actually perform in professional practice. OBJECTIVE Define the specific functions and procedural skills required of Cuban specialists in intensive care and emergency medicine. METHODS The study was conducted from April 2011 to September 2013. A three-stage methodological strategy was designed using qualitative techniques. By purposive maximum variation sampling, 82 professionals were selected. Documentary analysis and key informant criteria were used in the first stage. Two expert groups were formed in the second stage: one used various group techniques (focus group, oral and written brainstorming) and the second used a three-round Delphi method. In the final stage, a third group of experts was questioned in semistructured in-depth interviews, and a two-round Delphi method was employed to assess priorities. RESULTS Ultimately, 78 specific functions were defined: 47 (60.3%) patient care, 16 (20.5%) managerial, 6 (7.7%) teaching, and 9 (11.5%) research. Thirty-one procedural skills were identified. The specific functions and procedural skills defined relate to the profession's requirements in clinical care of the critically ill, management of patient services, teaching and research at the specialist's different occupational levels. CONCLUSIONS The specific functions and procedural skills required of intensive care and emergency medicine specialists were precisely identified by a scientific method. This product is key to improving the quality of teaching, research, administration and patient care in this specialty in Cuba. The specific functions and procedural skills identified are theoretical, practical, methodological and social contributions to

  14. Virtual alternative to the oral examination for emergency medicine residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGrath, Jillian; Kman, Nicholas; Danforth, Douglas; Bahner, David P; Khandelwal, Sorabh; Martin, Daniel R; Nagel, Rollin; Verbeck, Nicole; Way, David P; Nelson, Richard

    2015-03-01

    The oral examination is a traditional method for assessing the developing physician's medical knowledge, clinical reasoning and interpersonal skills. The typical oral examination is a face-to-face encounter in which examiners quiz examinees on how they would confront a patient case. The advantage of the oral exam is that the examiner can adapt questions to the examinee's response. The disadvantage is the potential for examiner bias and intimidation. Computer-based virtual simulation technology has been widely used in the gaming industry. We wondered whether virtual simulation could serve as a practical format for delivery of an oral examination. For this project, we compared the attitudes and performance of emergency medicine (EM) residents who took our traditional oral exam to those who took the exam using virtual simulation. EM residents (n=35) were randomized to a traditional oral examination format (n=17) or a simulated virtual examination format (n=18) conducted within an immersive learning environment, Second Life (SL). Proctors scored residents using the American Board of Emergency Medicine oral examination assessment instruments, which included execution of critical actions and ratings on eight competency categories (1-8 scale). Study participants were also surveyed about their oral examination experience. We observed no differences between virtual and traditional groups on critical action scores or scores on eight competency categories. However, we noted moderate effect sizes favoring the Second Life group on the clinical competence score. Examinees from both groups thought that their assessment was realistic, fair, objective, and efficient. Examinees from the virtual group reported a preference for the virtual format and felt that the format was less intimidating. The virtual simulated oral examination was shown to be a feasible alternative to the traditional oral examination format for assessing EM residents. Virtual environments for oral examinations

  15. Football emergency medicine

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    may be called upon to intervene medically when a football player succumbs to a severe ... including safety and security services, emergency and primary health care medical ..... of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) guidelines 2005.

  16. The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy, and the Asian Australasian Federation of Pain Societies Joint Committee recommendations for education and training in ultrasound-guided interventional pain procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narouze, Samer N; Provenzano, David; Peng, Philip; Eichenberger, Urs; Lee, Sang Chul; Nicholls, Barry; Moriggl, Bernhard

    2012-01-01

    The use of ultrasound in pain medicine for interventional axial, nonaxial, and musculoskeletal pain procedures is rapidly evolving and growing. Because of the lack of specialty-specific guidelines for ultrasonography in pain medicine, an international collaborative effort consisting of members of the Special Interest Group on Ultrasonography in Pain Medicine from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy, and the Asian Australasian Federation of Pain Societies developed the following recommendations for education and training in ultrasound-guided interventional pain procedures. The purpose of these recommendations is to define the required skills for performing ultrasound-guided pain procedures, the processes for appropriate education, and training and quality improvement. Training algorithms are outlined for practice- and fellowship-based pathways. The previously published American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine and European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy education and teaching recommendations for ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia served as a foundation for the pain medicine recommendations. Although the decision to grant ultrasound privileges occurs at the institutional level, the committee recommends that the training guidelines outlined in this document serve as the foundation for educational training and the advancement of the practice of ultrasonography in pain medicine.

  17. [Personalized medicine, privatized medicine? legal and public health stakes].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rial-Sebbag, Emmanuelle

    2014-11-01

    Personalized medicine is booming. It tends to provide a medical management "tailored" for groups of patients, or for one unique patient, but also to identify risk groups to develop public health strategies. In this context, some radicalization phenomenon can emerge, leading to not only personalized medicine but also privatized medicine, which can lead to a capture of the medical public resource. If the "privatization" of medicine is not limited to producing adverse effects, several potentially destabilizing phenomena for patients still remain. First, some objective factors, like the adjustment of scientific prerequisites, are emerging from personalized medicine practices (clinical trial, public health policy) and are interfering with the medical doctor/patient relationship. Another risk emerges for patients concomitantly to their demand for controlling their own health, in terms of patients' security although these risks are not clearly identified and not effectively communicated. These practices, related to a privatized medicine, develop within the healthcare system but also outside, and the government and legislators will have to take into account these new dimensions in drafting their future regulations and policies. © 2014 médecine/sciences – Inserm.

  18. Ultrasonography evaluation during the weaning process: the heart, the diaphragm, the pleura and the lung.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayo, P; Volpicelli, G; Lerolle, N; Schreiber, A; Doelken, P; Vieillard-Baron, A

    2016-07-01

    On a regular basis, the intensivist encounters the patient who is difficult to wean from mechanical ventilatory support. The causes for failure to wean from mechanical ventilatory support are often multifactorial and involve a complex interplay between cardiac and pulmonary dysfunction. A potential application of point of care ultrasonography relates to its utility in the process of weaning the patient from mechanical ventilatory support. This article reviews some applications of ultrasonography that may be relevant to the process of weaning from mechanical ventilatory support. The authors have divided these applications of ultrasonography into four separate categories: the assessment of cardiac, diaphragmatic, and lung function; and the identification of pleural effusion; which can all be evaluated with ultrasonography during a dynamic process in which the intensivist is uniquely positioned to use ultrasonography at the point of care. Ultrasonography may have useful application during the weaning process from mechanical ventilatory support.

  19. Shear-wave elastography in breast ultrasonography: the state of the art

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ji Hyun Youk

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Shear-wave elastography (SWE is a recently developed ultrasound technique that can visualize and measure tissue elasticity. In breast ultrasonography, SWE has been shown to be useful for differentiating benign breast lesions from malignant breast lesions, and it has been suggested that SWE enhances the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography, potentially improving the specificity of conventional ultrasonography using the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System criteria. More recently, not only has SWE been proven useful for the diagnosis of breast cancer, but has also been shown to provide valuable information that can be used as a preoperative predictor of the prognosis or response to chemotherapy.

  20. Shear-wave elastography in breast ultrasonography: the state of the art

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Youk, Ji Hyun; Gweon, Hye Mi; Son, Eun Ju [Dept. of Radiology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-10-15

    Shear-wave elastography (SWE) is a recently developed ultrasound technique that can visualize and measure tissue elasticity. In breast ultrasonography, SWE has been shown to be useful for differentiating benign breast lesions from malignant breast lesions, and it has been suggested that SWE enhances the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography, potentially improving the specificity of conventional ultrasonography using the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System criteria. More recently, not only has SWE been proven useful for the diagnosis of breast cancer, but has also been shown to provide valuable information that can be used as a preoperative predictor of the prognosis or response to chemotherapy.

  1. Workplace Violence and Harassment Against Emergency Medicine Residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schnapp, Benjamin H; Slovis, Benjamin H; Shah, Anar D; Fant, Abra L; Gisondi, Michael A; Shah, Kaushal H; Lech, Christie A

    2016-09-01

    Several studies have shown that workplace violence in the emergency department (ED) is common. Residents may be among the most vulnerable staff, as they have the least experience with these volatile encounters. The goal for this study was to quantify and describe acts of violence against emergency medicine (EM) residents by patients and visitors and to identify perceived barriers to safety. This cross-sectional survey study queried EM residents at multiple New York City hospitals. The primary outcome was the incidence of violence experienced by residents while working in the ED. The secondary outcomes were the subtypes of violence experienced by residents, as well as the perceived barriers to safety while at work. A majority of residents (66%, 78/119) reported experiencing at least one act of physical violence during an ED shift. Nearly all residents (97%, 115/119) experienced verbal harassment, 78% (93/119) had experienced verbal threats, and 52% (62/119) reported sexual harassment. Almost a quarter of residents felt safe "Occasionally," "Seldom" or "Never" while at work. Patient-based factors most commonly cited as contributory to violence included substance use and psychiatric disease. Self-reported violence against EM residents appears to be a significant problem. Incidence of violence and patient risk factors are similar to what has been found previously for other ED staff. Understanding the prevalence of workplace violence as well as the related systems, environmental, and patient-based factors is essential for future prevention efforts.

  2. Role of ultrasonography in detecting mammographically occult breast carcinoma in women with dense breasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corsetti, V; Ferrari, A; Ghirardi, M; Bergonzini, R; Bellarosa, S; Angelini, O; Bani, C; Ciatto, S

    2006-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of routine ultrasonography in women with negative mammography and dense breasts [Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BIRADS D3-4)]. We applied a protocol involving routine ultrasonography in a consecutive series of subjects with negative mammography and dense breasts. After evaluation by internal and external reviewers of cancers detected by ultrasonography performed to confirm negative mammography, we determined the additional cancer detection rate of ultrasonography and the cost of the protocol. Out of 17,883 total mammographies, 167 cancers were diagnosed (detection rate: 0.93%). Out of 257 suspicious mammographies, 138 cancers were detected. Out of 17,626 negative mammographies, 6,449 (36.5%) were classified as "dense breast" and underwent ultrasonography: 29 cancers were detected (detection rate: 0.44%, or 17.3% of total cancers). Out of 25 cancer cases reviewed, negative mammography and asymptomatic status was confirmed in 15 (detection rate 0.23%, or 8.9% of total cancers). The cancer detection rate was 0.11%, 0.22%, 0.32% and 0.14% for age groups 59, respectively. The cost per additional carcinoma detected by ultrasonography alone was euro 25,847.85 whereas that per examined woman was euro 21.68. The study confirms the possibility that ultrasonography can detect mammographically occult breast carcinoma in dense breasts. The evidence is insufficient to recommend this policy in routine screening practice but suggests that, at least in current clinical practice, adding ultrasonography in dense breasts may be useful despite the substantial costs.

  3. Transthoracic Ultrasonography for Clinicians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morné Johan Vorster

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Transthoracic ultrasonography (US has become an essential tool for respiratory, emergency, and critical care physicians. It can be performed with basic equipment and by personnel with minimum training as a modality for the evaluation of a wide range of thoracic pathologies. Its advantages include immediate application at the point of care, low cost, and lack of radiation. The main indications for transthoracic US are the qualitative and quantitative assessment of pleural effusions, pleural thickening, diaphragmatic pathology, as well as chest wall and pleural tumors. Transthoracic US is also useful in visualizing pulmonary pathologies that abut the pleura, such as pneumonic consolidation and interstitial syndromes, including pulmonary edema. Transthoracic US is more sensitive than the traditional chest radiograph in the detection of pneumothoraces, and it is useful in diagnosing skeletal abnormalities such as rib fractures. It is the ideal tool to guide transthoracic procedures, including thoracocentesis and pleural biopsy. Moreover, transthoracic US-guided procedures can be performed by a single clinician with no sedation and minimal monitoring. Transthoracic US-guided fine needle aspiration and/or cutting needle biopsy of extrathoracic lymph nodes and lesions arising from the chest wall, pleura, peripheral lung, and mediastinum are safe to perform and have a high yield in the of hands of experienced clinicians. Transthoracic US can also potentially guide the aspiration and biopsy of diffuse pulmonary infiltrates, consolidations, and lung abscesses. Moreover, transthoracic US may be used in the detection of pulmonary embolism

  4. Cholescintigraphy and ultrasonography in patients suspected of having acute cholecystitis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauritsen, K B; Sommer, W; Hahn, L

    1988-01-01

    The diagnostic power of combined cholescintigraphy and ultrasonography was tested in 67 patients suspected of having acute cholecystitis; of these, 42 (63%) had acute cholecystitis. The predictive value of a positive scintigraphy (PVpos) was 95% and that of a negative (PVneg) was 91% (n = 67......). The PVpos and PVneg of ultrasonography were 89% and 75%, respectively (n = 54), and these values did not achieve statistical significance when compared with those for scintigraphy. Inconclusive tests were 10% and 11%, respectively, but in no patient were both scintigraphy and ultrasonography inconclusive...... that in patients suspected of having acute cholecystitis cholescintigraphy should be the first diagnostic procedure performed. If the scintigraphy is positive, additional ultrasonographic detection of gallstones makes the diagnosis almost certain. If one diagnostic modality is inconclusive, the other makes a fair...

  5. Diagnosis of fibroadenoma and breast cancer: ultrasonography vs. X-ray mammography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Jong Gi; Im, Jung gi; Choi, Byung Ihn; Kim, Choo Wan [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1993-12-15

    To evaluate the clinical value of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of fibroadenoma and carcinoma as compared with mammography, we performed a blind retrospective analysis of 85 sonograms and 40 mammograms of 85 breasts that were proved pathologically to have diseases. The lesions included 30 ductal carcinomas, 29 fibroadenomas, 14mammary dysplasias, 2 medullary carcinomas, 1 intraductal papillary carcinoma, and 9 cases of other pathology. The sonograms were reviewed in regards to the border, shape and internal echo pattern of the lesion and the shadows from the margin of the lesion. The mammograms were reviewed in regards to the parenchymal pattern, shape, margin,and calcification of the lesion. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of mammography and ultrasonography in the diagnosis of fibroadenoma were 77%/92%, 40%/93%, and 100%/92%, respectively. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of mammography and ultrasonography in the diagnosis of carcinoma were 85%/85%, 76%/82%, and 91%/86%,respectively. Ultrasonography is more accurate and more sensitive than mammography in the diagnosis offibroadenoma, but not in the diagnosis of carcinoma

  6. Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of Morton's neuroma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fazal, Muhammad Ali; Khan, Ishrat; Thomas, Cherian

    2012-01-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography are used widely for the diagnosis of Morton's neuroma. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of these two modalities as diagnostic tools in Morton's neuroma. Fifty feet of 47 consecutive patients (39 women and 8 men; mean age, 46 years; age range, 36-64 years) who presented between January 1, 2005, and June 30, 2008, were included in the study. Twenty-five feet were investigated with ultrasonography and 25 with MRI. Morton's neuroma was confirmed surgically and histologically in all of the patients. A Student unpaired t test was applied. Twenty-two MRIs were diagnostic (sensitivity, 88%). Three patients with negative MRI findings underwent ultrasonography and were found to have a neuroma smaller than 5 mm. Twenty-four ultrasound scans demonstrated the neuroma (sensitivity, 96%), with five neuromas being smaller than 5 mm. Ultrasonography has a slightly higher sensitivity in the diagnosis of Morton's neuroma, particularly of neuromas smaller than 5 mm, and should be the preferred imaging modality in suspected cases, and MRI should be reserved for cases with equivocal diagnosis.

  7. Diagnosis of fibroadenoma and breast cancer: ultrasonography vs. X-ray mammography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Jong Gi; Im, Jung gi; Choi, Byung Ihn; Kim, Choo Wan

    1993-01-01

    To evaluate the clinical value of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of fibroadenoma and carcinoma as compared with mammography, we performed a blind retrospective analysis of 85 sonograms and 40 mammograms of 85 breasts that were proved pathologically to have diseases. The lesions included 30 ductal carcinomas, 29 fibroadenomas, 14mammary dysplasias, 2 medullary carcinomas, 1 intraductal papillary carcinoma, and 9 cases of other pathology. The sonograms were reviewed in regards to the border, shape and internal echo pattern of the lesion and the shadows from the margin of the lesion. The mammograms were reviewed in regards to the parenchymal pattern, shape, margin,and calcification of the lesion. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of mammography and ultrasonography in the diagnosis of fibroadenoma were 77%/92%, 40%/93%, and 100%/92%, respectively. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of mammography and ultrasonography in the diagnosis of carcinoma were 85%/85%, 76%/82%, and 91%/86%,respectively. Ultrasonography is more accurate and more sensitive than mammography in the diagnosis offibroadenoma, but not in the diagnosis of carcinoma

  8. Ultrasonography of the lower extremity veins: Anatomy and basic approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Dong Kyu; Ahn, Kyung Sik; Kang, Chang Ho; Cho, Sung Bum [Dept. of Radiology, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-04-15

    Ultrasonography is an imaging modality widely used to evaluate venous diseases of the lower extremities. It is important to understand the normal venous anatomy of the lower extremities, which has deep, superficial, and perforating venous components, in order to determine the pathophysiology of venous disease. This review provides a basic description of the anatomy of the lower extremity veins and useful techniques for approaching each vein via ultrasonography.

  9. Acute diverticulitis of the terminal ileum: ultrasonography and CT findings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeong, Jewon; Hong, Seong Sook; Hwang, Ji Young; Kim, Hyun Joo; Chang, Yun Woo [Dept. of Radiology, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-01-15

    We describe a rare case of terminal ileal diverticulitis in a 68-year-old female with a day of history Epub ahead of print of right lower quadrant pain and tenderness, mimicking acute appendicitis. Ultrasonography revealed small sac-like out-pouching lesions with increased echogenicity of surrounding fat in thickened terminal ileum, suggesting inflamed diverticula. We diagnosed terminal ileal diverticulitis primarily by ultrasonography. The diagnosis was confirmed by subsequent computed tomography.

  10. Ultrasonography of the lower extremity veins: Anatomy and basic approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Dong Kyu; Ahn, Kyung Sik; Kang, Chang Ho; Cho, Sung Bum

    2017-01-01

    Ultrasonography is an imaging modality widely used to evaluate venous diseases of the lower extremities. It is important to understand the normal venous anatomy of the lower extremities, which has deep, superficial, and perforating venous components, in order to determine the pathophysiology of venous disease. This review provides a basic description of the anatomy of the lower extremity veins and useful techniques for approaching each vein via ultrasonography

  11. Comparison of Radiography and Ultrasonography for Diagnosis of Diaphragmatic Hernia in Bovines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hakim Athar

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The present study was conducted on 101 animals suffering from thoracoabdominal disorders; out of which twenty seven animals (twenty six buffaloes and one cow were diagnosed with diaphragmatic hernia based on clinical signs, radiography, ultrasonography, and left flank laparorumenotomy. Radiography alone confirmed diaphragmatic hernia in 18 cases (66.67% with a sac-like structure cranial to the diaphragm. In 15 animals the sac contained metallic densities while in three cases a sac-like structure with no metallic densities was present. Ultrasonography was helpful in confirming diaphragmatic hernia in 23 cases (85.18% and ultrasonographically reticular motility was evident at the level of 4th/5th intercostal space in all the animals. B+M mode ultrasonography was used for the first time for diagnosis of diaphragmatic hernia in bovines and the results suggested that ultrasonography was a reliable diagnostic modality for diaphragmatic hernia in bovines.

  12. Simulation in Medical School Education: Review for Emergency Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahram Lotfipour

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Medical education is rapidly evolving. With the paradigm shift to small-group didactic sessions and focus on clinically oriented case-based scenarios, simulation training has provided educators a novel way to deliver medical education in the 21st century. The field continues to expand in scope and practice and is being incorporated into medical school clerkship education, and specifically in emergency medicine (EM. The use of medical simulation in graduate medical education is well documented. Our aim in this article is to perform a retrospective review of the current literature, studying simulation use in EM medical student clerkships. Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of simulation in teaching basic science, clinical knowledge, procedural skills, teamwork, and communication skills. As simulation becomes increasingly prevalent in medical school curricula, more studies are needed to assess whether simulation training improves patient-related outcomes.

