Current Issue: Volume 18 Issue 3 Archives - The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine

The Time Is Now to Use Clinical Outcomes as Quality Indicators for Effective Leadership in Trauma

Shahab Hajibandeh, MD, et al.

We read with interest the comprehensive review by Ford et al.,1 which was published in August 2016 issue of the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. The authors aimed to review the best available evidence regarding the effect of leadership and teamwork in trauma and resuscitation on patient care and how effective leadership can be measured.

Westjem Read More

Treatment Protocol Assessment

A Patient-Centered Emergency Department Management Strategy for Sickle-Cell Disease Super-Utilizers

Grant G. Simpson, BS, et al.

A subpopulation of sickle-cell disease patients, termed super-utilizers, presents frequently to emergency departments (EDs) for vaso-occlusive events and may consume disproportionate resources without broader health benefit.

Westjem Read More

State Emergency Department Opioid Guidelines: Current Status

Robert I. Broida, MD, et al.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and categorize current state-sponsored opioid guidelines for the practice of emergency medicine (EM).

Westjem Read More

Cross-Sectional Study of Risky Substance Use by Injured Emergency Department Patients

Valerie Strezsak, MS, et al.

Survey data regarding the prevalence of risky substance use in the emergency department (ED) is not consistent. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of risky substance use among injured ED patients based on the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST v3.0).

Westjem Read More

Outcomes by Mode of Transport of ST Elevation MI Patients in the United Arab Emirates

Edward L. Callachan, et al.

The purpose of this multicenter study was to assess differences in demographics, medical history, treatment times, and follow-up status among patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), who were transported to the hospital by emergency medical services (EMS) or by private vehicle, or were transferred from other medical facilities.

Westjem Read More

Outcomes by Mode of Transport of ST Elevation MI Patients in the United Arab Emirates

Edward L. Callachan, MHealthSci, et al.

The purpose of this multicenter study was to assess differences in demographics, medical history, treatment times, and follow-up status among patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), who were transported to the hospital by emergency medical services (EMS) or by private vehicle, or were transferred from other medical facilities.

Westjem Read More

Societal Impact on Emergency Care

Impact of Health Policy Changes on Emergency Medicine in Maryland Stratified by Socioeconomic Status

Laura Pimentel, MD, et al.

The insurance provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) began implementation and a major revision of MD’s Medicare waiver ushered in a Global Budget Revenue (GBR) structure for hospital reimbursement. Our objective was to analyze the impact of these policy changes on emergency department (ED) utilization, hospitalization practices, insurance profiles, and professional revenue.

Westjem Read More

Emergency Department Access

Prevalence of Homelessness in the Emergency Department Setting

Brett J. Feldman, MSPAS, PA-C, et al.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the national rate of homelessness has been cited as 17.7 homeless people/10,000 people in the general population, and 24.8 homeless veterans/10,000 veterans in the general population.

Westjem Read More

Randomized Trial of Adding Parenteral Acetaminophen to Prochlorperazine and Diphenhydramine to Treat Headache in the Emergency Department

Stefan H. Meyering, DO, et al.

Headaches represent over three million emergency department (ED) visits per year, comprising 2.4% of all ED visits. There are many proposed methods and clinical guidelines of treating acute headache presentations.

Westjem Read More

Security, Violent Events, and Anticipated Surge Capabilities of Emergency Departments in Washington State

Jonathan S. Weyand, MD, et al.

Over the past 15 years, violent threats and acts against hospital patients, staff, and providers have increased and escalated.

Westjem Read More

Endemic Infections

Correlation of Physical Exam Findings with Fever in Patients with Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

Author Affiliation Jillian Mongelluzzo, MD University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco General Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, San Francisco, California Brian Tu, BA University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco General Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, San Francisco, California Barbara Grimes, PhD University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, […]

Westjem Read More

Emergency Department Operations

Agreement Between Serum Assays Performed in ED Point-of-Care and Hospital Central Laboratories

Meir Dashevsky, MD, et al.

Point-of-care (POC) testing allows for more time-sensitive diagnosis and treatment in the emergency department (ED) than sending blood samples to the hospital central laboratory (CL).

Westjem Read More

“Choosing Wisely” Imaging Recommendations: Initial Implementation in New England Emergency Departments

Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH, et al,

In June 2016, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Emergency Quality Network began its Reduce Avoidable Imaging Initiative, designed to “reduce testing and imaging with low risk patients through the implementation of Choosing Wisely recommendations.”

Westjem Read More

The Fast and the Furious: Low-Risk Chest Pain and the Rapid Rule-Out Protocol

Maite Anna Huis in ’t Veld, MD, et al.

Accelerated diagnostic pathways (ADP) have been designed to identify low-risk chest pain patients in the emergency department.

Westjem Read More

Inferior Vena Cava Measurement with Ultrasound: What Is the Best View and Best Mode?

Nathan M. Finnerty, MD, et al.

Intravascular volume status is an important clinical consideration in the management of the critically ill.

Westjem Read More

Ultrasound-Guided Radial Artery Compression to Assess Blood Pressure

Leonard Bunting, MD, RDMS, et al.

We proposed using compression sonography to observe the coaptation and collapse of the radial artery as a surrogate for automated cuff blood pressures (BP).

Westjem Read More

Inter-rater Agreement of End-of-shift Evaluations Based on a Single Encounter

Steven Warrington, MD, et al.

End-of-shift evaluation (ESE) forms, also known as daily encounter cards, represent a subset of encounter-based assessment forms. Encounter cards have become prevalent for formative evaluation, with some suggesting a potential for summative evaluation.

Westjem Read More

Audience Response System Facilitates Prediction of Scores on In-Training Examination

Kaushal H. Shah, MD, et al.

Audience response systems (ARS) are increasingly popular; however, their contribution to education is not completely clear.

Westjem Read More

A Novel Collaboration to Reduce the Travel-Related Cost of Residency Interviewing

Author Affiliation Eric Shappell, MD University of Chicago, Department of Medicine, Section of Emergency Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Abra Fant, MD, MS Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Benjamin Schnapp, MD Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Chicago, Illinois Jill P. Craig, BA Northwestern University Feinberg […]

Westjem Read More

USMLE Scores Predict Success in ABEM Initial Certification: A Multicenter Study

Elie Harmouche, MD, et al.

There are no existing data on whether performance on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) predicts success in American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) certification.

Westjem Read More

This Article Corrects: “Trends in NRMP Data from 2007–2014 for U.S. Seniors Matching into Emergency Medicine”

David E. Manthey, MD, et al.

Since 1978, the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) has published data demonstrating characteristics of applicants who have matched into their preferred specialty in the NRMP main residency match.

Westjem Read More