OBJECTIVES: The Research Agenda Setting Process (RASP), part of the American Geriatric Society's (AGS's) project 'Increasing Geriatric Expertise in Surgical and Related Medical Specialties,' was designed to define a research agenda for the geriatrics…
Objectives: Screening for cognitive impairment in older emergency department (ED) patients is recommended to ensure quality care. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) may be too long for routine ED use. Briefer alternatives include the Six-Item…
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine the feasibility of a case-finding program for cognitive impairment in elderly emergency department patients, and to describe the prevalence of cognitive impairment in screened patients and identify factors associated…
Objective: To describe curling iron-related injuries reported to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) between January 1, 1992, and December 31, 1996. Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed data from NEISS, a weighted…
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To characterize the clinical presentation and identify factors predictive of bacteremia in elderly patients. DESIGN: Retrospective review of emergency department charts, hospital records, and microbiology reports. SETTING: Community…
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the problems facing emergency medicine residency directors (EMRDs), to describe potential solutions, and to associate perceptions with anticipated duration in the position of EMRD. METHODS: A confidential questionnaire was…
OBJECTIVE: To compare elder patients' and their informants' ratings of the elder's physical and mental function measured by a standard instrument, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12 (SF-12). METHODS: This was a randomized, cross-sectional study…
OBJECTIVE: To compare elder patients' and their informants' ratings of the elder's physical and mental function measured by a standard instrument, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12 (SF-12). METHODS: This was a randomized, cross-sectional study…
BACKGROUND: Older patients may visit the emergency department (ED) when their illness affects their function. OBJECTIVES: To quantify the function of older ED patients, to assess whether functional decline (FD) had occurred, and to determine whether…
The purpose of this randomized, controlled, clinical trial was to determine the effect of the digital rectal examination (DRE) on the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) serum levels in view of conflicting literature reports and screening methods and…
The purpose of this randomized, controlled, clinical trial was to determine the effect of the digital rectal examination (DRE) on the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) serum levels in view of conflicting literature reports and screening methods and…
Study objectives: Black smokers have been reported to have higher serum cotinine levels than do white smokers, and have higher rates of most smoking-related diseases, despite smoking fewer cigarettes per day. Another striking racial difference is the…
Treatment of serious infections caused by gram-negative bacilli with beta-lactam antimicrobial agents can induce Class I beta-lactamase production. This phenomenon can result in resistant microorganisms, and has been postulated to be a cause of…
Objectives: To describe emergency medicine (EM) residency program research requirements, characterize research directors (RDs), and describe their research activities and productivity. Methods: A survey with questions addressing program research…
Three recently published Institute of Medicine reports, Hospital-Based Emergency Care: At the Breaking Point, Emergency Medical Services: At the Crossroads, and Emergency Care for Children: Growing Pains, examined the current state of emergency care…
This trial was conducted at 11 EDs to test the effectiveness of distributing fall prevention information to patients 65 years or older. Intervention patients were given 2 brochures and received a reminder call 2 weeks later. All patients were called…
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of intranasal lidocaine for immediate relief (5 minutes) of migraine headache pain. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial at two university-affiliated community teaching hospitals…
Sometimes, the only contact elderly patients have with outside medical services is through the EMS network. Find out how one city uses prehospital providers to link these patients with community services tailored to their needs.
Medicaid reimbursement costs for county residents at least 18 years old who used a treatment service (n = 1043) and residents who were Medicaid enrollees with a substance abuse diagnosis but who did not receive treatment (n = 2125) were compared.…
OBJECTIVES: To assess the feasibility of a brief comprehensive case-finding program for detecting functional, cognitive, and social impairments among elderly ED patients and to estimate the prevalence of unknown, undetected, or untreated impairments…
In the United States and around the world, effective, efficient, and reliable strategies to provide emergency care to aging adults is challenging crowded emergency departments (EDs) and a strained health care system. In response, geriatric emergency…
Objective: To determine the value of paramedic judgment in determining the need for trauma team activation (TTA) for pediatric blunt trauma patients. Methods: A prospective, observational study was conducted at the ED of Children's Hospital Medical…
Background: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is a safe access procedure for enteral nutrition. The purpose of this investigation is to identify predictive factors for early mortality after PEG. Methods: A retrospective review of the hospital…
Introduction: Emergency departments (EDs) provide an opportunity to initiate preventive services for millions of Americans who have no other source for these services. Objectives: To identify primary and secondary preventive interventions appropriate…
Objective: To perform a systematic review of the emergency medicine literature to assess the appropriateness of an intervention to identify, counsel, and refer emergency department (ED) patients > 64 years old who are at high risk for falls. Methods:…
Emergency departments (EDs), similar to other health care environments, are concerned with improving the quality of patient care. Older patients comprise a large, growing, and particularly vulnerable subset of ED users. The project objective was to…
OBJECTIVES: Pain related to the gurney is a frequent complaint of older emergency department (ED) patients. The authors hypothesized that these patients may have less pain and higher satisfaction if allowed to sit in a reclining hospital chair.…