  13. Self vs. Other Focus: Predicting Professionalism Remediation of Emergency Medicine Residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thaxton, Robert E; Jones, Woodson S; Hafferty, Fred W; April, Carolyn W; April, Michael D

    2018-01-01

    Unprofessionalism is a major reason for resident dismissal from training. Because of the high stakes involved, residents and educators alike would benefit from information predicting whether they might experience challenges related to this competency. Our objective was to correlate the outcome of professionalism-related remedial actions during residency with the predictor variable of resident response to a standardized interview question: "Why is Medicine important to you?" We conducted a professional development quality improvement (QI) initiative to improve resident education and mentorship by achieving a better understanding of each resident's reasons for valuing a career in medicine. This initiative entailed an interview administered to each resident beginning emergency medicine training at San Antonio Military Medical Center during 2006-2013. The interviews uniformly began with the standardized question "Why is Medicine important to you?" The residency program director documented a free-text summary of each response to this question, the accuracy of which was confirmed by the resident. We analyzed the text of each resident's response after a review of the QI data suggested an association between responses and professionalism actions (retrospective cohort design). Two associate investigators blinded to all interview data, remedial actions, and resident identities categorized each text response as either self-focused (e.g., "I enjoy the challenge") or other-focused (e.g., "I enjoy helping patients"). Additional de-identified data collected included demographics, and expressed personal importance of politics and religion. The primary outcome was a Clinical Competency Committee professionalism remedial action. Of 114 physicians starting residency during 2006-2013, 106 (93.0%) completed the interview. There was good inter-rater reliability in associate investigator categorization of resident responses as either self-focused or other-focused (kappa coefficient 0

  14. Abdominal emergencies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raissaki, M.

    2012-01-01

    Full text: There are numerous conditions that affect mainly or exclusively the pediatric population. These constitute true emergencies, related to patient's health. Delay in diagnosis and treatment of abdominal non-traumatic emergencies may result in rapid deterioration, peritonitis, sepsis, even death or in severe complications with subsequent morbidity. Abdominal emergencies in children mostly present with pain, tenderness, occasionally coupled by vomiting, fever, abdominal distension, and failure to pass meconium or stools. Diarrhea, blood per rectum, abnormal laboratory tests and lethargy may also be manifestations of acute abdominal conditions. Abdominal emergencies have a different aetiology, depending on age and whether the pain is acute or chronic. Symptoms have to be matched with age and gender. Newborns up to 1 months of age may have congenital diseases: atresia, low obstruction including Hirschsprung's disease, meconium ileus. Meconium plug is one of the commonest cause of low obstruction in newborns that may also develop necrotizing enterocolitis, incarcerated inguinal hernia and mid-gut volvulus. Past the immediate postnatal period, any duodenal obstruction should be considered midgut volvulus until proven otherwise and patients should undergo ultrasonography and/or properly performed upper GI contrast study that records the exact position of the deduno-jejunal junction. Infants 6 months-2 years carry the risk of intussusception, mid-gut volvulus, perforation, acute pyelonephritis. Preschool and school-aged children 2-12 years carry the risk of appendicitis, genito-urinary abnormalities including torsion, urachal abnormalities, haemolytic uremic syndrome and Henoch-Schonlein purpura. Children above 12 years suffer from the same conditions as in adults. Most conditions may affect any age despite age predilection. Abdominal solid organ ultrasonography (US) coupled with gastrointestinal ultrasonography is the principle imaging modality in radiosensitive

  15. Comparison of the diagnostic value of ultrasonography and standing radiography for pelvic-femoral disorders in horses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geburek, Florian; Rötting, Anna K; Stadler, Peter M

    2009-04-01

    To assess agreement between ultrasonography (transcutaneous and transrectal) and standing radiography in horses with fractures in the pelvic region and disorders of the coxofemoral joint. Case series. Warmblood horses (n=23) and 2 ponies. Medical records (1999-2008) of equids with pelvic or coxofemoral disorders that had pelvic radiography and ultrasonography were retrieved and results of both techniques compared. Radiography and ultrasonography each identified equal numbers of fractures of the tuber coxa (n=4), ilial shaft (2), ischium (3), femoral neck (2), and osteoarthritis/osis of the coxofemoral joint (6). Fractures of the ilial wing (4) were only identified by ultrasonography not by standing radiography. Of 9 acetabular fractures, 3 were identified on radiographs only, 5 were identified with both modalities. One pubic fracture was identified using ultrasonography and radiography. One acetabular and 1 pubic fracture were only diagnosed on necropsy. We found reasonable agreement (73%; 24/33) between ultrasonography and standing radiography for diagnosis of pelvic-femoral disorders. Ultrasonography was more useful for ilial wing fractures and radiography for acetabular fractures. Ultrasonography is a rapid, safe imaging technique for detecting disorders of the pelvic region with a high diagnostic yield and is a preferred initial approach in horses with severe hindlimb lameness.

  16. Emergency medicine journal impact factor and change compared to other medical and surgical specialties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, Joshua C; Menegazzi, James J; Yealy, Donald M

    2012-11-01

    A journal impact factor represents the mean number of citations per article published. Designed as one tool to measure the relative importance of a journal, impact factors are often incorporated into academic evaluation of investigators. The authors sought to determine how impact factors of emergency medicine (EM) journals compare to journals from other medical and surgical specialties and if any change has taken place over time. The 2010 impact factors and 5-year impact factors for each journal indexed by the Thomson Reuters ISI Web of Knowledge Journal Citation Reports (JCR) were collected, and EM, medical, and surgical specialties were evaluated. The maximum, median, and interquartile range (IQR) of the current impact factor and 5-year impact factor in each journal category were determined, and specialties were ranked according to the summary statistics. The "top three" impact factor journals for each specialty were analyzed, and growth trends from 2001 through 2010 were examined with random effects linear regression. Data from 2,287 journals in 31 specialties were examined. There were 23 EM journals with a current maximum impact factor of 4.177, median of 1.269, and IQR of 0.400 to 2.176. Of 23 EM journals, 57% had a 5-year impact factor available, with a maximum of 4.531, median of 1.325, and IQR of 0.741 to 2.435. The top three EM journals had a mean standard deviation (±SD) impact factor of 3.801 (±0.621) and median of 4.142 and a mean (±SD) 5-year impact factor of 3.788 (±1.091) and median of 4.297, with a growth trend of 0.211 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.177 to 0.245; p journals ranked no higher than 24th among 31 specialties. Emergency medicine journals rank low in impact factor summary statistics and growth trends among 31 medical and surgical specialties. © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  17. Peritoneal inclusion cysts: Changes on follow-up ultrasonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jung Sik; Lee, Jin Hee; Lee, Hee Jung; Lee, Sung Moon; Woo, Seong Ku

    2003-01-01

    To evaluate the volume change of peritoneal inclusion cysts on the follow-up ultrasonography (US). From March 1995 to May 1999, thirty seven women with ultrasonographically diagnosed peritoneal inclusion cysts were included in this study. Six patients underwent surgery for several reasons. Follow-up ultrasonography was performed 70-456 days (mean=191 days) after initial US examination in 12 of the remaining 31 patient with no further treatment. US was performed with a 3.5 or 4 MHz transabdominal probe in all 18 patients who underwent either surgery or follow-up US, and additional tranvaginal US examination using a 5-7 MHz probe in 15 of 18 patients. The volume change of the cysts was recorded for each US examination. Three cysts (25%) (volume=170 cm 3 , 61 cm 3 , and 38 cm 3 , respectively) were completely resolved on the follow-up US while the other nine cysts showed a decreased volume in seven patients (58%) and increased volume in two patients (17%). Spontaneous regression of peritoneal inclusion cysts is more common than it is believed to be, and ultrasonography may be a useful follow-up examination for peritoneal inclusion cysts.

  18. Diagnosis of ovarian tumors by ultrasonography and x-ray CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Hiromu

    1986-01-01

    A drawback in ultrasonography, an indispensable technique in imaging ovarian malignancies, is that it sometimes shows false positive for benign tumors including dermoid cyst and ovarian endometriosis. To overcome this, the concurrent use of X-Ray CT seems warrantable and this led us to carry out the study summarized below. CT was carried out on 268 of 322 ovarian disease cases which had undergone ultrasonography. The results obtained were as follows. Sensitivity of ultrasonography and CT in ovarian malignancies were 82 % and 88 % respectively. Of the cases subjected to both techniques, those who were deemed false positive were 39 in ultrasonography and 12 in CT. Ultrasonographic imagings of dermoid cyst and ovarian endometriosis were classified on the basis of their patterns. The results obtained revealed that those in which it was difficult to discriminate the image from ovarian malignancy were types V and VI in dermoid cyst and type III-C in ovarian endometriosis. In both dermoid cyst and ovarian endometriosis, nearly a 100 % accuracy rate was obtainable with CT for diagnosis of benign tumors. This strongly suggested that concurrent use of CT was required, in diagnosing ovarian diseases with the V or VI and III-C patterns referred to above. (author)

  19. Newly approved antibiotics and antibiotics reserved for resistant infections: Implications for emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazer-Amirshahi, Maryann; Pourmand, Ali; May, Larissa

    2017-01-01

    Millions of patients are evaluated every year in the emergency department (ED) for bacterial infections. Emergency physicians often diagnose and prescribe initial antibiotic therapy for a variety of bacterial infections, ranging from simple urinary tract infections to severe sepsis. In life-threatening infections, inappropriate choice of initial antibiotic has been shown to increase morbidity and mortality. As such, initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy on the part of the emergency physician is critical. Increasing rates of antibiotic resistance, drug allergies, and antibiotic shortages further complicates the choice of antibiotics. Patients may have a history of prior resistant infections or culture data indicating that common first-line antibiotics used in the ED may be ineffective. In recent years, there have been several new antibiotic approvals as well as renewed interest in second and third line antibiotics because of the aforementioned concerns. In addition, several newly approved antibiotics have the advantage of being administered once weekly or even as a single infusion, which has the potential to decrease hospitalizations and healthcare costs. This article reviews newly approved antibiotics and antibiotics used to treat resistant infections with a focus on implications for emergency medicine. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Inappropriate emergency laboratory test ordering: defensive or peer evidence shared based medicine?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Descovich

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND The laboratory overuse is widely prevalent in hospital practice, mostly in the emergency care. Reasons for excessive and inappropriate test-ordering include defensive behaviour and fear or uncertainty, lack of experience, the misuse of protocols and guidelines, “routine” and local attitudes, inadequate educational feedback and clinician’s unawareness about the cost of examinations and their related implications. AIM OF THE STUDY AND METHODS The primary target of our working group was to reduce inappropriate ordering on a urgent basis test, implementing further examinations not yet previewed in the hospital panel of the available urgencies, according to the evidence based diagnosis concept. The secondary goal was to indicate strategies of re-engineering of the processes, improving turnaround time in the laboratory management of emergencies. After evaluating, as first intervention, the more reliable sources for practice guidelines, systematic reviews and RCTs, the committee further discussed main topics with in-hospital stakeholders, selected from Emergency, Internal Medicine and Surgery Depts. The working group, in many subsequent audits, tried to obtain a systematic feed back with all involved professionals. RESULTS After reviewing literature’s evidence, the board constrained testing options by defining the basic emergency laboratory panel tests (blood type, hemogram, blood urea nitrogen, plasma creatinine, glucose, sodium, potassium, chloride, osmolarity, CRP, bicarbonate, CPK, creatine phosphokinase-MB, myoglobin, troponin, BNP and NT-proBNP, PT-INR, PTT, D-dimer, beta- HCG, biochemical urinalysis etc.. As final result, the proposed tests reduced the overall number of inappropriate investigations and increased, with newer and updated tests, the available panel for critical patients. DISCUSSION A collegiate review of data reporting, in-hospital deepening of problems and the inter- professional discussion of the evidences

  1. The Symbiotic Relationship Between Operational Military Medicine, Tactical Medicine, and Wilderness Medicine: A View Through a Personal Lens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llewellyn, Craig H

    2017-06-01

    There are direct and indirect linkages and a form of symbiosis between operational military medicine from World War II and present wilderness medicine, from the beginnings to contemporary practice, and the more recently evolved field of tactical emergency medical support. Each of these relationships will be explored from the historical perspective of the Department of Military & Emergency Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences from 1982 to the present. Copyright © 2017 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Using Lean Management to Reduce Emergency Department Length of Stay for Medicine Admissions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allaudeen, Nazima; Vashi, Anita; Breckenridge, Julia S; Haji-Sheikhi, Farnoosh; Wagner, Sarah; Posley, Keith A; Asch, Steven M

    The practice of boarding admitted patients in the emergency department (ED) carries negative operational, clinical, and patient satisfaction consequences. Lean tools have been used to improve ED workflow. Interventions focused on reducing ED length of stay (LOS) for admitted patients are less explored. To evaluate a Lean-based initiative to reduce ED LOS for medicine admissions. Prospective quality improvement initiative performed at a single university-affiliated Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center from February 2013 to February 2016. We performed a Lean-based multidisciplinary initiative beginning with a rapid process improvement workshop to evaluate current processes, identify root causes of delays, and develop countermeasures. Frontline staff developed standard work for each phase of the ED stay. Units developed a daily management system to reinforce, evaluate, and refine standard work. The primary outcome was the change in ED LOS for medicine admissions pre- and postintervention. ED LOS at the intervention site was compared with other similar VA facilities as controls over the same time period using a difference-in-differences approach. ED LOS for medicine admissions reduced 26.4%, from 8.7 to 6.4 hours. Difference-in-differences analysis showed that ED LOS for combined medicine and surgical admissions decreased from 6.7 to 6.0 hours (-0.7 hours, P = .003) at the intervention site compared with no change (5.6 hours, P = .2) at the control sites. We utilized Lean management to significantly reduce ED LOS for medicine admissions. Specifically, the development and management of standard work were key to sustaining these results.

  3. Functional Somatic Syndromes: Emerging Biomedical Models and Traditional Chinese Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steven Tan

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The so-called functional somatic syndromes comprise a group of disorders that are primarily symptom-based, multisystemic in presentation and probably involve alterations in mind-brain-body interactions. The emerging neurobiological models of allostasis/allostatic load and of the emotional motor system show striking similarities with concepts used by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM to understand the functional somatic disorders and their underlying pathogenesis. These models incorporate a macroscopic perspective, accounting for the toll of acute and chronic traumas, physical and emotional stressors and the complex interactions between the mind, brain and body. The convergence of these biomedical models with the ancient paradigm of TCM may provide a new insight into scientifically verifiable diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for these common disorders.

  4. A suggested emergency medicine boot camp curriculum for medical students based on the mapping of Core Entrustable Professional Activities to Emergency Medicine Level 1 milestones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lamba S

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Sangeeta Lamba, Bryan Wilson, Brenda Natal, Roxanne Nagurka, Michael Anana, Harsh Sule Department of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA Background: An increasing number of students rank Emergency Medicine (EM as a top specialty choice, requiring medical schools to provide adequate exposure to EM. The Core Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs for Entering Residency by the Association of American Medical Colleges combined with the Milestone Project for EM residency training has attempted to standardize the undergraduate and graduate medical education goals. However, it remains unclear as to how the EPAs correlate to the milestones, and who owns the process of ensuring that an entering EM resident has competency at a certain minimum level. Recent trends establishing specialty-specific boot camps prepare students for residency and address the variability of skills of students coming from different medical schools. Objective: Our project’s goal was therefore to perform a needs assessment to inform the design of an EM boot camp curriculum. Toward this goal, we 1 mapped the core EPAs for graduating medical students to the EM residency Level 1 milestones in order to identify the possible gaps/needs and 2 conducted a pilot procedure workshop that was designed to address some of the identified gaps/needs in procedural skills. Methods: In order to inform the curriculum of an EM boot camp, we used a systematic approach to 1 identify gaps between the EPAs and EM milestones (Level 1 and 2 determine what essential and supplemental competencies/skills an incoming EM resident should ideally possess. We then piloted a 1-day, three-station advanced ABCs procedure workshop based on the identified needs. A pre-workshop test and survey assessed knowledge, preparedness, confidence, and perceived competence. A post-workshop survey evaluated the program, and a posttest combined with psychomotor skills test using three

  5. Intraoperative ultrasonography in detection of hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rafaelsen, Søren Rafael; Kronborg, Ole; Fenger, Claus

    1995-01-01

    PURPOSE: This study was designed to compare diagnostic accuracies of measuring liver enzymes, preoperative ultrasonography, surgical examination, and intraoperative ultrasonography for detection of liver metastases from colorectal cancer. METHODS: Blind, prospective comparisons of diagnostic...... examinations mentioned above were performed in 295 consecutive patients with colorectal cancer. An experienced ultrasonologist performed the preoperative examinations, and results were unknown to the other experienced ultrasonologist who performed the intraoperative examinations. The latter, also was unaware...

  6. The Emergence of the Dose–Response Concept in Biology and Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edward J. Calabrese

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available A historical assessment of the origin of the dose–response in modern toxicology and its integration as a central concept in biology and medicine is presented. This article provides an overview of how the threshold, linear and biphasic (i.e., hormetic dose–response models emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and competed for acceptance and dominance. Particular attention is directed to the hormetic model for which a general description and evaluation is provided, including its historical basis, and how it was marginalized by the medical and pharmacology communities in the early decades of the 20th century.

  7. Ultrasonography of hydronephrosis in the newborn: A practical review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Young Hun; Cheon, Jung Eun; Kim, Woo Sun; Kim, In One

    2016-01-01

    Widespread use of fetal ultrasonography is accompanied by more frequent detection of antenatal hydronephrosis. Therefore, sonographic evaluation of neonates with a history of antenatal hydronephrosis is becoming more widespread. As an initial postnatal non-invasive imaging modality, ultrasonography is used to screen for persistence of hydronephrosis, determine the level and severity of obstruction, and contribute to appropriate diagnosis and treatment. This review aims to provide a practical overview of the sonographic evaluation of neonatal hydronephrosis and to describe the sonographic findings of conditions associated with hydronephrosis in the newborn

  8. Ultrasonography of hydronephrosis in the newborn: a practical review

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-01

    Widespread use of fetal ultrasonography is accompanied by more frequent detection of antenatal hydronephrosis. Therefore, sonographic evaluation of neonates with a history of antenatal hydronephrosis is becoming more widespread. As an initial postnatal non-invasive imaging modality, ultrasonography is used to screen for persistence of hydronephrosis, determine the level and severity of obstruction, and contribute to appropriate diagnosis and treatment. This review aims to provide a practical overview of the sonographic evaluation of neonatal hydronephrosis and to describe the sonographic findings of conditions associated with hydronephrosis in the newborn. PMID:27156562

  9. Ultrasonography of hydronephrosis in the newborn: A practical review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Young Hun; Cheon, Jung Eun; Kim, Woo Sun; Kim, In One [Dept. of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Children' s Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-07-15

    Widespread use of fetal ultrasonography is accompanied by more frequent detection of antenatal hydronephrosis. Therefore, sonographic evaluation of neonates with a history of antenatal hydronephrosis is becoming more widespread. As an initial postnatal non-invasive imaging modality, ultrasonography is used to screen for persistence of hydronephrosis, determine the level and severity of obstruction, and contribute to appropriate diagnosis and treatment. This review aims to provide a practical overview of the sonographic evaluation of neonatal hydronephrosis and to describe the sonographic findings of conditions associated with hydronephrosis in the newborn.

  10. Workplace Violence and Harassment Against Emergency Medicine Residents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin H. Schnapp

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Several studies have shown that workplace violence in the emergency department (ED is common. Residents may be among the most vulnerable staff, as they have the least experience with these volatile encounters. The goal for this study was to quantify and describe acts of violence against emergency medicine (EM residents by patients and visitors and to identify perceived barriers to safety. Methods: This cross-sectional survey study queried EM residents at multiple New York City hospitals. The primary outcome was the incidence of violence experienced by residents while working in the ED. The secondary outcomes were the subtypes of violence experienced by residents, as well as the perceived barriers to safety while at work. Results: A majority of residents (66%, 78/119 reported experiencing at least one act of physical violence during an ED shift. Nearly all residents (97%, 115/119 experienced verbal harassment, 78% (93/119 had experienced verbal threats, and 52% (62/119 reported sexual harassment. Almost a quarter of residents felt safe “Occasionally,” “Seldom” or “Never” while at work. Patient-based factors most commonly cited as contributory to violence included substance use and psychiatric disease. Conclusion: Self-reported violence against EM residents appears to be a significant problem. Incidence of violence and patient risk factors are similar to what has been found previously for other ED staff. Understanding the prevalence of workplace violence as well as the related systems, environmental, and patient-based factors is essential for future prevention efforts.

  11. Workplace Violence and Harassment Against Emergency Medicine Residents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schnapp, Benjamin H.; Slovis, Benjamin H.; Shah, Anar D.; Fant, Abra L.; Gisondi, Michael A.; Shah, Kaushal H.; Lech, Christie A.

