Incidence of unknown COVID-19 infection in a cohort of emergency physicians and advance practice providers.

Introduction: In United States, health care workers have been immersed in the COVID-19 pandemic since February 2020. Since availability of COVID-19 vaccines, there is limited literature investigating the incidence of unknown COVID-19 infections in physicians and Advanced Practitioner Providers (APPs) working in emergency departments (EDs). The primary objective is to determine the incidence unknown COVID-19 infection within a cohort of emergency physicians (EPs) and APPs.

Implementation of a COVID-19 cohort area resulted in no surface or air contamination in surrounding areas in one academic emergency department.

Introduction: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and highly contagious nature of SARS-CoV-2, emergency departments (EDs) have been forced to implement new measures and protocols to minimize the spread of the disease within their departments. The primary objective of this study was to determine if the implementation of a designated COVID-19 cohort area (hot zone) within a busy ED mitigated the dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 throughout the rest of the department.

Methods: In an ED of a tertiary academic medical center, with 64,000 annual visits, an eight room pod was designated for known COVID-19 or individuals with high suspicion for infection.

Obesity is not associated with increased difficulty placing peripheral IVs in trauma activation patients.

Introduction: Previous studies have identified obesity as a risk factor for difficult IV access, but this has not been studied in the acute trauma setting. The primary objective was to determine if obesity is associated with increased difficulty placing peripheral IVs in trauma patients. Secondary analysis evaluated IV difficulty and associations with nursing self-competence ratings, trauma experience, and patient demographics.

ED triage pain protocol reduces time to receiving analgesics in patients with painful conditions.

Background: Studies suggest that collaborative nursing protocols initiated in triage improve emergency department (ED) throughput and decrease time to treatment.

Objective: The objective of the study is to determine if an ED triage pain protocol improves time to provision of analgesics.

Methods: Retrospective data abstracted via electronic medical record of patients at a safety net facility with 67 000 annual adult visits.

Diagnosis and disposition are changed when board-certified emergency physicians use CT for non-traumatic abdominal pain.

Objectives: To determine the effect of abdominal computed tomographic (CT) scan results on diagnosis and disposition of patients with non-traumatic abdominal pain who were evaluated by board-certified emergency physicians (EPs).

Methods: Prospective, observational study conducted at a safety-net facility with an emergency medicine residency and 65000 annual adult visits. Patients with non-traumatic abdominal pain who underwent an abdominal CT from 3/2011 through 8/2011 were included.