    2016-01-01

    Introduction Several studies have shown that workplace violence in the emergency department (ED) is common. Residents may be among the most vulnerable staff, as they have the least experience with these volatile encounters. The goal for this study was to quantify and describe acts of violence against emergency medicine (EM) residents by patients and visitors and to identify perceived barriers to safety. Methods This cross-sectional survey study queried EM residents at multiple New York City hospitals. The primary outcome was the incidence of violence experienced by residents while working in the ED. The secondary outcomes were the subtypes of violence experienced by residents, as well as the perceived barriers to safety while at work. Results A majority of residents (66%, 78/119) reported experiencing at least one act of physical violence during an ED shift. Nearly all residents (97%, 115/119) experienced verbal harassment, 78% (93/119) had experienced verbal threats, and 52% (62/119) reported sexual harassment. Almost a quarter of residents felt safe “Occasionally,” “Seldom” or “Never” while at work. Patient-based factors most commonly cited as contributory to violence included substance use and psychiatric disease. Conclusion Self-reported violence against EM residents appears to be a significant problem. Incidence of violence and patient risk factors are similar to what has been found previously for other ED staff. Understanding the prevalence of workplace violence as well as the related systems, environmental, and patient-based factors is essential for future prevention efforts. PMID:27625721

  12. Ultrasonography of the Rotator Cuff

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Yong Cheol

    2006-01-01

    The ultrasonography (US) is an important modality in evaluating shoulder disease. It is accurate in diagnosing the various shoulder diseases including tendinosis, calcific tendinitis, and subacromial bursitis as well as rotator cuff tears. This article presents a pictorial review of US anatomy of the shoulder, the technical aspects of shoulder US, major types of shoulder pathology, and interventional procedure under US guidance

  13. Ultrasonography of the Rotator Cuff

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, Yong Cheol [Samsung Medica Center, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2006-09-15

    The ultrasonography (US) is an important modality in evaluating shoulder disease. It is accurate in diagnosing the various shoulder diseases including tendinosis, calcific tendinitis, and subacromial bursitis as well as rotator cuff tears. This article presents a pictorial review of US anatomy of the shoulder, the technical aspects of shoulder US, major types of shoulder pathology, and interventional procedure under US guidance

  14. Comparative study of scintigraphy, ultrasonography and computed tomography in the evaluation of liver tumours

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tohyama, Junko; Ishigaki, Takeo; Ishikawa, Tsutomu

    1982-01-01

    A comparative study of scintigraphy, ultrasonography and computed tomography in 67 proven patients with clinically suspected liver tumours was reported. Scintigraphy was superior in sensitivity to ultrasonography and computed tomography. However, in specificity, scintigraphy was inferior to other two. Diagnostic efficacy of ultrasonography and computed tomography in detecting focal masses of the liver was not greatly different, and simultaneous interpretation of ultrasonogram and computed tomogram was more helpful than independent interpretation. So they were thought to be complementary. In conclusion, scintigraphy was thought to be the initial procedure in the diagnostic approach for focal liver masses and ultrasonography was second procedure because of no radiation hazards. And computed tomography should follow then. (author)

  15. Emergency Medicine Resident Perceptions of Medical Professionalism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jauregui, Joshua; Gatewood, Medley O; Ilgen, Jonathan S; Schaninger, Caitlin; Strote, Jared

    2016-05-01

    Medical professionalism is a core competency for emergency medicine (EM) trainees; but defining professionalism remains challenging, leading to difficulties creating objectives and performing assessment. Because professionalism is dynamic, culture-specific, and often taught by modeling, an exploration of trainees' perceptions can highlight their educational baseline and elucidate the importance they place on general conventional professionalism domains. To this end, our objective was to assess the relative value EM residents place on traditional components of professionalism. We performed a cross-sectional, multi-institutional survey of incoming and graduating EM residents at four programs. The survey was developed using the American Board of Internal Medicine's "Project Professionalism" and the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education definition of professionalism competency. We identified 27 attributes within seven domains: clinical excellence, humanism, accountability, altruism, duty and service, honor and integrity, and respect for others. Residents were asked to rate each attribute on a 10-point scale. We analyzed data to assess variance across attributes as well as differences between residents at different training levels or different institutions. Of the 114 residents eligible, 100 (88%) completed the survey. The relative value assigned to different professional attributes varied considerably, with those in the altruism domain valued significantly lower and those in the "respect for others" and "honor and integrity" valued significantly higher (p<0.001). Significant differences were found between interns and seniors for five attributes primarily in the "duty and service" domain (p<0.05). Among different residencies, significant differences were found with attributes within the "altruism" and "duty and service" domains (p<0.05). Residents perceive differences in the relative importance of traditionally defined professional attributes and this may

  16. The role for peer-assisted ultrasound teaching in medical school.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickerson, Jonathan; Paul, Katie; Vila, Pierre; Whiticar, Rebecca

    2017-06-01

    Bedside ultrasonography has an increasing role in medicine yet medical students have limited exposure. Although countless hours are devoted to plain radiograph and electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation, ultrasound is frequently glossed over. Yet this imaging modality could enhance students' understanding of anatomy, physiology and pathology, and may increase their integration into hospital teams. We aimed to investigate whether a peer-assisted ultrasound course has a place within the undergraduate medical curriculum. We describe the implementation of a course and discuss its acceptability and utility in student education. Bedside ultrasonography has an increasing role in medicine yet medical students have limited exposure METHODS: Following consultation with the medical school, an improved ultrasonography course was developed with expert guidance from an ultrasonographer and with new equipment. Sessions involved peer-tutors teaching ultrasonography techniques to medical students during emergency medicine placements. Tutees completed questionnaires to assess the quality and perceived benefits of the course and of learning ultrasonography. Both quantitative and thematic analyses of the responses were conducted by the authors. Over a period of 8 months, 105 medical students received teaching across four sessions. A total of 103 students (98%) returned questionnaires on their evaluation of the course and tutors, and on their confidence in using ultrasound. Ninety-eight per cent felt that the teaching was well delivered, 100 per cent felt that their knowledge of ultrasound had improved and 100 per cent would recommend the course. The peer-assisted ultrasound course described here enabled the majority of students to feel confident gaining elementary ultrasound views, and performing abdominal aneurysm screening and trauma assessments: techniques that they could hopefully put to use during their placements. The peer-assisted model has an acceptable role in teaching

  17. Comparison of the results of abdominal ultrasonography and exploratory laparotomy in the dog and cat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pastore, Gina E; Lamb, Christopher R; Lipscomb, Victoria

    2007-01-01

    Results of preoperative ultrasonography and exploratory laparotomy were reviewed retrospectively in a series of 100 small animals to assess the agreement between ultrasonographic and surgical findings and to identify abdominal lesions likely to be missed by ultrasonography. Good agreement occurred between ultrasound reports and surgical reports in 64% of the animals, which supported the use of ultrasonography in potential surgical candidates. A major discrepancy was observed between the ultrasound report and surgical findings in 25% of the animals. Of the various types of pathology encountered in the study, gastrointestinal ulceration or perforation was the most likely lesion to be missed by ultrasonography.

  18. Iatrogenic water intoxication during pelvic ultrasonography in a patient with diabetes insipidus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Derinöz, Okşan; Emeksiz, Hamdi Cihan; Kalkan, Gökhan; Camurdan, Orhun

    2012-01-01

    Pelvic ultrasonography (US) is a simple and non-invasive radiologic test to evaluate the pelvic organs. It requires a full bladder for better visualization. Our case is a 14-year-old female with diabetes insipidus (DI) who admitted to the pediatric emergency service with the complaints of seizure and agitation after drinking 4 liters of water in one hour for a pelvic US examination due to work-up for delayed puberty. Her biochemical and clinical evaluation revealed water intoxication (WI). To our knowledge, this is the first WI case developed in a patient with DI. Here, we discuss the underlying factors leading to this complication and recommended an approach to obtain a better sonographic image without necessitating oral water intake to fill the urinary bladder.

  19. Shadowing emergency medicine residents by medical education specialists to provide feedback on non-medical knowledge-based ACGME sub-competencies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Waterbrook AL

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Anna L Waterbrook,1 Karen C Spear Ellinwood,2 T Gail Pritchard,3 Karen Bertels,1 Ariel C Johnson,4 Alice Min,1 Lisa R Stoneking1 1Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA; 3Department of Pediatrics, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA; 4College of Medicine, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA Objective: Non-medical knowledge-based sub-competencies (multitasking, professionalism, accountability, patient-centered communication, and team management are challenging for a supervising emergency medicine (EM physician to evaluate in real-time on shift while also managing a busy emergency department (ED. This study examines residents’ perceptions of having a medical education specialist shadow and evaluate their nonmedical knowledge skills.Methods: Medical education specialists shadowed postgraduate year 1 and postgraduate year 2 EM residents during an ED shift once per academic year. In an attempt to increase meaningful feedback to the residents, these specialists evaluated resident performance in selected non-medical knowledge-based Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME sub-competencies and provided residents with direct, real-time feedback, followed by a written evaluation sent via email. Evaluations provided specific references to examples of behaviors observed during the shift and connected these back to ACGME competencies and milestones.Results: Twelve residents participated in this shadow experience (six post graduate year 1 and six postgraduate year 2. Two residents emailed the medical education specialists ahead of the scheduled shadow shift requesting specific feedback. When queried, five residents voluntarily requested their feedback to be included in their formal biannual review. Residents received

  20. Education Scholarship and its Impact on Emergency Medicine Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherbino, Jonathan

    2015-01-01

    Emergency medicine (EM) education is becoming increasingly challenging as a result of changes to North American medical education and the growing complexity of EM practice. Education scholarship (ES) provides a process to develop solutions to these challenges. ES includes both research and innovation. ES is informed by theory, principles and best practices, is peer reviewed, and is disseminated and archived for others to use. Digital technologies have improved the discovery of work that informs ES, broadened the scope and timing of peer review, and provided new platforms for the dissemination and archiving of innovations. This editorial reviews key steps in raising an education innovation to the level of scholarship. It also discusses important areas for EM education scholars to address, which include the following: the delivery of competency-based medical education programs, the impact of social media on learning, and the redesign of continuing professional development. PMID:26594270

  1. Education Scholarship and its Impact on Emergency Medicine Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherbino, Jonathan

    2015-11-01

    Emergency medicine (EM) education is becoming increasingly challenging as a result of changes to North American medical education and the growing complexity of EM practice. Education scholarship (ES) provides a process to develop solutions to these challenges. ES includes both research and innovation. ES is informed by theory, principles and best practices, is peer reviewed, and is disseminated and archived for others to use. Digital technologies have improved the discovery of work that informs ES, broadened the scope and timing of peer review, and provided new platforms for the dissemination and archiving of innovations. This editorial reviews key steps in raising an education innovation to the level of scholarship. It also discusses important areas for EM education scholars to address, which include the following: the delivery of competency-based medical education programs, the impact of social media on learning, and the redesign of continuing professional development.

  2. Hospitalisation in an emergency department short-stay unit compared to an internal medicine department is associated with fewer complications in older patients - an observational study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Strøm, Camilla; Mollerup, Talie Khadem; Kromberg, Laurits Schou

    2017-01-01

    Medicine Department (IMD). METHODS: Observational study evaluating adverse events during hospitalisation in non-emergent, age-matched, internal medicine patients ≥75 years, acutely admitted to either the SSU or the IMD at Holbaek Hospital, Denmark, from January to August, 2014. Medical records were......, unplanned readmission, and nosocomial infection. CONCLUSIONS: Adverse events of hospitalisation were significantly less common in older patients acutely admitted to an Emergency Department Short-stay Unit as compared to admission to an Internal Medicine Department.......BACKGROUND: Older patients are at particular risk of experiencing adverse events during hospitalisation. OBJECTIVE: To compare the frequencies and types of adverse events during hospitalisation in older persons acutely admitted to either an Emergency Department Short-stay Unit (SSU) or an Internal...

  3. Ultrasonography of the omasum in 30 Saanen goats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacquat Désirée

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Primary diseases of the omasum are uncommon in goats, although the omasum may be involved in various gastrointestinal disorders. Examination of the caprine omasum via ultrasonography requires a good understanding of the normal appearance of the organ. However, in contrast to cattle, there is a lack of reference information on this topic in goats. Thus, the goal of the present study was to describe the results of ultrasonography of the omasum in 30 healthy Saanen goats. Results Ultrasonography was carried out in standing, non-sedated goats using a 5.0 MHz linear transducer. The location and size of the omasum, thickness of the omasal wall and visualisation of the abomasal laminae, contents and contractions were assessed. The omasum was visible from the 9th intercostal space (ICS in all the goats, and from the 8th and 10th ICSs in 29 and 24 goats, respectively. The omasum was seen medial to the liver, but only the omasal wall closest to the transducer was visible. The dorsal omasal limit formed a dorsally convex curve running from cranioventral to caudodorsal and was furthest from the dorsal midline in the 6th ICS. The ventral omasal limit formed a ventrally convex curve. The size of the omasum was largest (10.2 ± 3.1 cm in the 9th ICS and decreased cranially and caudally from this position. Active omasal motility was recorded in 20 goats with 0.3 to 2.0 contractions per minute. Conclusions The findings of this study provide reference ranges for the interpretation of the location and size of the omasum in goats with suspected omasal abnormalities. Ultrasonography is an ideal diagnostic tool for evaluation of the omasum, which is not accessible to conventional examination techniques, such as inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation.

  4. Transfusion Related Emergencies

    OpenAIRE

    Osborn, Megan Boysen; Tran, Min-Ha

    2016-01-01

    Audience: This exercise is appropriate for all emergency medicine learners (residents and medical students) and learners from other specialties (internal medicine, family medicine, anesthesia). Introduction: About 85 million red blood cell units are transfused worldwide each year. Transfusion reactions can complicate up to 8% of blood transfusions and can range from benign to life threatening. An emergency physician must be able to discuss the risks and benefits of blood transfusion...

  5. Contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Reddy, Nischita K; Ioncica, Ana Maria; Saftoiu, Adrian

    2011-01-01

    Contrast agents are increasingly being used to characterize the vasculature in an organ of interest, to better delineate benign from malignant pathology and to aid in staging and directing therapeutic procedures. We review the mechanisms of action of first, second and third generation contrast...... agents and their use in various endoscopic procedures in the gastrointestinal tract. Various applications of contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography include differentiating benign from malignant mediastinal lymphadenopathy, assessment of depth of invasion of esophageal, gastric and gall bladder...

  6. Resident experience of abuse and harassment in emergency medicine: ten years later.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Siu Fai; Grant, Kelly; Bhoj, Tanuja; Lent, Gretchen; Garrick, Jocelyn Freeman; Greenwald, Peter; Haber, Marc; Singh, Malini; Prodany, Karla; Sanchez, Leon; Dickman, Eitan; Spencer, James; Perera, Tom; Cowan, Ethan

    2010-02-01

    In 1995, a Society for Academic Emergency Medicine in-service survey reported high rates of verbal and physical abuse experienced by Emergency Medicine (EM) residents. We sought to determine the prevalence of abuse and harassment 10 years later to bring attention to these issues and determine if there has been a change in the prevalence of abuse over this time period. To determine the prevalence of abuse and harassment in a sample of EM residencies. We conducted a cross-section survey of EM residents from 10 residencies. EM residents were asked about their experience with verbal abuse, verbal threats, physical threats, physical attacks, sexual harassment, and racial harassment; and by whom. The primary outcome of the study was the prevalence of abuse and harassment as reported by EM residents. There were 196 of 380 residents (52%) who completed the survey. The prevalence of any type of abuse experienced was 91%; 86% of residents experienced verbal abuse, 65% verbal threats, 50% physical threats, 26% physical attacks, 23% sexual harassment, and 26% racial harassment. Women were more likely than men to encounter sexual harassment (37% [38/102] vs. 8% [7/92]; p harassment was not limited to minorities (23% [16/60] for Caucasians vs. 26% [29/126] for non-Caucasians; p = 0.59). Senior residents were more likely to have encountered verbal and physical abuse. Only 12% of residents formally reported the abuse they experienced. Abuse and harassment during EM residency continues to be commonplace and is underreported. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. The Rhode Island Life Saving Score (RILSS)--a proposed life-saving definition for EMS and emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Kenneth A; Sullivan, Francis M

    2013-12-03

    Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Emergency Medicine staff are often described as life-saving providers, but there is no generally accepted objective definition of a life saved by these providers. Therefore, a proposed definition is described. Development of this definition began with conceptual rules, followed by a survey of physician EMS medical directors, and then by the development of a tool to implement the definition, and measure its validity and reliability through a review of 100 critical care transport EMS patient charts.

  8. Emergency medicine resident education in palliative care: a needs assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamba, Sangeeta; Pound, Amy; Rella, Joseph G; Compton, Scott

    2012-05-01

    Hospice and Palliative Medicine is a newly designated subspecialty of Emergency Medicine (EM). As yet, no well defined palliative care (PC) models for education or training exist. A needs assessment is the first step towards developing a curriculum. To characterize emergency physicians' (EP) perceived educational and formal training needs for PC related skills. All EM residents and faculty of one academic facility were asked to complete an anonymous needs-assessment survey. Participants were asked to rank statements related to attitudes about PC and rate their formal training and knowledge in 10 aspects of PC using a 5-point Likert-scale. EPs also ranked 4 learning modalities in order of preference and 12 PC educational topics in order of perceived importance in an EM curriculum. Ninety-three percent (42/45) of eligible participants completed the survey (28 residents, 14 faculty). Respondents agreed/strongly agreed that PC skills are an important competence for EM (88%, 37/42) and that they would "like to have more training/education in PC" (79%, 33/42). Respondents also disagreed/strongly disagreed with the statement that "PC consult is called when no more can be done for the patient" (90%, 38/42). Important PC topics identified were pain management, discussing code status, and management of dyspnea and other symptoms in terminal illness. Bedside teaching was listed as the preferred learning modality. EM residents reported minimal training in pain management (46%, 13/28), managing hospice patients (54%, 15/28), withdrawal/withholding life support (54%, 15/28), and managing the imminently dying (43%, 12/28). There was no consistent, significant improvement reported in any domain as training and experience progressed from PGY (postgraduate year) 1 to PGY 4 to attending physician. EPs view PC skills as important for EM practice and report that they are not yet adequately educated and trained in providing PC. Domains of particular interest and targeted areas for PC

  9. A Survey of Graduates of Combined Emergency Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Programs: An Update.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strobel, Ashley M; Chasm, Rose M; Woolridge, Dale P

    2016-10-01

    In 1998, emergency medicine-pediatrics (EM-PEDS) graduates were no longer eligible for the pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) sub-board certification examination. There is a paucity of guidance regarding the various training options for medical students who are interested in PEM. We sought to to determine attitudes and personal satisfaction of graduates from EM-PEDS combined training programs. We surveyed 71 graduates from three EM-PEDS residences in the United States. All respondents consider their combined training to be an asset when seeking a job, 92% find it to be an asset to their career, and 88% think it provided added flexibility to job searches. The most commonly reported shortcoming was their ineligibility for the PEM sub-board certification. The lack of this designation was perceived to be a detriment to securing academic positions in dedicated children's hospitals. When surveyed regarding which training offers the better skill set for the practice of PEM, 90% (44/49) stated combined EM-PEDS training. When asked which training track gives them the better professional advancement in PEM, 52% (23/44) chose combined EM-PEDS residency, 27% (12/44) chose a pediatrics residency followed by a PEM fellowship, and 25% (11/44) chose an EM residency then a PEM fellowship. No EM-PEDS respondents considered PEM fellowship training after the completion of the dual training program. EM-PEDS graduates found combined training to be an asset in their career. They felt that it provided flexibility in job searches, and that it was ideal training for the skill set required for the practice of PEM. EM-PEDS graduates' practices varied, including mixed settings, free-standing children's hospitals, and community emergency departments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Social-media-enabled learning in emergency medicine: a case study of the growth, engagement and impact of a free open access medical education blog.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carley, Simon; Beardsell, Iain; May, Natalie; Crowe, Liz; Baombe, Janos; Grayson, Alan; Carden, Richard; Liebig, Ashley; Gray, Chris; Fisher, Ross; Horner, Daniel; Howard, Laura; Body, Richard

    2018-02-01

    Clinicians are increasingly using social media for professional development and education. In 2012, we developed the St.Emlyn's blog, an open access resource dedicated to providing free education in the field of emergency medicine. To describe the development and growth of this international emergency medicine blog. We present a narrative description of the development of St.Emlyn's blog. Data on scope, impact and engagement were extracted from WordPress, Twitter and Google Analytics. The St.Emlyn's blog demonstrates a sustained growth in size and user engagement. Since inception in 2012, the site has been viewed over 1.25 million times with a linear year-on-year growth. We have published over 500 blog posts, each of which attracts a mean of 2466 views (range 382-69 671). The site has been viewed in nearly every country in the world, although the majority (>75%) of visitors come from the USA, UK and Australia. This case study of an emergency medicine blog quantifies the reach and engagement of social-media-enabled learning in emergency medicine. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  11. Abdominal ultrasonography, 2nd Ed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goldberg, B.B.

    1984-01-01

    This volume is a new and updated edition of an extensively illustrated text and reference on the capabilities and imaging of gray scale ultrasonography for each major abdominal organ. Each major organ system is treated separately, including liver, gallbladder and bile ducts, pancreas, kidney, retroperitoneum, abdominal vasculature, and more. There are over 500 illustrations and ten pages of full color plates for cross sectional anatomy

  12. When an event sparks behavior change: an introduction to the sentinel event method of dynamic model building and its application to emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boudreaux, Edwin D; Bock, Beth; O'Hea, Erin

    2012-03-01

    Experiencing a negative consequence related to one's health behavior, like a medical problem leading to an emergency department (ED) visit, can promote behavior change, giving rise to the popular concept of the "teachable moment." However, the mechanisms of action underlying this process of change have received scant attention. In particular, most existing health behavior theories are limited in explaining why such events can inspire short-term change in some and long-term change in others. Expanding on recommendations published in the 2009 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference on public health in emergency medicine (EM), we propose a new method for developing conceptual models that explain how negative events, like medical emergencies, influence behavior change, called the Sentinel Event Method. The method itself is atheoretical; instead, it defines steps to guide investigations that seek to relate specific consequences or events to specific health behaviors. This method can be used to adapt existing health behavior theories to study the event-behavior change relationship or to guide formulation of completely new conceptual models. This paper presents the tenets underlying the Sentinel Event Method, describes the steps comprising the process, and illustrates its application to EM through an example of a cardiac-related ED visit and tobacco use. © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  13. HIGH-RESOLUTION ULTRASONOGRAPHY OF SHOULDER FOR ROTATOR CUFF TEAR: CORRELATION WITH ARTHROSCOPIC FINDINGS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vishnumurthy H. Y

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION Rotator cuff disease is the most common cause of shoulder pain. Ultrasonography being non-invasive, widely available, more cost-effective method and is the first choice in imaging of rotator cuff tears. Arthroscopy of shoulder is considered as the gold standard for diagnosis of rotator cuff tears. Objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of high-resolution ultrasonography of shoulder for rotator cuff tears with arthroscopy of shoulder. METHODS Thirty patients clinically suspected to have rotator cuff tear who underwent ultrasonography and arthroscopy of shoulder were included in the study. Duration of study was for two years. All ultrasonography examinations were conducted in ultrasound machine using GE Voluson 730 PRO high frequency (10-12 MHz linear array transducer done by two experienced radiologists. Arthroscopies were done by two experienced shoulder arthroscopic surgeons. RESULTS Age of the patients with rotator cuff tears ranged from 40 to 80 years. 57% were females and 43% were males among the patients who had rotator cuff tears. 71.43% of the rotator cuff tears were found in the dominant arm. 64.28% of patients with rotator cuff tear had given history of fall or trauma to the corresponding shoulder within 6 months prior to presentation. 39.28% of patients who had rotator cuff tears were known diabetics. Supraspinatus tendon was the most commonly affected tendon, followed by infraspinatus and subscapularis tendons. For overall detection of rotator cuff tears, ultrasonography in comparison with the arthroscopy has sensitivity and specificity of 92.85% and 100%. For detection of full thickness rotator cuff tear, its sensitivity and specificity was 94.73% and 100% and for partial thickness rotator cuff tears 76.92% and 100%. Ultrasonography has 100% sensitivity and specificity for detection of supraspinatus full thickness tear. For supraspinatus partial thickness tear, sensitivity and specificity was 88

  14. Traumatic Lumbar Hernia Diagnosed by Ultrasonography: A Case Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Kwang Lae; Yim, Yoon Myung; Lim, Oh Kyung; Park, Ki Deok; Choi, Chung Hwan; Lee, Ju Kang

    2009-01-01

    Traumatic lumbar hernia describes the extrusion of intraperitoneal or extraperitoneal contents through a defect in the posterolateral abdominal wall caused by a trauma. This is a rare entity and usually diagnosed by computed tomography. A 64-year-old male received an injury on his cervical spinal cord after an accident in which he fell down. He complained of a mass on his left posterolateral back area. We diagnosed the mass as a traumatic lumbar hernia by ultrasonography and confirmed it by computed tomography. We conclude that the ultrasonography can be a useful diagnostic tool for traumatic lumbar hernia

  15. Traumatic Lumbar Hernia Diagnosed by Ultrasonography: A Case Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Kwang Lae; Yim, Yoon Myung; Lim, Oh Kyung; Park, Ki Deok; Choi, Chung Hwan; Lee, Ju Kang [Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-12-15

    Traumatic lumbar hernia describes the extrusion of intraperitoneal or extraperitoneal contents through a defect in the posterolateral abdominal wall caused by a trauma. This is a rare entity and usually diagnosed by computed tomography. A 64-year-old male received an injury on his cervical spinal cord after an accident in which he fell down. He complained of a mass on his left posterolateral back area. We diagnosed the mass as a traumatic lumbar hernia by ultrasonography and confirmed it by computed tomography. We conclude that the ultrasonography can be a useful diagnostic tool for traumatic lumbar hernia

  16. Paediatric ultrasonography of the liver, hepatobiliary tract and pancreas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rijn, R.R. van, E-mail: r.r.vanrijn@amc.uva.nl [Department of Radiology, Emma Children' s Hospital – Academic Medical Center, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam (Netherlands); Nievelstein, R.A.J. [Department of Radiology, Wilhelmina Children' s Hospital – University Medical Center, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht (Netherlands)

    2014-09-15

    In the field of paediatric radiology ultrasonography (US) is the most versatile imaging tool available. Children in general, by virtue of their body composition, are excellent candidates for US exams in whom abdominal anatomy and pathology can be visualised in great detail. The fact that during the US study a clinical history can be obtained strongly adds to the value of the US exam. This does require investment in time and expertise and ideally a paediatric radiologist performing the exam. In this review the role of ultrasonography (US) of the liver, biliary tract and pancreas in children is discussed.

  17. The 2015 Academic College of Emergency Experts in India's INDO-US Joint Working Group White Paper on Establishing an Academic Department and Training Pediatric Emergency Medicine Specialists in India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahajan, Prashant; Batra, Prerna; Shah, Binita R; Saha, Abhijeet; Galwankar, Sagar; Aggrawal, Praveen; Hassoun, Ameer; Batra, Bipin; Bhoi, Sanjeev; Kalra, Om Prakash; Shah, Dheeraj

    2015-01-01

    The concept of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) is virtually nonexistent in India. Suboptimally, organized prehospital services substantially hinder the evaluation, management, and subsequent transport of the acutely ill and/or injured child to an appropriate facility. Furthermore, the management of the ill child at the hospital level is often provided by overburdened providers who, by virtue of their training, lack experience in the skills required to effectively manage pediatric emergencies. Finally, the care of the traumatized child often requires the involvement of providers trained in different specialities, which further impedes timely access to appropriate care. The recent recognition of Doctor of Medicine (MD) in Emergency Medicine (EM) as an approved discipline of study as per the Indian Medical Council Act provides an unprecedented opportunity to introduce PEM as a formal academic program in India. PEM has to be developed as a 3-year superspeciality course (in PEM) after completion of MD/Diplomate of National Board (DNB) Pediatrics or MD/DNB in EM. The National Board of Examinations (NBE) that accredits and administers postgraduate and postdoctoral programs in India also needs to develop an academic program – DNB in PEM. The goals of such a program would be to impart theoretical knowledge, training in the appropriate skills and procedures, development of communication and counseling techniques, and research. In this paper, the Joint Working Group of the Academic College of Emergency Experts in India (JWG-ACEE-India) gives its recommendations for starting 3-year DM/DNB in PEM, including the curriculum, infrastructure, staffing, and training in India. This is an attempt to provide an uniform framework and a set of guiding principles to start PEM as a structured superspeciality to enhance emergency care for Indian children. PMID:26807394

  18. Experience-based teaching of acute medicine for extra motivated medical students and young physicians – 4th Emergency Medicine Course and 6th AKUTNĚ.CZ Congress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petr Štourač

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Faculty of Medicine of the Masaryk University (MU, and especially its departments focusing on acute medicine, make an active effort to find and to support extra motivated students by organising courses and congresses with simulation-based learning sessions for them. 4th Emergency Medicine Course (EMC and 6th AKUTNĚ.CZ Congress were organised during 2014. EMC was held during a weekend in mid-April for 80 medical students. The congress was held on 22nd November 2014. A group of more than 700 enthusiastic professionals including physicians, nursing staff and medical students interested in acute medicine met again in Brno at the University Campus Bohunice. We also report the evaluation of effectiveness of different types of sessions, as well as its influence on practical skills and the fixation of memory footprint. The website AKUTNĚ.CZ (www.akutne.cz is freely accessible, and anyone can find and watch all the videos and presentations there.

  19. Glycosides from Medicinal Plants as Potential Anticancer Agents: Emerging Trends towards Future Drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Haroon; Saeedi, Mina; Nabavi, Seyed Mohammad; Mubarak, Mohammad S; Bishayee, Anupam

    2018-04-03

    Cancer continues to be a global burden, despite the advancement of various technological and pharmaceutical improvements over the past two decades. Methods for treating cancer include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy in addition to other specialized techniques. On the other hand, medicinal plants have been traditionally employed either as the complementary medicine or dietary agents in the treatment and management of cancer. Medicinal plants are a rich source of secondary metabolites with interesting biological and pharmacological activities. Among these metabolites, glycosides are naturally occurring substances and have outstanding therapeutic potential and clinical utility. Different medical research engines such GoogleScholar, PubMed, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect were used to collect related literature on the subject matter. In this regard, only peer reviewed journals were considered. Emerging results showed that numerous glycosides isolated from various plants possessed marked anticancer activity against a variety of cancer cell lines. Accordingly, the aim of the present review is to shed light on the anticancer effects of glycosides, analyze possible mechanisms of action, and highlight the role of these natural agents as complementary and alternative medicine in combating and managing cancer. The glycosides isolated from different plants demonstrated potent cytotoxic effects against various cancer cell lines in initial preclinical studies. The anticancer effect was mediated through multiple mechanisms; however further detail studies are needed to understand the full potential of glycosides for clinical utility. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  20. Knowledge translation studies in paediatric emergency medicine: A systematic review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Catherine L; Johnson, David; Oakley, Ed

    2016-02-01

    Systematic review of knowledge translation studies focused on paediatric emergency care to describe and assess the interventions used in emergency department settings. Electronic databases were searched for knowledge translation studies conducted in the emergency department that included the care of children. Two researchers independently reviewed the studies. From 1305 publications identified, 15 studies of varied design were included. Four were cluster-controlled trials, two patient-level randomised controlled trials, two interrupted time series, one descriptive study and six before and after intervention studies. Knowledge translation interventions were predominantly aimed at the treating clinician, with some targeting the organisation. Studies assessed effectiveness of interventions over 6-12 months in before and after studies, and 3-28 months in cluster or patient level controlled trials. Changes in clinical practice were variable, with studies on single disease and single treatments in a single site showing greater improvement. Evidence for effective methods to translate knowledge into practice in paediatric emergency medicine is fairly limited. More optimal study designs with more explicit descriptions of interventions are needed to facilitate other groups to effectively apply these procedures in their own setting. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2016 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

  1. Quantitative muscle ultrasonography in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arts, I.M.P.; Rooij, F.G. van; Overeem, S.; Pillen, S.; Janssen, H.M.; Schelhaas, H.J.; Zwarts, M.J.

    2008-01-01

    In this study, we examined whether quantitative muscle ultrasonography can detect structural muscle changes in early-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Bilateral transverse scans were made of five muscles or muscle groups (sternocleidomastoid, biceps brachii/brachialis, forearm flexor group,

  2. Self vs. Other Focus: Predicting Professionalism Remediation of Emergency Medicine Residents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert E. Thaxton

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Unprofessionalism is a major reason for resident dismissal from training. Because of the high stakes involved, residents and educators alike would benefit from information predicting whether they might experience challenges related to this competency. Our objective was to correlate the outcome of professionalism-related remedial actions during residency with the predictor variable of resident response to a standardized interview question: “Why is Medicine important to you?” Methods We conducted a professional development quality improvement (QI initiative to improve resident education and mentorship by achieving a better understanding of each resident’s reasons for valuing a career in medicine. This initiative entailed an interview administered to each resident beginning emergency medicine training at San Antonio Military Medical Center during 2006–2013. The interviews uniformly began with the standardized question “Why is Medicine important to you?” The residency program director documented a free-text summary of each response to this question, the accuracy of which was confirmed by the resident. We analyzed the text of each resident’s response after a review of the QI data suggested an association between responses and professionalism actions (retrospective cohort design. Two associate investigators blinded to all interview data, remedial actions, and resident identities categorized each text response as either self-focused (e.g., “I enjoy the challenge” or other-focused (e.g., “I enjoy helping patients”. Additional de-identified data collected included demographics, and expressed personal importance of politics and religion. The primary outcome was a Clinical Competency Committee professionalism remedial action. Results Of 114 physicians starting residency during 2006–2013, 106 (93.0% completed the interview. There was good inter-rater reliability in associate investigator categorization of resident

  3. The association between money and opinion in academic emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birkhahn, Robert H; Blomkalns, Andra; Klausner, Howard; Nowak, Richard; Raja, Ali S; Summers, Richard; Weber, Jim E; Briggs, William M; Arkun, Alp; Diercks, Deborah

    2010-05-01

    Financial conflicts of interest have come under increasing scrutiny in medicine, but their impact has not been quantified. Our objective was to use the results of a national survey of academic emergency medicine (EM) faculty to determine if an association between money and personal opinion exists. We conducted a web-based survey of EM faculty. Opinion questions were analyzed with regard to whether the respondent had either 1) received research grant money or 2) received money from industry as a speaker, consultant, or advisor. Responses were unweighted, and tests of differences in proportions were made using Chi-squared tests, with pmoney. Respondents with research money were more likely to be comfortable accepting gifts (40% vs. 29%) and acting as paid consultants (50% vs. 37%). They had a more favorable attitude with regard to societal interactions with industry and felt that industry-sponsored lectures could be fair and unbiased (52% vs. 29%). Faculty with fee-for-service money mirrored those with research money. They were also more likely to believe that industry-sponsored research produces fair and unbiased results (61% vs. 45%) and less likely to believe that honoraria biased speakers (49% vs. 69%). Accepting money for either service or research identified a distinct population defined by their opinions. Faculty engaged in industry-sponsored research benefitted socially (collaborations), academically (publications), and financially from the relationship.

  4. Infusion tomography and ultrasonography of the gallbladder in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karp, W.; Owman, T.; Herlin, P.; Holmin, T.

    1979-01-01

    Sixty-three patients with the clinical suspicion of acute cholecystitis were examined with infusion tomography of the gallbladder. Ultrasonography was performed in 51 of these cases. The technique and diagnostic principles of both methods are discussed. The diagnostic value of the two methods when used in combination is stressed. Thus in a case of gangrenous cholecystitis when opacification of the gallbladder wall may not appear at infusion tomography, ultrasonography may demonstrate signs of gallbladder disease. Infusion tomography, on the other hand, may be of great value if ultrasonography is not informative. (orig.) 891 AJ/orig. 892 BRE [de

  5. Sepsis in Internal Medicine wards: current knowledge, uncertainties and new approaches for management optimization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaccone, Vincenzo; Tosoni, Alberto; Passaro, Giovanna; Vallone, Carla Vincenza; Impagnatiello, Michele; Li Puma, Domenica Donatella; De Cosmo, Salvatore; Landolfi, Raffaele; Mirijello, Antonio

    2017-11-01

    Sepsis represents a global health problem in terms of morbidity, mortality, social and economic costs. Although usually managed in Intensive Care Units, sepsis showed an increased prevalence among Internal Medicine wards in the last decade. This is substantially due to the ageing of population and to multi-morbidity. These characteristics represent both a risk factor for sepsis and a relative contra-indication for the admission to Intensive Care Units. Although there is a lack of literature on the management of sepsis in Internal Medicine, the outcome of these patients seems to be gradually improving. This is due to Internists' increased adherence to guidelines and "bundles". The routine use of SOFA score helps physicians in the definition of septic patients, even if the optimal score has still to come. Point-of-care ultrasonography, lactates, procalcitonin and beta-d-glucan are of help for treatment optimization. The purpose of this narrative review is to focus on the management of sepsis in Internal Medicine departments, particularly on crucial concepts regarding diagnosis, risk assessment and treatment. Key Messages Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. The prevalence of sepsis is constantly increasing, affecting more hospital patients than any other disease. At least half of patients affected by sepsis are admitted to Internal Medicine wards. Adherence to guidelines, routine use of clinical and lab scores and point-of-care ultrasonography are of help for early recognition of septic patients and treatment optimization.

  6. Role of ultrasonography in the evaluation of children with acute abdomen in the emergency set-up

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aviral

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Acute abdomen in children has been aptly described as Pandora′s box. Unlike computerized tomography (CT scan, ultrasonography (USG has no radiation hazard and the present study analyses the diagnostic yield of the USG in acute abdomen in children. Materials and Methods: Between September 2001 to October 2003, 75 patients with acute abdomen underwent clinical examination, routine biochemical tests, erect X-ray abdomen, USG and CT scan. Laparotomy and histological examination established final diagnosis. Results: The accuracy of correct diagnosis was 60%, 66.6%, 64%, 98.7% with clinical examination alone, USG alone, clinical examination combined with conventional radiography, and clinical evaluation combined with conventional radiography and USG respectively. USG helped to prevent unnecessary laparotomy in 16.3% of patients. Conclusions: USG is good investigative modality in the management of acute abdomen in children.

  7. Ultrasonography of the liver anatomy, procedure, normal and abnormal findings in diseased states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukuda, Morimichi

    1996-01-01

    Although the very first attempt to use ultrasound for diagnostic purpose in medicine may be traced back to the 1940's, the modern ultrasound imaging has only been started in 1963 by G. Kossoff, who developed the idea of grayscale ultrasonography together with the automatic waterbath scanner, Octoson, to examine pelvic and other abdominal organs. The signal processing, logarithmic compression of incoming backscattered echo signals, greatly Improved image quality and thus facilitated the use of ultrasound imaging in clinical diagnostic purposes. The bistable, black and white ultrasound equipment were used in the 60's, and even sophisticated B-mode contact scanners had been completely replaced by the real-time B-mode equipment and then the technique started to be used widely in medical imaging in clinical and radiology departments. These rather drastic changes took place since the introduction of the phased array technique introduced by Somer in 1967 and later the linear array method introduced by Bom in 1970. Other rare metabolic diseases have to be analyzed carefully for the differential diagnosis. In summary, ultrasonography is a useful measure to identify the presence of pathologic changes in the liver. The information obtained is mostly of morphological nature, though some additional findings could be obtained by careful analysis of the sonographic features. Examination is quick, non-invasive and findings are fairly reproducible and even very small lesions could be identified. Combined use of the ultrasound imaging with other modalities such as the radio isotope scanning, X ray, CT or MRI will be very helpful in identifying and characterising the lesions in the liver

  8. Can Emergency Medicine Residents Predict Cost of Diagnostic Testing?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tainter, Christopher R

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Diagnostic testing represents a significant portion of healthcare spending, and cost should be considered when ordering such tests. Needless and excessive spending may occur without an appreciation of the impact on the larger healthcare system. Knowledge regarding the cost of diagnostic testing among emergency medicine (EM residents has not previously been studied. A survey was administered to 20 EM residents from a single ACGME-accredited three-year EM residency program, asking for an estimation of patient charges for 20 commonly ordered laboratory tests and seven radiological exams. We compared responses between residency classes to evaluate whether there was a difference based on level of training. The survey completion rate was 100% (20/20 residents. We noted significant discrepancies between the median resident estimates and actual charge to patient for both laboratory and radiological exams. Nearly all responses were an underestimate of the actual cost. The group median underestimation for laboratory testing was $114, for radiographs $57, and for computed tomography exams was $1,058. There was improvement in accuracy with increasing level of training. This pilot study demonstrates that EM residents have a poor understanding of the charges burdening patients and health insurance providers. In order to make balanced decisions with regard to diagnostic testing, providers must appreciate these factors. Education regarding the cost of providing emergency care is a potential area for improvement of EM residency curricula, and warrants further attention and investigation.

  9. A Descriptive Analysis of the Use of Twitter by Emergency Medicine Residency Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diller, David; Yarris, Lalena M

    2018-02-01

    Twitter is increasingly recognized as an instructional tool by the emergency medicine (EM) community. In 2012, the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORD) recommended that EM residency programs' Twitter accounts be managed solely by faculty. To date, little has been published regarding the patterns of Twitter use by EM residency programs. We analyzed current patterns in Twitter use among EM residency programs with accounts and assessed conformance with CORD recommendations. In this mixed methods study, a 6-question, anonymous survey was distributed via e-mail using SurveyMonkey. In addition, a Twitter-based search was conducted, and the public profiles of EM residency programs' Twitter accounts were analyzed. We calculated descriptive statistics and performed a qualitative analysis on the data. Of 168 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited EM programs, 88 programs (52%) responded. Of those programs, 58% (51 of 88) reported having a program-level Twitter account. Residents served as content managers for those accounts in the majority of survey respondents (61%, 28 of 46). Most programs did not publicly disclose the identity or position of their Twitter content manager. We found a wide variety of applications for Twitter, with EM programs most frequently using Twitter for educational and promotional purposes. There is significant variability in the numbers of followers for EM programs' Twitter accounts. Applications and usage among EM residency programs are varied, and are frequently not consistent with current CORD recommendations.

  10. Follow-up of renal and mesenteric artery revascularization with duplex ultrasonography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, David C.; Houston, Gordon T.M.; Anderson, Caroline; Jameson, Margot; Popatia, Shelley

    1996-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the long-term anatomic results of renal revascularization procedures using duplex ultrasonography. Design A case series. Setting A university-affiliated hospital. Patients Twenty-five patients who had undergone renal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) (18 arteries), renal bypass (10 arteries) and mesenteric bypass (6 arteries). The mean follow-up was 22 months (range from 3 to 48 months) for those who underwent renal PTA, 23 months (range from 1.5 to 70 months) for those who underwent renal bypass and 34 months (range from 8 to 144 months) for those who underwent mesenteric bypass. Main Outcome Measures Patency rates for the three procedures as assessed by duplex ultrasonography. Results Duplex ultrasonography demonstrated patency without stenosis after renal and mesenteric artery revascularization in 14 arteries subjected to renal PTA, 9 arteries subjected to renal bypass and 6 arteries subjected to mesenteric bypass. Three arteries that had renal PTA had recurrent vessel stenosis and one had occlusion. One artery that had renal bypass showed occlusion. Conclusions Renal PTA, renal bypass and mesenteric bypass are durable procedures at 2 years of follow-up, and duplex ultrasonography is a valuable method for assessing the patency of arteries after renal and mesenteric revascularization. PMID:8599785

  11. Ultrasonography of Midline Scalp Masses : A Preliminary Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Hyo Kyeong; Lee, Ho Kyu; Choi, Choong Gon; Kim, Kyeong Sook; Jung, Seung Mun; Suh, Dae Chul [Asan Medical Center University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1995-06-15

    We report our ultrasonographic experiences in the evaluation of small midline scalp masses. Ultrasonography was performed in four patients with midline scalp mass less than 3cm and its connecting tract into the cranialcavity. Ultrasonographic findings were correlated with pathologic results. There were three cephaloceles and one cystic lymph angioma. Two encephalomenin-goceles, located in occipital region, were mixed cystic and solid lesions and one atretic meningocele in parietal region was a solid lesion. Ultrasonogram of all three cases showed calvarial defect and connecting tract into the cranial cavity. On the contrary, a cystic lymph angioma in occipital region was a purely cystic mass without an associated calvarial defect. We suppose that ultrasonography could be a useful screening tool in the evaluation of midline scalp masses

  12. Ultrasonography and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in differential diagnosis of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mechev, D.S.; Shcherbyina, O.V.; Yatsik, V.Yi.; Gladka, L.Yu.

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of the work is analysis of diagnostic possibilities of transrectal ultrasonography and PSA in differential diagnosis of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. 142 patients have been investigated by transrectal ultrasonography. he transrectal ultrasonography and PSA are sensible tests in diagnosis of prostate cancer and in differential diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer

  13. Proceedings of the 5. Latin American Congress of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology; Seminar of the Inter American College of Radiology - Abstracts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-01-01

    The works about general radiology, radiotherapy, obstetrics, gynecology, internal medicine and echo-ophthalmology are presented in these congresses. Imaging procedures, including computerized tomography, ultrasonography, scintiscanning, magnetic resonance and X radiation are also described. (C.G.C.)

  14. Portal blood flow volume measurement in schistosomal patients: evaluation of Doppler ultrasonography reproducibility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leao, Alberto Ribeiro de Souza; Santos, Jose Eduardo Mourao; Moulin, Danilo Sales; Shigueoka, David Carlos; D'Ippolito, Giuseppe; Colleoni, Ramiro

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the reproducibility of Doppler ultrasonography in the measurement of portal blood flow volume in schistosomal patients. Materials and methods: Prospective, transversal, observational and self-paired study evaluating 21 patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis submitted to Doppler ultrasonography performed by three independent observers for measurement of portal blood flow. Pairwise interobserver agreement was calculated by means of the intraclass correlation coefficient, paired t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: Interobserver agreement was excellent. Intraclass correlation ranged from 80.6% to 93.0% (IC at 95% [65.3% ; 95.8%]), with the Pearson's correlation coefficient ranging between 81.6% and 92.7% with no statistically significant interobserver difference regarding the mean portal blood flow volume measured by Doppler ultrasonography (p = 0.954 / 0.758 / 0.749). Conclusion: Doppler ultrasonography has demonstrated to be a reliable method for measuring the portal blood flow volume in patients with portal hypertension secondary to schistosomiasis, with a good interobserver agreement. (author)

  15. Portal blood flow volume measurement in schistosomal patients: evaluation of Doppler ultrasonography reproducibility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leao, Alberto Ribeiro de Souza; Santos, Jose Eduardo Mourao; Moulin, Danilo Sales; Shigueoka, David Carlos; D' Ippolito, Giuseppe [Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP/EPM), SP (Brazil). Escola Paulista de Medicina. Dept. de Diagnostico por Imagem]. E-mail: ar.leao@uol.com.br; Colleoni, Ramiro [Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP/EPM), SP (Brazil). Escola Paulista de Medicina. Dept. de Gastroenterologia

    2008-09-15

    Objective: To evaluate the reproducibility of Doppler ultrasonography in the measurement of portal blood flow volume in schistosomal patients. Materials and methods: Prospective, transversal, observational and self-paired study evaluating 21 patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis submitted to Doppler ultrasonography performed by three independent observers for measurement of portal blood flow. Pairwise interobserver agreement was calculated by means of the intraclass correlation coefficient, paired t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: Interobserver agreement was excellent. Intraclass correlation ranged from 80.6% to 93.0% (IC at 95% [65.3% ; 95.8%]), with the Pearson's correlation coefficient ranging between 81.6% and 92.7% with no statistically significant interobserver difference regarding the mean portal blood flow volume measured by Doppler ultrasonography (p = 0.954 / 0.758 / 0.749). Conclusion: Doppler ultrasonography has demonstrated to be a reliable method for measuring the portal blood flow volume in patients with portal hypertension secondary to schistosomiasis, with a good interobserver agreement. (author)

  16. Serial transrectal ultrasonography for monitoring the reproductive activity of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus ussuricus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, H G; Jeong, D H; Yang, J J; Lee, B K; Kong, J K; Lee, J W; Kim, I H

    2015-02-01

    This study evaluated the structural changes in the reproductive tract of Asiatic black bears using serial transrectal ultrasonography. In addition, the ultrasonographic observations were compared with the results of vaginal cytology and hormonal analyses. The collection of blood for hormonal analysis, vaginal cytology and transrectal ultrasonography was performed in two bears (Bears 1 and 2) from June 2011 to August 2013 without mating and in a third bear (Bear 3) from April to December 2012, allowing natural mating. Serial ultrasonographic observations showed cyclic changes in ovarian structures (e.g. emergence of small follicles, growth and ovulation of dominant follicles and corpus luteum (CL) formation) during the reproductive cycles of the three bears. The diameter of the uterine horns remained similar throughout the reproductive cycle in Bears 1 and 2, and it remained similar from April until October, but an enlargement containing foetuses was observed in Bear 3 in December. The ultrasonographic observations were consistent with the data obtained through vaginal cytology and progesterone analysis during the reproductive cycle. An average of 4.0 (±0.4) dominant follicles was observed during the oestrous stage (May-August), during which the superficial cells accounted for >90% of the total vaginal cells. In addition, the detection of an average of 2.6 (±0.2) CL was associated with increased plasma progesterone concentrations (3.0 ± 0.4 ng/ml) between June and December (near hibernation). In conclusion, serial transrectal ultrasonography demonstrated yearly oestrous (ovulation) cycles via follicular dynamics and CL formation on ovaries, accordingly with vaginal cytology and hormonal level in the Asiatic black bear. © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  17. Point-of-care ultrasonography adoption in Canada: using diffusion theory and the Evaluation Tool for Ultrasound skills Development and Education (ETUDE).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woo, Michael Y; Frank, Jason R; Lee, A Curtis

    2014-09-01

    Point-of-care ultrasonography (PoCUS) first appeared in the 1980s in North America, but the extent of the diffusion of its adoption is unknown. We characterized early PoCUS adoption by emergency physicians in Canada and its barriers to use using Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory. We developed a questionnaire based on a pilot study and literature review to assess past, current, and potential use of PoCUS and potential barriers to adoption. A Dillman technique for electronic surveys was used for dissemination. Using Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory, we developed and validated the Evaluation Tool for Ultrasound skills Development and Education (ETUDE). ETUDE scores allowed categorization of respondents into innovators, early adopters, majority, and nonadopters. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and χ² statistics were used to analyze the data. The 296 respondents (36.4% of 814 surveyed) had a median age of 40 and were 72.5% male. Adoption scores using ETUDE revealed nonadopters (18.8%), majority (28.7%), early adopters (34.5%), and innovators (18.0%). Respondents endorsed "always" using PoCUS currently and in the future for focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) (current 41.8%/future 88.4%), first trimester pregnancy (current 23.3%/future 73.7%), suspected abdominal aortic aneurysm (current 32.7%/future 92.6%), basic cardiac indications (current 30.7%/future 87.5%), and central venous catheterization (current 17.0%/future 80.3%). Several barriers to PoCUS were identified for part-time emergency physicians and those working in inner-city/urban/suburban settings. This is the first study to determine the state of adoption and barriers to the introduction of PoCUS in Canadian emergency medicine practice. The novel validated ETUDE instrument should be used to evaluate the uptake of PoCUS over time.

  18. Ultrasonography of the equine shoulder: technique and normal appearance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tnibar, M A; Auer, J A; Bakkali, S

    1999-01-01

    This study was intended to document normal ultrasonographic appearance of the equine shoulder and anatomic landmarks useful in clinical imaging. Both forelimbs of five equine cadavers and both forelimbs of six live adult horses were used. To facilitate understanding of the images, a zoning system assigned to the biceps brachii and to the infraspinatus tendon was developed. Ultrasonography was performed with a real-time B-mode semiportable sector scanner using 7.5- and 5-MHz transducers. On one cadaver limb, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed using a system at 1.5 Tesla, T1-weighted spin-echo sequence. Ultrasonography images were compared to frozen specimens and MRI images to correlate the ultrasonographic findings to the gross anatomy of the shoulder. Ultrasonography allowed easy evaluation of the biceps brachii and the infraspinatus tendon and their bursae, the supraspinatus muscle and tendons, the superficial muscles of the shoulder, and the underlying humerus and scapula. Only the lateral and, partially, the caudal aspects of the humeral head could be visualized with ultrasound. Ultrasonographic appearance, orientation, and anatomic relationships of these structures are described. Ultrasonographic findings correlated well with MRI images and with gross anatomy in the cadavers' limbs.

  19. [Pancreatic ultrasonography].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández-Rodríguez, T; Segura-Grau, A; Rodríguez-Lorenzo, A; Segura-Cabral, J M

    2015-04-01

    Despite the recent technological advances in imaging, abdominal ultrasonography continues to be the first diagnostic test indicated in patients with a suspicion of pancreatic disease, due to its safety, accessibility and low cost. It is an essential technique in the study of inflammatory processes, since it not only assesses changes in pancreatic parenchyma, but also gives an indication of the origin (bile or alcoholic). It is also essential in the detection and tracing of possible complications as well as being used as a guide in diagnostic and therapeutic punctures. It is also the first technique used in the study of pancreatic tumors, detecting them with a sensitivity of around 70% and a specificity of 90%. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  20. Anorectal emergencies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lohsiriwat, Varut

    2016-01-01

    Anorectal emergencies refer to anorectal disorders presenting with some alarming symptoms such as acute anal pain and bleeding which might require an immediate management. This article deals with the diagnosis and management of common anorectal emergencies such as acutely thrombosed external hemorrhoid, thrombosed or strangulated internal hemorrhoid, bleeding hemorrhoid, bleeding anorectal varices, anal fissure, irreducible or strangulated rectal prolapse, anorectal abscess, perineal necrotizing fasciitis (Fournier gangrene), retained anorectal foreign bodies and obstructing rectal cancer. Sexually transmitted diseases as anorectal non-surgical emergencies and some anorectal emergencies in neonates are also discussed. The last part of this review dedicates to the management of early complications following common anorectal procedures that may present as an emergency including acute urinary retention, bleeding, fecal impaction and anorectal sepsis. Although many of anorectal disorders presenting in an emergency setting are not life-threatening and may be successfully treated in an outpatient clinic, an accurate diagnosis and proper management remains a challenging problem for clinicians. A detailed history taking and a careful physical examination, including digital rectal examination and anoscopy, is essential for correct diagnosis and plan of treatment. In some cases, some imaging examinations, such as endoanal ultrasonography and computerized tomography scan of whole abdomen, are required. If in doubt, the attending physicians should not hesitate to consult an expert e.g., colorectal surgeon about the diagnosis, proper management and appropriate follow-up. PMID:27468181

  1. Ultrasonography of ovarian hyperandrogenemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuzmina, Svetlana A.; Zharkin, Nikolay A.

    2001-05-01

    The method of ultrasonography is high informative and widely used in diagnostics of ovarian hyperandrogenaemia. The majority of authors consider that a hyperplasia of a stroma is the main pathognomonic marker of polycystic ovaries (PCO). Still recently swell of a stroma was valued visually, that had subjective nature. We offer for the first time a way of diagnostics of stromal hyperplasia grounded on measurement of a volume of a stroma and ovary with ultrasound method, calculation of the ratio of a volume of the ovary to a volume of a stroma for every patient.

  2. Atrophy of foot muscles in diabetic patients can be detected with ultrasonography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Severinsen, Kaare; Obel, Annette; Jakobsen, Johannes

    2007-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To establish a bedside test with ultrasonography for evaluation of foot muscle atrophy in diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Thickness and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the extensor digitorum brevis muscle (EDB) and of the muscles of the first interstitium (MILs) were...... determined in 26 diabetic patients and in 26 matched control subjects using ultrasonography. To estimate the validity, findings were related to the total volume of all foot muscles determined at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI-FM(vol)). Furthermore, the relations of ultrasonographic estimates to nerve...... than in nonneuropathic diabetic patients (5.8 +/- 2.1 vs. 7.5 +/- 1.7 mm [P foot muscles determined at ultrasonography is directly related to foot muscle volume determined by MRI and to various...

  3. The diagnostic concordance of endoanal ultrasonography and endoanal MRI in cases of anorectal fistula

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Wan Tae; Yoo, Weon Young; Moon, Hee Jung; Shin, Hyun Ja; Joo, Jae Sik

    2000-01-01

    To evaluate the preoperative diagnostic concordance of morphologic classification of anorectal fistula by endoanal ultrasonography (EUSG) and endoanal magnetic resonance imaging (EMRI). Between January 1998 and March 1999, 17 patients with anorectal fistula underwent endoanal ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging for preoperative assessment. The types of fistula and abscess formation were evaluated, and the findings compared with those obtained during surgery. The overall accordance of anorectal fistula was 76% (13 of 17 cases) on ultrasonography and 94% (16 of 17 cases) on magnetic resonance imaging. According to the findings of EUSG, the accordance of each type of anorectal fistula was as follows: transphineteric, 92% (11 of 12 cases); suprasphinteric, 33% (1 of 3); and extrasphincteric, 50% (1 of 2), while for EMRI, the respective figures were 100% (12 of 12 cases), 67% (2 of 3), and 100% (2 of 2). An analysis of reproducibility using kappa value showed that overall concordance between endoanal ultrasonography and surgery (κ=0.820) as well as between endoanal MRI and surgery (κ=0.866), was very close. For the evaluation of anorectal fistula, preoperative endoanal magnetic resonance imaging was more accurate and informative than endoanal ultrasonography

  4. Comparison of the capsular width measured on ultrasonography and MR image of the temporomandibular joint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Tae Wan; Yoo, Dong Soo; Han, Won Jeong; Kim, Eun Kyung [Dankook University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2006-03-15

    To evaluate the reliability and clinical usefulness of ultrasonography in the temporomandibular joint(TMJ). Parasagittal and paracoronal 1.5 T MR images and 7.5 MHz ultrasonography of 40 TMJs in 20 asymptomatic volunteers were obtained. Disc position using MR imaging was evaluated and the distance between the lateral surface of mandibular condyle and the articular capsule using MR image and ultrasonography of 27 TMJs with normal disc position was measured and compared. Intraobserver and interobserver measurements reliability was evaluated by using interclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and measurement error. Also, the distance measured on ultrasonography was compared, according to mouth position and disc position. The normal disc position was found in 27 of 40 asymptomatic joints. At the intraobserver reliability of measurement, ICC at the closed and open mouth position were 0.89 and 0.91. The measurement error was 0.4% and 0.5%. At the interobserver reliability, ICC at the closed and open mouth position, the distances between the lateral surface of mandibular condyle and the articular capsule measured on MR images and ultrasonography were 2.0{+-} 0.7 mm, 1.8{+-}0.5 mm, respectively (p<0.05). On the ultrasonography, the distances at open mouth position were 1.2{+-}0.5 mm (p<0.05). At the TMJ with medially displaced disc, the distances at the closed and open mouth position were 1.3{+-}0.3 mm and 0.9{+-}0.2 mm (p<0.05). The results suggest ultrasonography of TMJ is a reliable imaging technique for assessment of normal disc position.

  5. Detection of rib fractures in minor chest injuries: a comparison between ultrasonography and radiography performed on the same day

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, Yong Soo; Back, Chang Hee; Lee, Kyung Rae; Shin, Yun Hack; Whang, Yeong Seop; Jeong, Ku Young [Yeosu Baek Hospital, Yeosu (Korea, Republic of); Chung, Soo Hyun [NamWon Medical Center, NamWon (Korea, Republic of); Whang, Cheol Mog [Konyang University Hospital, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-04-15

    We wished to compare the ability of ultrasonography and radiography performed on the same day to detect rib fractures in minor chest injuries. Two hundred and fifteen patients with minor chest injuries were selected. Radiography and ultrasonography were performed on the same day with these patients. Chest wall pain was the only presenting symptom. Two radiologists performed ultrasonography. Fractures were identified by a disruption of the anterior margin of the rib and costal cartilage. The incidence and location of fractures and complications revealed by radiography and ultrasonography were compared. Radiographs revealed the presence of 70 rib fractures in 50 (23%) of 215 patients and ultrasonography revealed the presence of 203 rib fractures in 133 (62%) of 215 patients. Ultrasonography uniquely identified 133 rib fractures in 83 patients. Ultrasonography identified a 2.9 fold increase in the number of fractures in a 2.6 fold number of subjects as compared to radiography. Of the 203 sonographically detected fractures, 201 were located in the rib, one was located at the costochondral junction, and one in the costal cartilage. There were no complications seen by either radiography or ultrasonography. Ultrasonography reveals more fractures than those that may be overlooked on radiography for minor chest injuries.

  6. Detection of rib fractures in minor chest injuries: a comparison between ultrasonography and radiography performed on the same day

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Yong Soo; Back, Chang Hee; Lee, Kyung Rae; Shin, Yun Hack; Whang, Yeong Seop; Jeong, Ku Young; Chung, Soo Hyun; Whang, Cheol Mog

    2007-01-01

    We wished to compare the ability of ultrasonography and radiography performed on the same day to detect rib fractures in minor chest injuries. Two hundred and fifteen patients with minor chest injuries were selected. Radiography and ultrasonography were performed on the same day with these patients. Chest wall pain was the only presenting symptom. Two radiologists performed ultrasonography. Fractures were identified by a disruption of the anterior margin of the rib and costal cartilage. The incidence and location of fractures and complications revealed by radiography and ultrasonography were compared. Radiographs revealed the presence of 70 rib fractures in 50 (23%) of 215 patients and ultrasonography revealed the presence of 203 rib fractures in 133 (62%) of 215 patients. Ultrasonography uniquely identified 133 rib fractures in 83 patients. Ultrasonography identified a 2.9 fold increase in the number of fractures in a 2.6 fold number of subjects as compared to radiography. Of the 203 sonographically detected fractures, 201 were located in the rib, one was located at the costochondral junction, and one in the costal cartilage. There were no complications seen by either radiography or ultrasonography. Ultrasonography reveals more fractures than those that may be overlooked on radiography for minor chest injuries

  7. Three-dimensional ultrasonography in the diagnosis of deep endometriosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerriero, Stefano; Saba, Luca; Ajossa, Silvia; Peddes, Cristina; Angiolucci, Marco; Perniciano, Maura; Melis, Gian Benedetto; Alcázar, Juan Luis

    2014-06-01

    In the use of 'tenderness-guided' transvaginal ultrasound, is the diagnostic accuracy of three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography better than two-dimensional (2D) ultrasonography in the identification of deep endometriosis? Three-dimensional ultrasonography has a significantly higher diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of posterior locations of deep endometriosis without intestinal involvement, such as the uterosacral ligaments, vaginal and rectovaginal endometriosis. The only previous study of the diagnosis of posterior compartment endometriosis reported an poor sensitivity of 3D ultrasonography for uterosacral and sigmoid colon involvement. This diagnostic test study included 202 patients scheduled for surgery because of clinical suspicion of deep pelvic endometriosis and was carried out between January 2009 and September 2012. Modified transvaginal ultrasonography was performed on all of the women by a single examiner. Two locations of deep endometriosis were considered: intestinal involvement and other posterior lesions (including vaginal location, rectovaginal septum and uterosacral ligaments). Once the 2D ultrasonography had been performed, the 3D acquisition was performed and the obtained volume was stored. To avoid the risk of recall bias, the same operator evaluated the 3D volumes 6 months after the last examination using virtual navigation to provide a presumptive diagnosis of the presence and localization of deep endometriosis. In addition, to evaluate the reproducibility of 3D, two operators with different levels of expertise performed a retrospective review of 3D volumes from a random sample of 35 patients, twice, 1 week apart to also assess intraobserver agreement. The diagnostic performance of both tests was expressed as area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, positive (LR+) and negative (LR-) likelihood ratios, with their respective 95% confidence interval (CI

  8. Thyroid ultrasonography: Pitfalls and techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Seon hyeong; Kim, Eun Kyung; Kim, Soo Jin; Kwak, Jin Young [Dept. of Radiology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-04-15

    Thyroid ultrasonography (US) plays a key role in the diagnosis and management of thyroid-related diseases. The aim of this article was to illustrate various pitfalls that can occur in utilizing thyroid US and techniques to prevent them. In this article, we present cases demonstrating the common pitfalls associated with US equipment, performance, normal thyroid structures, misinterpretations, and surrounding structures. Knowledge of these areas is essential to avoid misdiagnosis or improper disease management.

  9. Diagnostic value of liver scintigraphy, computed tomography and ultrasonography of fatal hepatitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Komori, Hideshi; Hirasa, Masahiro; Ibuki, Yasuyoshi

    1983-01-01

    The purpose of this study was investigate the diagnostic value of liver scintigraphy, computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography in acute hepatic failure, subacute hepatitis and acute hepatitis. By scintigraphy low uptake in the liver and high uptake in the spleen and bone marrow were observed in hepatic failure. However, uneven liver edge and heterogenous RI destribution were not corresponded to massive necrosis. In fulminant hepatitis, liver size and other findings were variable in patient by patient. But in subacute hepatitis, the findings were typical. The finding of left lobe swelling was observed in a half of patients with acute hepatic failure based on chronic hepatitis. Localized low density area by the CT was detected in most of the cases of subacute hepatitis, and acute hepatitis with submassive hepatic necrosis. But in fulminant hepatitis, that was rare. In these cases, irregular and strong lesion was also obsurved by ultrasonography. These findings by the CT and ultrasonography were corresponded to massive necrosis histrogically ultrasonography revealed narrowing of hepatic vein in fatal hepatitis. Localized low density area by the CT in subacute hepatitis was shown surrounding hepatic vein. We conclude that development of massine hepatic necrosis concern to secondary hepatic ischemia. (author)

  10. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography depicts small tumor vessels for the evaluation of pancreatic tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okamoto, Yuko; Kawamoto, Hirofumi; Takaki, Akinobu; Ishida, Etsuji; Ogawa, Tsuneyoshi; Kuwaki, Kenji; Kobayashi, Yoshiyuki; Sakaguchi, Kohsaku; Shiratori, Yasushi

    2007-01-01

    Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for the diagnosis of pancreatic tumors. Materials and methods: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography with Levovist was performed on 62 consecutive patients (53 with pancreatic cancer, 4 with islet cell tumor, 3 with inflammatory pancreatic tumor, and 2 with metastatic tumor). The vascular and perfusion image phases of the tumors were evaluated and compared with the findings of contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Results: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography showed tumor vessels around and/or in the tumor at the vascular image phase in 79% of pancreatic cancer patients (42/53). At the perfusion image phase, 96% of pancreatic cancers (51/53) were classified as hypo-enhancement type. However, tiny spotty or irregular heterogeneous enhanced lesions were found in 84% of hypo-enhanced pancreatic cancer patients (43/51). The presence of small vessels at the vascular image phase was closely correlated with the presence of these intratumor regional enhanced lesions at the perfusion image phase (κ coefficient = 0.42). The sensitivity of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (100%) for pancreatic cancer was superior to that of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (91%), but no significant difference was observed between the two (McNemar test: p = 0.063). Conclusion: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography with Levovist successfully visualizes fine vessels and enhancement in pancreatic tumors, and is useful for evaluating pancreatic tumors

  11. Corporate and Hospital Profiteering in Emergency Medicine: Problems of the Past, Present, and Future.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Derlet, Robert W; McNamara, Robert M; Plantz, Scott H; Organ, Matthew K; Richards, John R

    2016-06-01

    Health care delivery in the United States has evolved in many ways over the past century, including the development of the specialty of Emergency Medicine (EM). With the creation of this specialty, many positive changes have occurred within hospital emergency departments (EDs) to improve access and quality of care of the nation's de facto "safety net." The specialty of EM has been further defined and held to high standards with regard to board certification, sub-specialization, maintenance of skills, and research. Despite these advances, problems remain. This review discusses the history and evolution of for-profit corporate influence on EM, emergency physicians, finance, and demise of democratic group practice. The review also explores federal and state health care financing issues pertinent to EM and discusses potential solutions. The monopolistic growth of large corporate contract management groups and hospital ownership of vertically integrated physician groups has resulted in the elimination of many local democratic emergency physician groups. Potential downsides of this trend include unfair or unlawful termination of emergency physicians, restrictive covenants, quotas for productivity, admissions, testing, patient satisfaction, and the rising cost of health care. Other problems impact the financial outlook for EM and include falling federal, state, and private insurance reimbursement for emergency care, balance-billing, up-coding, unnecessary testing, and admissions. Emergency physicians should be aware of the many changes happening to the specialty and practice of EM resulting from corporate control, influence, and changing federal and state health care financing issues. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. The current status and future prospects of breast cancer screening using ultrasonography at our facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morikubo, Hiroshi; Ichimura, Miyuki; Abe, Satoko

    2011-01-01

    We report the results obtained by breast cancer screening of the general population using both ultrasonography and mammography conducted by the Tochigi Public Health Service Association. An investigation of breast cancer screening carried out on approximately 140,000 participants between 2000 and 2007 showed that ultrasonography and mammography are remarkably complementary for detection of breast cancer, particularly for women in their 40s and 50s, and that each modality improves the sensitivity of breast cancer detection by approximately 20%. The following issues are pivotal for establishing a breast cancer ultrasonography screening system that is able to maintain high precision and adequate efficiency: technical training of sonographers and physicians who must interpret the sonographic images, quality control of equipment, and an interpretation system that allows previous sonographs to be used as a reference. In independent combined screening systems using ultrasonography and mammography, the high recall rate becomes an issue. Comparative interpretation of sonographic images with previous sonographs is effective for resolving this. However, hopes abound for a comprehensive assessment system that allows simultaneous imaging and interpretation of both ultrasonography and mammography. (author)

  13. On use of ultrasonography in obstetrics and gynecology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woo, Kwang Suk; Lee, Yong Woo

    1984-01-01

    Ultrasonography is playing an very important in diagnosis of normal pregnancy and the other diseases in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology. It is mainly used B-mode and Real time linear scan for pregnancy such as fetal movement during its early stage, fetal position, placenta location and biparietal diameter during its middle stage, and amniotic fluid and placenta previa during its late stage, as well as tumor accompanying pregnancy. Ultrasonography has been extensively used in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology for obtaining detailed images of soft tissues without hazard to the fetus and pregnant woman. In view of the need for its professionalism of high degree of skill, this treatise will introduce clinical instances and images obtained in the sonography room of the Seoul National University Hospital

  14. The value of fetal ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging in the assessment of diaphragmatic hernias

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amim, Bruno; Guerra, Fernando; Marchiori, Edson; Gasparetto, Emerson Leandro

    2008-01-01

    To demonstrate the relevance of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging findings in the prenatal characterization and prognostic evaluation in cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Materials And Methods: Fourteen pregnant women (mean gestational age = 28.7 weeks) who had undergone ultrasonography for suspicion of fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia were assessed by means of magnetic resonance imaging on a 1.5 tesla equipment, following the standard protocol. Two radiologists evaluated the images and the findings were defined by consensus. Results: Twelve fetuses had left diaphragmatic hernia and two, right diaphragmatic hernia. Ultrasonography showed the fetal liver inside the thorax of five fetuses (three with left diaphragmatic hernia, and two with right diaphragmatic hernia) and magnetic resonance imaging in eight fetuses (six with left diaphragmatic hernia, and two with right diaphragmatic hernia). Stomach and small bowel loop herniation was observed in all of the fetuses with left diaphragmatic hernia (n = 12) at both magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography. Eight fetuses (seven with left diaphragmatic hernia and one with right diaphragmatic hernia) survived after surgical treatment. Conclusion: Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging are complementary imaging methods in the evaluation of congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Magnetic resonance imaging is a helpful diagnostic method complementary to ultrasonography for evaluation of the fetal liver positioning, considering its relevance as a prognostic factor in cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia. (author)

  15. A review of existing and emerging digital technologies to combat the global trade in fake medicines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackey, Tim K; Nayyar, Gaurvika

    2017-05-01

    The globalization of the pharmaceutical supply chain has introduced new challenges, chief among them, fighting the international criminal trade in fake medicines. As the manufacture, supply, and distribution of drugs becomes more complex, so does the need for innovative technology-based solutions to protect patients globally. Areas covered: We conducted a multidisciplinary review of the science/health, information technology, computer science, and general academic literature with the aim of identifying cutting-edge existing and emerging 'digital' solutions to combat fake medicines. Our review identified five distinct categories of technology including mobile, radio frequency identification, advanced computational methods, online verification, and blockchain technology. Expert opinion: Digital fake medicine solutions are unifying platforms that integrate different types of anti-counterfeiting technologies as complementary solutions, improve information sharing and data collection, and are designed to overcome existing barriers of adoption and implementation. Investment in this next generation technology is essential to ensure the future security and integrity of the global drug supply chain.

  16. Role of renal scintigraphy in the functional evaluation of ectopic kidneys as compared to intravenous urography and ultrasonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malhotra, G.; Das, B.K.; Pradhan, P.K.; Kaushik, A.

    2002-01-01

    Aim: Ectopic kidneys are mainly diagnosed by Ultrasonography (US) and/or Intravenous urography (IVU) but a functional study using a radionuclide can provide much useful additional information. The objective of this retrospective study was to analyze and compare the information obtained from anatomical investigations like IVU and US with that obtained from a functional study. Materials and Methods: 44 patients (26 males and 18 females) in the age ranging from 2-53 yr. and involving 53 ectopic kidney units were included in the study. All patients underwent renal dynamic scintigraphy with either Tc-99m EC or Tc-99m DTPA after adequate hydration. US report was available in 35 and IVU in 31 kidney units. All investigations were evaluated independent of each other. Results: Out of 53 units 31 were left ectopic (26 simple and 5 crossed) while 21 were right ectopic (18 simple and 3 crossed). One grossly hydronephrotic was seen on ultrasound but not on scintigraphy.26/53 units showed adequate or normal function and drainage. 19/53 units showed obstructive uropathy. 7 units had negligible function. 28/35 units that underwent both ultrasonography and scintigraphy showed concordant findings as far as localization of the kidney was concerned while 7/35 units showed discordant findings. 20/31 units showed discordant findings in scintigraphy as compared to IVU. Of these 9 units were non-visualized on I.V.U but showed adequate function and clearance in renal scintigraphy. In 11/31 units Nuclear Medicine findings corroborated with those of IVU. Conclusion: Nuclear Medicine studies provide reliable anatomic information comparable to IVU and USS and more reliable pathophysiological information. Thus in conjunction with USS and IVU, renal dynamic scintigraphy can play a very important role in the evaluation of ectopic kidneys

  17. Ultrasonographic detection of hepatocellular carcinoma: correlation of preoperative ultrasonography and resected liver pathology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, J.H.; Kim, S.H.; Lee, W.J.; Choi, D.; Kim, S.H.; Lim, H.K.

    2006-01-01

    AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity of ultrasonography for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma in patients who underwent surgical liver resection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The preoperative ultrasonography reports of 103 patients who underwent hepatic resection surgery were retrospectively reviewed. The patients had chronic liver disease with good liver function and a relatively normal liver echotexture. The presence of a mass or masses in the resected part of the liver segments on preoperative ultrasonography was regarded as possible hepatocellular carcinoma, and these results were compared with the surgically resected hepatic lobes or segments. Accuracy for detection was assessed on a lesion-by-lesion basis, on a segment-by-segment basis, and on a patient basis. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-seven hepatocellular carcinomas were found in 244 hepatic segments of 103 patients. One hundred and one of 157 hepatocellular carcinomas were detected using ultrasonography in 97 patients resulting in a sensitivity of 64%. In six patients, a solitary hepatocellular carcinoma was missed in each patient, a patient sensitivity being 94%. Using ultrasonography, 87 of 100 (87%) hepatocellular carcinomas larger than 2 cm in diameter, and 14 of 57 (25%) hepatocellular carcinomas 2 cm or smaller in diameter were revealed. On the basis of segment-by-segment analysis, the sensitivity was 78% (99 of 127 segments), specificity was 97% (114 of 117 segments), accuracy was 87% (213 of 244 segments), positive predictive value was 97% (99 of 102 segments), and negative predictive value was 80% (114 of 142 segments). CONCLUSION: In patients with chronic liver disease and good hepatic function, ultrasonography has a sensitivity of 94% in the identification of affected patients, but for individual lesions, the sensitivity is only 64%

  18. Errors in imaging patients in the emergency setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinto, Antonio; Reginelli, Alfonso; Pinto, Fabio; Lo Re, Giuseppe; Midiri, Federico; Muzj, Carlo; Romano, Luigia; Brunese, Luca

    2016-01-01

    Emergency and trauma care produces a "perfect storm" for radiological errors: uncooperative patients, inadequate histories, time-critical decisions, concurrent tasks and often junior personnel working after hours in busy emergency departments. The main cause of diagnostic errors in the emergency department is the failure to correctly interpret radiographs, and the majority of diagnoses missed on radiographs are fractures. Missed diagnoses potentially have important consequences for patients, clinicians and radiologists. Radiologists play a pivotal role in the diagnostic assessment of polytrauma patients and of patients with non-traumatic craniothoracoabdominal emergencies, and key elements to reduce errors in the emergency setting are knowledge, experience and the correct application of imaging protocols. This article aims to highlight the definition and classification of errors in radiology, the causes of errors in emergency radiology and the spectrum of diagnostic errors in radiography, ultrasonography and CT in the emergency setting.

  19. Potentialities of computed tomography and ultrasonography in colonic cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorshkov, A.N.

    2001-01-01

    Data of examination of 59 patients with colonic cancer were used to consider the potentialities of transabdominal, transrectal ultrasonography and X-ay compound tomography and to assess their value in diagnosing colonic cancer, including its minor forms. Ultrasound and computed tomographic semiotics of colonic cancer and determines a place of the above techniques in the algorithm of radiation and instrumental studies are described. Inclusion of these techniques into the diagnostic algorithm may solve a range of differentially diagnostic problems and allows a preliminary analysis to be made in a tumor lesion according to the International TNM classification. Ultrasonography and X-ray computed tomography should be included into a range of basic methods for diagnosis of colonic cancer [ru

  20. Ultrasonography and cholescintigraphy in the diagnostics of biliary tree

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iskrenova, Zh.; Minchev, D.

    1997-01-01

    The purpose is to determine whether a reversed sequence of bile flow (i.e. small bowel followed by gallbladder) could serve as an indicator of chronic cholecystitis. 43 hepatobiliary scans were reviewed retrospectively with attention to the relative order of gallbladder and small bowel appearance during the first hour. Usually radioactive bile flows initially into the gallbladder followed by passage into the small bowel. The scintigraphic findings were correlated with results from gallbladder histopathology and gallbladder ultrasonography in 11 patients. The specificity of a reversed sequence for chronic cholecystitis was 82% using ultrasonography and 100% for histopathology. The visualization of gallbladder after the small bowel appears in patients referred for possible biliary tract disease predicts chronic cholecystitis (author)

  1. Color Doppler Ultrasonography-Targeted Perforator Mapping and Angiosome-Based Flap Reconstruction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gunnarsson, Gudjon Leifur; Tei, Troels; Thomsen, Jørn Bo

    2016-01-01

    Knowledge about perforators and angiosomes has inspired new and innovative flap designs for reconstruction of defects throughout the body. The purpose of this article is to share our experience using color Doppler ultrasonography (CDU)-targeted perforator mapping and angiosome-based flap reconstr......Knowledge about perforators and angiosomes has inspired new and innovative flap designs for reconstruction of defects throughout the body. The purpose of this article is to share our experience using color Doppler ultrasonography (CDU)-targeted perforator mapping and angiosome-based flap...

  2. Diagnosis and treatment of postoperative intraperitoneal abscess using ultrasonography and abdominal computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamachi, Hisashi; Kumashiro, Ryunosuke; Maekawa, Takafumi; Saku, Haruhisa; Naitoh, Hideaki; Inutsuka, Sadamitsu; Higashi, Yoshitaka

    1988-01-01

    Ultrasonography and/or abdominal computed tomography revealed 9 patients with subphrenic abscesses derived from gastrointestinal surgery. Out of them 4 cases underwent conservative treatment is chosen with aggresive chemotherapy, but 5 were re-surgically treated including drainage of the intraperitonial abscess or repairing the leakage of the anastomosis. On the conservative treatment for the intraperitonial abscess, frequent monitoring with ultrasonography was very conventional for successful treatment. However, in the cases with severe leukocytosis, leakage of anastomosis or recurrent intraperitonial abscess, resurgical treatment will be required. Thus the monitoring with ultrasonography is quite usefull not only in the drainaging of the intraperitonial abscess, but also in the judgement of treatment whether conservetive or re-operative. (author)

  3. Diagnostic accuracy of general physician versus emergency medicine specialist in interpretation of chest X-ray suspected for iatrogenic pneumothorax: a brief report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghane Mohammad-reza

    2012-03-01

    Conclusion: These findings indicate that the diagnostic accuracy of emergency medicine specialists is significantly higher than those of general physicians. The diagnostic accuracy of both physician groups was higher than the values in similar studies that signifies the role of relevant training given in the emergency departments of the Hospital.

  4. Quantifying Burnout among Emergency Medicine Professionals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, William; Raj, Jeffrey Pradeep; Narayan, Girish; Ghiya, Murtuza; Murty, Shakuntala; Joseph, Bobby

    2017-01-01

    Burnout is a syndrome explained as serious emotional depletion with poor adaptation at work due to prolonged occupational stress. It has three principal components namely emotional exhaustion(EE), depersonalization(DP) and diminished feelings of personal accomplishment(PA). Thus, we aimed at measuring the degree of burnout in doctors and nurses working in emergency medicine department (EMD) of 4 select tertiary care teaching hospitals in South India. A cross sectional survey was conducted among EMD professionals using a 30-item standardized pilot tested questionnaire as well as the Maslach burnout inventory. Univariate and Multivariate analyses were conducted using binary logistic regression models to identify predictors of burnout. Total number of professionals interviewed were 105 of which 71.5% were women and 51.4% were doctors. Majority (78.1%) belonged to the age group 20-30 years. Prevalence of moderate to severe burnout in the 3 principal components EE, DP and PA were 64.8%, 71.4% and 73.3% respectively. After multivariate analysis, the risk factors [adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) for DP included facing more criticism [3.57(1.25,10.19)], disturbed sleep [6.44(1.45,28.49)] and being short tempered [3.14(1.09,9.09)]. While there were no statistically significant risk factors for EE, being affected by mortality [2.35(1.12,3.94)] and fear of medication errors [3.61(1.26, 10.37)] appeared to be significant predictors of PA. Degree of burn out among doctors and nurses is moderately high in all of the three principal components and some of the predictors identified were criticism, disturbed sleep, short tempered nature, fear of committing errors and witnessing death in EMD.

  5. Emergency ultrasound and echocardiography in patients with infarct-related cardiogenic shock : A survey among members of the German Society of Medical Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michels, G; Hempel, D; Pfister, R; Janssens, U

    2018-04-09

    Current international and national guidelines promote the use of emergency echocardiography in patients with cardiogenic shock. We assessed whether these recommendations are followed in clinical practice of infarct-related cardiogenic shock patients. For this purpose we conducted a web-based survey among all members of the German Society of Medical Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DGIIN); 40% of the DGIIN members completed the survey. Participants reported that in their department emergency echocardiography/ultrasound is performed on most patients in infarct-related cardiogenic shock presenting to the emergency department/chest pain unit or intensive care unit (58.6% versus 81.4%). Only 33% stated that on patients admitted directly to the catheterization laboratory emergency ultrasound/echocardiography is applied in their institution. Local availability of a standardized algorithm was lacking in the majority of departments (77.2%). A great proportion (38.3%) of participants stated that they personally had no formal training in emergency ultrasound. In order to meet the demands of the current guidelines, in addition to integration of ultrasound examinations into diagnostic algorithms, a structured training of all emergency and intensive care physicians is necessary.

  6. Curriculum Design and Implementation of the Emergency Medicine Chief Resident Incubator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gisondi, Michael A; Chou, Adaira; Joshi, Nikita; Sheehy, Margaret K; Zaver, Fareen; Chan, Teresa M; Riddell, Jeffrey; Sifford, Derek P; Lin, Michelle

    2018-02-24

    Background Chief residents receive minimal formal training in preparation for their administrative responsibilities. There is a lack of professional development programs specifically designed for chief residents. Objective In 2015, Academic Life in Emergency Medicine designed and implemented an annual, year-long, training program and virtual community of practice for chief residents in emergency medicine (EM). This study describes the curriculum design process and reports measures of learner engagement during the first two cycles of the curriculum. Methods Kern's Six-Step Approach for curriculum development informed key decisions in the design and implementation of the Chief Resident Incubator. The resultant curriculum was created using constructivist social learning theory, with specific objectives that emphasized the needs for a virtual community of practice, longitudinal content delivery, mentorship for participants, and the facilitation of multicenter digital scholarship. The 12-month curriculum included 11 key administrative or professional development domains, delivered using a combination of digital communications platforms. Primary outcomes measures included markers of learner engagement with the online curriculum, recognized as modified Kirkpatrick Level One outcomes for digital learning. Results An average of 206 chief residents annually enrolled in the first two years of the curriculum, with an overall participation by 33% (75/227) of the allopathic EM residency programs in the United States (U.S.). There was a high level of learner engagement, with an average 13,414 messages posted per year. There were also 42 small group teaching sessions held online, which included 39 faculty and 149 chief residents. The monthly e-newsletter had a 50.7% open rate. Digital scholarship totaled 23 online publications in two years, with 67 chief resident co-authors and 21 faculty co-authors. Conclusions The Chief Resident Incubator is a virtual community of practice that

  7. Technology-enhanced simulation in emergency medicine: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilgen, Jonathan S; Sherbino, Jonathan; Cook, David A

    2013-02-01

    Technology-enhanced simulation is used frequently in emergency medicine (EM) training programs. Evidence for its effectiveness, however, remains unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of technology-enhanced simulation for training in EM and identify instructional design features associated with improved outcomes by conducting a systematic review. The authors systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, ERIC, PsychINFO, Scopus, key journals, and previous review bibliographies through May 2011. Original research articles in any language were selected if they compared simulation to no intervention or another educational activity for the purposes of training EM health professionals (including student and practicing physicians, midlevel providers, nurses, and prehospital providers). Reviewers evaluated study quality and abstracted information on learners, instructional design (curricular integration, feedback, repetitive practice, mastery learning), and outcomes. From a collection of 10,903 articles, 85 eligible studies enrolling 6,099 EM learners were identified. Of these, 56 studies compared simulation to no intervention, 12 compared simulation with another form of instruction, and 19 compared two forms of simulation. Effect sizes were pooled using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity among these studies was large (I(2) ≥ 50%). Among studies comparing simulation to no intervention, pooled effect sizes were large (range = 1.13 to 1.48) for knowledge, time, and skills and small to moderate for behaviors with patients (0.62) and patient effects (0.43; all p 0.1). Qualitative comparisons of different simulation curricula are limited, although feedback, mastery learning, and higher fidelity were associated with improved learning outcomes. Technology-enhanced simulation for EM learners is associated with moderate or large favorable effects in comparison with no intervention and generally small and nonsignificant benefits in comparison

  8. Accuracy of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of placenta accreta.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riteau, Anne-Sophie; Tassin, Mikael; Chambon, Guillemette; Le Vaillant, Claudine; de Laveaucoupet, Jocelyne; Quéré, Marie-Pierre; Joubert, Madeleine; Prevot, Sophie; Philippe, Henri-Jean; Benachi, Alexandra

    2014-01-01

    To evaluate the accuracy of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of placenta accreta and to define the most relevant specific ultrasound and MRI features that may predict placental invasion. This study was approved by the institutional review board of the French College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients referred for suspected placenta accreta to two university hospitals from 01/2001 to 05/2012. Our study population included 42 pregnant women who had been investigated by both ultrasonography and MRI. Ultrasound images and MRI were blindly reassessed for each case by 2 raters in order to score features that predict abnormal placental invasion. Sensitivity in the diagnosis of placenta accreta was 100% with ultrasound and 76.9% for MRI (P = 0.03). Specificity was 37.5% with ultrasonography and 50% for MRI (P = 0.6). The features of greatest sensitivity on ultrasonography were intraplacental lacunae and loss of the normal retroplacental clear space. Increased vascularization in the uterine serosa-bladder wall interface and vascularization perpendicular to the uterine wall had the best positive predictive value (92%). At MRI, uterine bulging had the best positive predictive value (85%) and its combination with the presence of dark intraplacental bands on T2-weighted images improved the predictive value to 90%. Ultrasound imaging is the mainstay of screening for placenta accreta. MRI appears to be complementary to ultrasonography, especially when there are few ultrasound signs.

  9. The multiple mini-interview for emergency medicine resident selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopson, Laura R; Burkhardt, John C; Stansfield, R Brent; Vohra, Taher; Turner-Lawrence, Danielle; Losman, Eve D

    2014-04-01

    The Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) uses multiple, short-structured contacts to evaluate communication and professionalism. It predicts medical school success better than the traditional interview and application. Its acceptability and utility in emergency medicine (EM) residency selection are unknown. We theorized that participants would judge the MMI equal to a traditional unstructured interview and it would provide new information for candidate assessment. Seventy-one interns from 3 programs in the first month of training completed an eight-station MMI focused on EM topics. Pre- and post-surveys assessed reactions. MMI scores were compared with application data. EM grades correlated with MMI performance (F[1, 66] = 4.18; p interview (mean difference = 1.36; p interview and MMI) was preferred over a MMI alone (mean difference = 1.1; p interview, participants were receptive to a mixed-methods interview. The MMI does correlate with performance on the EM clerkship and therefore can measure important abilities for EM success. Future work will determine whether MMI performance predicts residency performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Diagnostic ultrasonography in cattle with abdominal fat necrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tharwat, Mohamed; Buczinski, Sébastien

    2012-01-01

    This study describes the ultrasonographic findings in 14 cows with abdominal fat necrosis. Ultrasonography of the abdomen revealed the presence of heterogeneous hyperechoic masses and hyperechoic omentum with localized masses floating in a hypoechoic peritoneal fluid. A hyperechogenic rim was imaged around both kidneys. The intestines were coated with hyperechoic capsules and the intestinal lumens were constricted. Ultrasonographic examination of the pancreatic parenchyma showed an overall increased echogenicity which was homogenously distributed in 3 cases. A diagnosis of abdominal fat necrosis was made with ultrasound-guided biopsy of the echogenic masses, and thereafter at postmortem examination. Results from this study demonstrate the efficacy of ultrasonography as an imaging modality for antemortem diagnosis of abdominal lipomatosis in cattle. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first that illustrates ultrasonographic findings in cattle affected with abdominal lipomatosis.

  11. Narrowing the gap of personalized medicine in emerging countries: the case of multiple endocrine neoplasias in Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toledo, Rodrigo A; Sekiya, Tomoko; Longuini, Viviane C; Coutinho, Flavia L; Lourenço, Delmar M; Toledo, Sergio P A

    2012-01-01

    The finished version of the human genome sequence was completed in 2003, and this event initiated a revolution in medical practice, which is usually referred to as the age of genomic or personalized medicine. Genomic medicine aims to be predictive, personalized, preventive, and also participative (4Ps). It offers a new approach to several pathological conditions, although its impact so far has been more evident in mendelian diseases. This article briefly reviews the potential advantages of this approach, and also some issues that may arise in the attempt to apply the accumulated knowledge from genomic medicine to clinical practice in emerging countries. The advantages of applying genomic medicine into clinical practice are obvious, enabling prediction, prevention, and early diagnosis and treatment of several genetic disorders. However, there are also some issues, such as those related to: (a) the need for approval of a law equivalent to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which was approved in 2008 in the USA; (b) the need for private and public funding for genetics and genomics; (c) the need for development of innovative healthcare systems that may substantially cut costs (e.g. costs of periodic medical followup); (d) the need for new graduate and postgraduate curricula in which genomic medicine is emphasized; and (e) the need to adequately inform the population and possible consumers of genetic testing, with reference to the basic aspects of genomic medicine.

  12. Fatty liver diagnostic from medical examination to analyze the accuracy between the abdominal ultrasonography and liver hounsfield units

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oh, Wang Kyun; Kim, Sang Hyun

    2017-01-01

    In abdominal Ultrasonography, the fatty liver is diagnosed through hepatic parenchymal echo increased parenchymal density and unclear blood vessel boundary, and according to many studies, abdominal Ultrasonography has 60 ∼ 90% of sensitivity and 84 ∼ 95% of specificity in diagnosis of fatty liver, but the result of Ultrasonography is dependent on operators, so there can be difference among operators, and quantitative measurement of fatty infiltration is impossible. Among examinees who same day received abdominal Ultrasonography and chest computed tomography (CT), patients who were diagnosed with a fatty liver in the Ultrasonography were measured with liver Hounsfield Units (HU) of chest CT imaging to analyze the accuracy of the fatty liver diagnosis. Among 720 subject examinees, those who were diagnosed with a fatty liver through abdominal Ultrasonography by family physicians were 448, which is 62.2%. The result of Liver HU measurement in the chest CT imaging of those who were diagnosed with a fatty liver showed that 175 out of 720 had the measured value of less than 40 HU, which is 24.3%, and 173 were included to the 175 among 448 who were diagnosed through Ultrasonography, so 98.9% corresponded. This indicates that the operators' subjective ability has a great impact on diagnosis of lesion in Ultrasonography diagnosis of a fatty liver, and that in check up chest CT, under 40 HU in the measurement of Liver HU can be used for reference materials in diagnosis of a fatty liver

  13. Fatty liver diagnostic from medical examination to analyze the accuracy between the abdominal ultrasonography and liver hounsfield units

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oh, Wang Kyun [Dept. of Radiology, Cheongju Medical Center, Cheongju (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sang Hyun [Dept. of Radiological Science, Shinhan University, Uijeongbu (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-06-15

    In abdominal Ultrasonography, the fatty liver is diagnosed through hepatic parenchymal echo increased parenchymal density and unclear blood vessel boundary, and according to many studies, abdominal Ultrasonography has 60 ∼ 90% of sensitivity and 84 ∼ 95% of specificity in diagnosis of fatty liver, but the result of Ultrasonography is dependent on operators, so there can be difference among operators, and quantitative measurement of fatty infiltration is impossible. Among examinees who same day received abdominal Ultrasonography and chest computed tomography (CT), patients who were diagnosed with a fatty liver in the Ultrasonography were measured with liver Hounsfield Units (HU) of chest CT imaging to analyze the accuracy of the fatty liver diagnosis. Among 720 subject examinees, those who were diagnosed with a fatty liver through abdominal Ultrasonography by family physicians were 448, which is 62.2%. The result of Liver HU measurement in the chest CT imaging of those who were diagnosed with a fatty liver showed that 175 out of 720 had the measured value of less than 40 HU, which is 24.3%, and 173 were included to the 175 among 448 who were diagnosed through Ultrasonography, so 98.9% corresponded. This indicates that the operators' subjective ability has a great impact on diagnosis of lesion in Ultrasonography diagnosis of a fatty liver, and that in check up chest CT, under 40 HU in the measurement of Liver HU can be used for reference materials in diagnosis of a fatty liver.

  14. Introital ultrasonography in female urinary incontinence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weon, Young Cheol; Cho, Kyoung Sik; Lee, Jin Seong; Choi, Sang Hee; Kim, Keon Seok; Choo, Myung Soo [Ulsan Univ. Asan Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1996-06-01

    To evaluate the usefulness of introital ultrasonography in the assessment of female urinary incontinence. Introital ultrasonography was performed in fifteen with stress urinary incontinence(mean age 50) and six patients without symptoms of incontinence(mean age 37). Using a sagittal section of the anterior pelvis in the plane of the symphysis pubis the posterior urethrovesical angle, the pubourethral distance and the pubo-yregrak abgle were measured at rest and during stress(Valsalva's maneuver state). The student T-test and the ANOVA test were used in statistical analysis. The posterior urethrovesical angles of the controls were 125.3 deg ({+-}10.9) at rest and 125.7 deg ({+-}7.6) during stress. In the patients, the corresponding angles were 135.3 deg ({+-}11.3) and 139.6 deg({+-}10.8). The posterior urethrovesical angles increased 0.3 deg ({+-}4.7) in the controls and 5.6 deg ({+-}4.0) in the patients(p=0.018). In the controls, the pubo-urethral distances were 21.8 mm({+-}5.8) at rest and 18.2 mm({+-}7.1) during stress, while in the patients these distances were 18.4 mm({+-}3.9) and 12.6 mm({+-}4.4). The pubo-urethral distance decreased 3.5 mm ({+-}1.5) in the controls and 5.8 mm ({+-}2.3) in the patients(p=0.039). In the patients with mild incontinence(Grade I), the posterior urethrovesical angles increased 3.4 deg ({+-}2.8) : 132.3 deg ({+-}12.5) at rest and 135.6 deg (12.8) during stress. In the patients with moderate incontinence(Grade II), the angles increased 8.1 deg({+-}3.8) : 136.0 deg({+-}6.5) at rest and 144.1 deg({+-}5.9) during stress. The change of the posterior urethrovesical angle was related to the grade of urinary incontinence in the patients(p<0.05). There was no statistical significancy in the pubo-urethral angle (p=0.315). Introital ultrasonography may be useful for assessment of stress urinary incontinence.

  15. Use of gray-scale ultrasonography in the diagnosis of reproductive disease in the bitch: 18 cases (1981-1984)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poffenbarger, E.M.; Feeney, D.A.

    1986-01-01

    Gray-scale ultrasonography was utilized in addition to radiography in the diagnosis of reproductive disease in 18 bitches. In 72% of the cases, ultrasonography was considered diagnostic because it revealed information on organ architecture, relationships of radiographically silhouetting soft tissue structures, and fetal viability that was unobtainable by radiography alone. In the remainder of the cases, ultrasonography was contributory to the diagnostic process by supporting the clinical and radiographic diagnoses. The benefits of ultrasonography are discussed, as is the ultrasonographic appearance of a variety of reproductive tract diseases

  16. [The evaluation of academic emergency department design].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deniz, Turgut; Aydinuraz, Kuzey; Oktay, Cem; Saygun, Meral; Ağalar, Fatih

    2007-01-01

    In our study which was based upon a questionnaire, the inner and outer architectural designs of emergency services of Emergency Medicine Departments were investigated. In this descriptive study, a standard questionnaire was sent to 26 Emergency Medicine Departments which were operating at that time. In the questionnaire, the internal, external architectural and functional features were questioned. Answers of 22 Emergency Medicine Departments were analysed. Two Emergency Medicine Departments that were not operating at that time were not included in the study. The analysis of the replies revealed that only 59% (n=13) of the Emergency Medicine Departments were designed as an emergency service prior to the construction. The ambulance parking areas were not suitable in 77% of the emergency units while only 54.5% (n=12) had protection against adverse weather conditions. In only 59% (n=13) of the emergency units, a triage unit was present and in only one of the in only one (4.5%), a decontamination room was available. It was understood that only 32% (n=8) of the emergency units were appropriate in enlarging their capacity taking the local risk factors into consideration. There was a toilette for disabled patients in only 18% (n=4) of the units as well. Considering a 12-year of history of the Emergency Medicine in Turkey, the presence of a lecture room is still 68% (n=15) in emergency departments which reflects that academic efforts in this field is emerging in challenging physical conditions. The results of our study revealed that emergency service architecture was neglected in Turkey and medical care given was precluded by the insufficient architecture. The design of emergency services has to be accomplished under guidance of scientific data and rules taking advices of architects who have knowledge and experience on this field.

  17. Transfer from point-of-care Ultrasonography training to diagnostic performance on patients--a randomized controlled trial

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Todsen, Tobias; Jensen, Morten Lind; Tolsgaard, Martin Grønnebæk

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Clinicians are increasingly using point-of-care ultrasonography for bedside examinations of patients. However, proper training is needed in this technique, and it is unknown whether the skills learned from focused Ultrasonography courses are being transferred to diagnostic performance...... test and binary logistic regression, respectively. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the performance score between the intervention group (27.4%) and the control group (18.0%, P = .004) and the diagnostic accuracy between the intervention group (65%) and the control group (39%, P = .014......). CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians could successfully transfer learning from an Ultrasonography course to improve diagnostic performance on patients. However, our results also indicate a need for more training when new technologies such as point-of-care ultrasonography are introduced....

  18. Normal values for quantitative muscle ultrasonography in adults.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arts, I.M.P.; Pillen, S.; Schelhaas, H.J.; Overeem, S.; Zwarts, M.J.

    2010-01-01

    Ultrasonography can detect structural muscle changes caused by neuromuscular disease. Quantitative analysis is the preferred method to determine if ultrasound findings are within normal limits, but normative data are incomplete. The purpose of this study was to provide normative muscle

  19. Free Open Access Medical Education resource knowledge and utilisation amongst Emergency Medicine trainees: A survey in four countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalie Thurtle

    2016-03-01

    The Emergency Medicine trainees in both developed and low resource settings studied were aware that Free Open Access Medical Education resources exist, but trainees in lower income settings were generally less aware of specific resources. Lack of internet and device access was not a barrier to use in this group.

  20. Evaluation of Knowledge of Emergency Healthcare Workers Regarding Approach to Emergency Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Özgür Tanr›verdi

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Aim: Emergency units constitute the most important part of all hospitals. The aim of this study was to evaluate practitioners’ and healthcare providers’ knowledge and experience regarding emergency first aid in a hospital with insufficient facilities. Methods: 17 physicians and 25 assistant staff working at our hospital were evaluated in terms of their knowledge about and experience in “emergency medicine and trauma” by a questionnaire and by observations. Results: The results of observations and questionnaire indicated that knowledge and experience among physicians were inadequate in terms of basic life support and advanced cardiac life support. This lack of knowledge was not associated with age, time of employment, faculty graduated and training on “emergency medicine” in the group of physicians (r=0.301 p>0.05, r=0.317 p>0.06, r=0.228 p>0.05, r=0.284 p>0.05, respectively and in the group of assistant staff (r=0.341 p>0.05, r=0.287 p>0.06, r=0.234 p>0.05, r=0.227 p>0.05, respectively. Conclusion: Considering that the most of the physicians are gathered in certain regions of our country and that there is a lack of emergency medicine specialists in underdeveloped regions, it has been concluded that physicians specialized in other areas and practitioners must attend emergency medicine trainings under the concept of “emergency medicine rotation”. (The Medical Bulletin of Haseki 2010; 48:103-5

  1. Interobserver Variation of the Renal Length Measurement on Ultrasonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Yoong Ki; Chung, Hye Weon; Kim, Tae Sung; Ryoo, Jae Wook; Kim, Tae Kyoung; Kim, Seung Hyup

    1995-01-01

    We assessed interobserver variation in the measurement of the renal length on ultrasonography. Ultrasonographic examinations were performed in randomly selected 50 patients. The maximallenhths of both kidneys were measured with calipers during the scanning from frozen images by three observers in a blinded fashion. There was a relatively constant tendency of an observer to measure a renal length either longer or shorter than the other observer(Kendall coefficient>0.05). Average interobserver variations were 0.51 cm (±0.42 cm) in right kidney and 0.53 cm (±0.41 cm) in left kidney and were within 1 cm in 91% right and 89% of left kidney. Interobserver variation about 1cm should be considered in the measurement of the renal length on ultrasonography

  2. Pediatric crisis resource management training improves emergency medicine trainees' perceived ability to manage emergencies and ability to identify teamwork errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bank, Ilana; Snell, Linda; Bhanji, Farhan

    2014-12-01

    Improved pediatric crisis resource management (CRM) training is needed in emergency medicine residencies because of the variable nature of exposure to critically ill pediatric patients during training. We created a short, needs-based pediatric CRM simulation workshop with postactivity follow-up to determine retention of CRM knowledge. Our aims were to provide a realistic learning experience for residents and to help the learners recognize common errors in teamwork and improve their perceived abilities to manage ill pediatric patients. Residents participated in a 4-hour objectives-based workshop derived from a formal needs assessment. To quantify their subjective abilities to manage pediatric cases, the residents completed a postworkshop survey (with a retrospective precomponent to assess perceived change). Ability to identify CRM errors was determined via a written assessment of scripted errors in a prerecorded video observed before and 1 month after completion of the workshop. Fifteen of the 16 eligible emergency medicine residents (postgraduate year 1-5) attended the workshop and completed the surveys. There were significant differences in 15 of 16 retrospective pre to post survey items using the Wilcoxon rank sum test for non-parametric data. These included ability to be an effective team leader in general (P < 0.008), delegating tasks appropriately (P < 0.009), and ability to ensure closed-loop communication (P < 0.008). There was a significant improvement in identification of CRM errors through the use of the video assessment from 3 of the 12 CRM errors to 7 of the 12 CRM errors (P < 0.006). The pediatric CRM simulation-based workshop improved the residents' self-perceptions of their pediatric CRM abilities and improved their performance on a video assessment task.

  3. More than just a hobby: building an academic career in global emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Ian B K; Levine, Adam C; Kayden, Stephanie; Hauswald, Mark

    2014-07-01

    As the specialty of emergency medicine (EM) continues to spread around the world, a growing number of academic emergency physicians have become involved in global EM development, research, and teaching. While academic departments have always found this work laudable, they have only recently begun to accept global EM as a rigorous academic pursuit in its own right. This article describes how emergency physicians can translate their global health work into "academic currency" within both the clinician-educator and clinician-researcher tracks. The authors discuss the impact of various types of additional training, including global EM fellowships, for launching a career in global EM. Clearly delineated clinician-researcher and clinician-educator tracks are important for documenting achievement in global EM. Reflecting a growing interest in global health, more of today's EM faculty members are ascending the academic ranks as global EM specialists. Whether attempting to climb the academic ladder as a clinician-educator or clinician-researcher, advanced planning and the firm support of one's academic chair is crucial to the success of the promotion process. Given the relative youth of the subspecialty of global EM, however, it will take time for the pathways to academic promotion to become well delineated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Science, humanism, judgement, ethics: person-centered medicine as an emergent model of modern clinical practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miles, Andrew

    2013-01-01

    The Medical University of Plovdiv (MUP) has as its motto 'Committed to humanity". But what does humanity in modern medicine mean? Is it possible to practise a form of medicine that is without humanity? In the current article, it is argued that modern medicine is increasingly being practised in a de-personalised fashion, where the patient is understood not as a unique human individual, a person, but rather as a subject or an object and more in the manner of a complex biological machine. Medicine has, it is contended, become distracted from its duty to care, comfort and console as well as to ameliorate, attenuate and cure and that the rapid development of medicine's scientific knowledge is, paradoxically, principally causative. Signal occurrences in the 'patient as a person' movement are reviewed, together with the emergence of the evidence-based medicine (EBM) and patient-centered care (PCC) movements. The characteristics of a model of medicine evolving in response to medicine's current deficiencies--person-centered healthcare (PCH)--are noted and described. In seeking to apply science with humanism, via clinical judgement, within an ethical framework, it is contended that PCH will prove to be far more responsive to the needs of the individual patient and his/her personal circumstances than current models of practice, so that neither a reductive anatomico-pathological, disease-centric model of illness (EBM), nor an aggressive patient-directed, consumerist form of care (PCC) is allowed continued dominance within modern healthcare systems. In conclusion, it is argued that PCH will enable affordable advances in biomedicine and technology to be delivered to patients within a humanistic framework of clinical practice that recognises the patient as a person and which takes full account of his/her stories, values, preferences, goals, aspirations, fears, worries, hopes, cultural context and which responds to his/her psychological, emotional, spiritual and social necessities

  5. Pleural ultrasonography versus chest radiography for the diagnosis of pneumothorax: review of the literature and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alrajab, Saadah; Youssef, Asser M; Akkus, Nuri I; Caldito, Gloria

    2013-09-23

    Ultrasonography is being increasingly utilized in acute care settings with expanding applications. Pneumothorax evaluation by ultrasonography is a fast, safe, easy and inexpensive alternative to chest radiographs. In this review, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the current literature comparing ultrasonography and chest radiography for the diagnosis of pneumothorax. We searched English-language articles in MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library dealing with both ultrasonography and chest radiography for diagnosis of pneumothorax. In eligible studies that met strict inclusion criteria, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of pleural ultrasonography in comparison with chest radiography for the diagnosis of pneumothorax. We reviewed 601 articles and selected 25 original research articles for detailed review. Only 13 articles met all of our inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. One study used lung sliding sign alone, 12 studies used lung sliding and comet tail signs, and 6 studies searched for lung point in addition to the other two signs. Ultrasonography had a pooled sensitivity of 78.6% (95% CI, 68.1 to 98.1) and a specificity of 98.4% (95% CI, 97.3 to 99.5). Chest radiography had a pooled sensitivity of 39.8% (95% CI, 29.4 to 50.3) and a specificity of 99.3% (95% CI, 98.4 to 100). Our meta-regression and subgroup analyses indicate that consecutive sampling of patients compared to convenience sampling provided higher sensitivity results for both ultrasonography and chest radiography. Consecutive versus nonconsecutive sampling and trauma versus nontrauma settings were significant sources of heterogeneity. In addition, subgroup analysis showed significant variations related to operator and type of probe used. Our study indicates that ultrasonography is more accurate than chest radiography for detection of pneumothorax. The results support the previous investigations in this field, add new valuable information

  6. [Abdominal ultrasonography in patients with diabetes mellitus. Part 1: Liver].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenssen, C; Pietsch, C; Gottschalk, U; Barreiros, A P; Teufel, A; Cui, X W; Dietrich, C F

    2015-04-01

    In patients with diabetes mellitus, abdominal ultrasonography is the appropriate diagnostic technique to detect and to follow-up secondary and accompanying diseases of the liver, the kidneys, the pancreas, the gastrointestinal tract and of abdominal vessels. Moreover, pancreatic and hepatic diseases may be realized which are of etiological importance for diabetes mellitus. Based on a systematic survey of the published literature, this review in 3 parts will describe the value of abdominal ultrasonography in patients with diabetes mellitus. Part 1 deals with the diagnostic relevance and particular findings of ultrasonographic methods in hepatic manifestations and complications of diabetes mellitus. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  7. Does the use of bedside pelvic ultrasound decrease length of stay in the emergency department?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thamburaj, Ravi; Sivitz, Adam

    2013-01-01

    Diagnostic ultrasounds by emergency medicine (EM) and pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physicians have increased because of ultrasonography training during residency and fellowship. The availability of ultrasound in radiology departments is limited or difficult to obtain especially during nighttime hours. Studies have shown that EM physicians can accurately perform goal-directed ultrasound after appropriate training. The goal of this study was to compare the length of stay for patients receiving an ultrasound to confirm intrauterine pregnancies. The hypothesis of this study is that a bedside ultrasound by a trained EM/PEM physician can reduce length of stay in the emergency department (ED) by 1 hour. This was a case cohort retrospective review for patients aged 13 to 21 years who received pelvic ultrasounds in the ED during 2007. Each patient was placed into 1 of 2 groups. Group 1 received bedside ultrasounds done by institutionally credentialed EM/PEM attending physicians. Group 2 received radiology department ultrasound only. Each group had subanalysis done including chief complaint, time of presentation, time to completion of ultrasound, length of stay, diagnosis, and disposition. Daytime was defined as presentation between 7 AM and 9 PM when radiology ultrasound technologists were routinely available. We studied 330 patients, with 244 patients (74%) in the bedside ultrasound group. The demographics of both groups showed no difference in age, presenting complaints, discharge diagnoses, and ultimate disposition. Group 1 had a significant reduction (P ultrasound compared with group 2 (mean, 82 minutes [range, 1-901 minutes] vs 149 minutes [range, 7-506 minutes]) and length of stay (142 [16-2268] vs. 230 [16-844]). Of those presenting during the day (66%), group 1 showed a significant reduction in length of stay (P ultrasound by trained EM/PEM physicians produced a significant reduction in length of stay in the ED, regardless of radiology ultrasound technologist

  8. Positioning Ultrasonography Into Clinical Practice for the Management of Crohn’s Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zorzi, Francesca; Lolli, Elisabetta; Pallone, Francesco

    2015-01-01

    Over the past few years, the technical evolution of ultrasound equipment, the use of oral and intravenous contrast agents, and an increase in the expertise of operators have enhanced the role that ultrasonography plays in the assessment of the gastrointestinal tract. For patients with chronic inflammatory conditions, particularly Crohn’s disease, it has been suggested that ultrasonography can be used not only for diagnostic purposes but also in disease management. These developments are reviewed in this article. PMID:27118932

  9. Two cases of posterior scleritis and findings of computerized tomography and ultrasonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohara, Takakazu; Uji, Yukitaka; Fujioka, Chieko; Mori, Kazuma

    1982-01-01

    Two cases of unilateral posterior scleritis, seen in 56-year-old and 68-year-old females, are reported. Computerized tomography showed characteristic findings, as follows: 1) Thickening of the posterior sclera and surrounding tissue. 2) Irregularity of the posterior wall of the eyeball. 3) Increased radiographic density in the posterior wall of the eyeball. Ultrasonography also suggested thickening of the posterior sclera. Computerized tomography and ultrasonography are considered useful in the diagnosis of posterior scleritis. (author)

  10. Ultrasonography as a diagnostic method in addition to mammography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Otto, H.; Roer, E.

    1988-05-01

    By using ultrasonography in addition to mammography, experienced diagnosticians essentially enhance the safety of their diagnosis of mammary gland diseases. The same applies to gynecomastia, the condition after plastic surgery, and mastitis.

  11. Accuracy of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of placenta accreta.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne-Sophie Riteau

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI in the diagnosis of placenta accreta and to define the most relevant specific ultrasound and MRI features that may predict placental invasion. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was approved by the institutional review board of the French College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients referred for suspected placenta accreta to two university hospitals from 01/2001 to 05/2012. Our study population included 42 pregnant women who had been investigated by both ultrasonography and MRI. Ultrasound images and MRI were blindly reassessed for each case by 2 raters in order to score features that predict abnormal placental invasion. RESULTS: Sensitivity in the diagnosis of placenta accreta was 100% with ultrasound and 76.9% for MRI (P = 0.03. Specificity was 37.5% with ultrasonography and 50% for MRI (P = 0.6. The features of greatest sensitivity on ultrasonography were intraplacental lacunae and loss of the normal retroplacental clear space. Increased vascularization in the uterine serosa-bladder wall interface and vascularization perpendicular to the uterine wall had the best positive predictive value (92%. At MRI, uterine bulging had the best positive predictive value (85% and its combination with the presence of dark intraplacental bands on T2-weighted images improved the predictive value to 90%. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound imaging is the mainstay of screening for placenta accreta. MRI appears to be complementary to ultrasonography, especially when there are few ultrasound signs.

  12. Quantifying Burnout among Emergency Medicine Professionals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William Wilson

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Burnout is a syndrome explained as serious emotional depletion with poor adaptation at work due to prolonged occupational stress. It has three principal components namely emotional exhaustion(EE, depersonalization(DP and diminished feelings of personal accomplishment(PA. Thus, we aimed at measuring the degree of burnout in doctors and nurses working in emergency medicine department (EMD of 4 select tertiary care teaching hospitals in South India. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted among EMD professionals using a 30-item standardized pilot tested questionnaire as well as the Maslach burnout inventory. Univariate and Multivariate analyses were conducted using binary logistic regression models to identify predictors of burnout. Results: Total number of professionals interviewed were 105 of which 71.5% were women and 51.4% were doctors. Majority (78.1% belonged to the age group 20-30 years. Prevalence of moderate to severe burnout in the 3 principal components EE, DP and PA were 64.8%, 71.4% and 73.3% respectively. After multivariate analysis, the risk factors [adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence intervals for DP included facing more criticism [3.57(1.25,10.19], disturbed sleep [6.44(1.45,28.49] and being short tempered [3.14(1.09,9.09]. While there were no statistically significant risk factors for EE, being affected by mortality [2.35(1.12,3.94] and fear of medication errors [3.61(1.26, 10.37] appeared to be significant predictors of PA. Conclusion: Degree of burn out among doctors and nurses is moderately high in all of the three principal components and some of the predictors identified were criticism, disturbed sleep, short tempered nature, fear of committing errors and witnessing death in EMD.

  13. Implementing standardized, inter-unit communication in an international setting: handoff of patients from emergency medicine to internal medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balhara, Kamna S; Peterson, Susan M; Elabd, Mohamed Moheb; Regan, Linda; Anton, Xavier; Al-Natour, Basil Ali; Hsieh, Yu-Hsiang; Scheulen, James; Stewart de Ramirez, Sarah A

    2018-04-01

    Standardized handoffs may reduce communication errors, but research on handoff in community and international settings is lacking. Our study at a community hospital in the United Arab Emirates characterizes existing handoff practices for admitted patients from emergency medicine (EM) to internal medicine (IM), develops a standardized handoff tool, and assesses its impact on communication and physician perceptions. EM physicians completed a survey regarding handoff practices and expectations. Trained observers utilized a checklist based on the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety model to observe 40 handoffs. EM and IM physicians collaboratively developed a written tool encouraging bedside handoff of admitted patients. After the intervention, surveys of EM physicians and 40 observations were subsequently repeated. 77.5% of initial observed handoffs occurred face-to-face, with 42.5% at bedside, and in four different languages. Most survey respondents considered face-to-face handoff ideal. Respondents noted 9-13 patients suffering harm due to handoff in the prior month. After handoff tool implementation, 97.5% of observed handoffs occurred face-to-face (versus 77.5%, p = 0.014), with 82.5% at bedside (versus 42.5%, p face-to-face and bedside handoff, positively impacted workflow, and increased perceptions of safety by EM physicians in an international, non-academic setting. Our three-step approach can be applied towards developing standardized, context-specific inter-specialty handoff in a variety of settings.

  14. Ultrasonography and computed tomography in the study of orbital tumors and pseudo-tumoral lesions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marins, J.L.C.; Pereira, R.M.; Prando, A.; Selos Moreira, A.R. de

    1987-01-01

    The computerized tomography and the ultrasonography in the ocular and orbital patologies were considered as complementary each other. the ultrasonography method as choice for the detection of the eye lesions in the adult, particularly of vascular origin and in the follow-up of inflammatory and pseudo-tumoral lesions was chosen. (L.M.J.) [pt

  15. Assessment of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Patients With Parkinson Disease: Use of Ultrasonography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Eun Hyun; Seo, Jin Seok; Kang, Hyo Jung

    2016-04-01

    To compare tongue thickness, the shortest hyoid-thyroid approximation (distance between the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage), and the time interval between the initiation of tongue movement and the time of the shortest hyoid-thyroid approximation, by using ultrasonography in healthy controls and patients with Parkinson disease (PD). Healthy controls and PD patients with dysphagia were compared. Ultrasonography was performed 3 times for the evaluation of tongue thickness, the shortest hyoid-thyroid approximation, and the time between the initiation of tongue movement and the shortest hyoid-thyroid approximation. A total of 24 healthy controls and 24 PD patients with dysphagia were enrolled. No significant differences were demonstrated between the two groups for the shortest hyoid-thyroid approximation (controls, 1.19±0.34 cm; PD patients, 1.37±0.5 cm; p=0.15) and tongue thickness (controls, 4.42±0.46 cm; PD patients, 4.27±0.51 cm; p=0.3). In contrast, the time to the shortest hyoid-thyroid approximation was significantly different between the two groups (controls, 1.53±0.87 ms; PD patients, 2.4±1.4 ms, p=0.048). Ultrasonography can be useful in evaluating dysphagia in patients with PD by direct visualization and measurement of the hyoid bone. Moreover, ultrasonography might contribute to a greater understanding of the pathophysiology of dysphagia in PD.

  16. Diagnosis of thromboembolic disease: combined ventilation perfusion lung scan and compression ultrasonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dadparvar, S.; Woods, K.; Magno, R.M.; Sabatino, J. C.; Patil, S.; Dou, Y.

    2002-01-01

    The clinical management of pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis of the legs are similar and require prolonged anticoagulation therapy. The standard diagnostic approach in patients suspected of pulmonary embolism is ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) lung scan and compression ultrasonography to detect deep venous thrombosis. This retrospective study analyzed the role of V Q lung scan and compression ultrasonography in detection of thromboembolic disease. One hundred-twenty consecutive patients (65 female, 55 male) age range 18-95 (mean age 60.7) suspected for pulmonary embolism underwent concomitant V/Q lung scan and compression ultrasonography of the lower extremities. The clinical and radiographic correlation was performed. Of patients with non-diagnostic (low or intermediate probability ) lung scans, 15.4 % (14/91) received anticoagulation therapy for pulmonary embolism. This patients had either high pre-clinical suspicion for PE or underwent pulmonary arterio gram. However, there was an additional 7 % (7/91) increase in the number of patients who received anticoagulation therapy based on the results of ultrasound with confidence interval (3 %-16 %). We conclude that V/Q lung scan is a more sensitive examination for thromboembolic disease, and has a high negative predictive value. Ultrasonography of lower extremities demonstrated higher specificity and positive value. Among patients with non-diagnostic lung scan, the detection rate of thromboembolic disease is improved with addition of ultrasound

  17. Surgeon-performed ultrasonography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todsen, Tobias

    2017-11-01

    Surgeons are increasingly using ultrasonography (US) in their clinical management of patients. However, US is a very user-dependent imaging modality and proper skills of the US operator are needed to ensure quality in patient care. This thesis explores the validity evidence for assessment of competence in abdominal and head & neck ultrasonography using the Objective Structured Assessment of Ultrasound Skills (OSAUS) scale. With the use of Messick's unitary framework of validity, five sources of validity evidence were explored: test content, response processes, inter-nal structure, relations to other variables, and consequences. Research paper I examined validity evidence for the use of the OSAUS scale to assess physicians' abdominal point-of-care US competence in an experimental setting using patient cases with and without pathological conditions. The RESULTS provided validity evidence of the internal structure of the OSAUS scale and a deci-sion study predicted that four cases and two raters or five cases and one rater could ensure sufficient reliability in future test setups. The relation to other variables was supported by a signifi-cant difference in scores between US experience levels, and by a strong correlation between the OSAUS score and diagnostic accuracy. Research paper II explored the transfer of learning from formal point-of-care US training to performance on patients in a randomized controlled study. The RESULTS supported validity evi-dence regarding OSAUS scores' relation to other variables by demonstrating a significant discrimination in the progress of training-a more refined validity evidence than the relation to difference experience levels. The RESULTS showed that physicians could transfer the skills learned on an ultrasonography course to improved US performance and diagnostic accuracy on patients. However, the RESULTS also indicated that following an initial course, additional training is needed for physicians to achieve competence in US

  18. An experimental comparative study of radiography, ultrasonography and CT imaging in the IV catheter fragment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kweon, Dae Cheol

    2016-01-01

    The objective of this study was to detect the fragments generated during IV (intravenous) catheter injection of contrast medium and drug administration in a clinical setting and removal was performed by experimentally producing a phantom, and to compare the radiography, ultrasonography, and multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) imaging and radiation dose. A 1 cm fragment of an 18 gage Teflon® IV catheter with saline was inserted into the IV control line. Radiography, CT, and ultrasonography were performed and radiography and CT dose were calculated. CT and ultrasonography showed an IV catheter fragment clinically and radiography showed no visible difference in the ability to provide a useful image of an IV catheter fragment modality (p >.05). Radiography of effective dose (0.2139 mSv·Gy-1·cm-2) form DAP DAP (0.93 μGy·m2 ), and dose length product (DLP) (201 mGy·cm) to effective dose was calculated as 0.483 mSv. IV catheter fragment were detected of radiography, ultrasonography and CT. These results can be obtained by menas of an excellent IV catheter fragment of detection capability CT. However, CT is followed by radiation exposure. IV catheter fragment confirming the position and information recommend an ultrasonography

  19. Impact of an emergency medicine pharmacist on initial antibiotic prophylaxis for open fractures in trauma patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harvey, Somer; Brad Hall, A; Wilson, Kayla

    2018-02-01

    Targeted antibiotic treatment reduces the infection risk of open fractures when soft tissue and bone are exposed to the environment. The risk of infection increases with higher degrees of injury. The Gustilo-Anderson system was developed to identify the degree of injury of open fractures and can be utilized to guide initial antibiotic therapy. Few studies have been published evaluating the potential impact of emergency medicine pharmacists in trauma, and currently no study has evaluated a pharmacist's influence on antibiotic selection and timing for open fractures. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of an emergency medicine pharmacist on initial antibiotic selection and timing in trauma patients with open fractures. This was a retrospective cohort study. Trauma alerts with open fractures from May 1, 2014 to June 30, 2016 were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was to determine if pharmacist participation during trauma resuscitation was associated with an increased proportion of initial antibiotic selection meeting guideline recommendations. The secondary outcome was the door-to-antibiotic administration time during resuscitation. Initial prophylactic antibiotic recommendations were met in 81% of trauma resuscitations when a pharmacist was present versus 47% without a pharmacist present (pfractures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Pediatric Abdominal Pain: An Emergency Medicine Perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Jeremiah; Fox, Sean M

    2016-05-01

    Abdominal pain is a common complaint that leads to pediatric patients seeking emergency care. The emergency care provider has the arduous task of determining which child likely has a benign cause and not missing the devastating condition that needs emergent attention. This article reviews common benign causes of abdominal pain as well as some of the cannot-miss emergent causes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.