Caviomorph rodents are an exceptional model for studying the effects of ecological factors and size relations on brain evolution. These mammals are not only speciose and ecologically diverse but also present wide body size disparity, especially when considering their fossil relatives. Here, we described the brain anatomy of the largest known rodent, Josephoartigasia monesi, uncovering distinctive features within this species regarding other taxa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Many quality improvement interventions do not lead to sustained improvement, and the sustainability of healthcare interventions remains understudied. We conducted a time-series analysis to determine whether improvements in the safety of rapid sequence intubation (RSI) in our academic pediatric emergency department were sustained 5 years after a quality improvement initiative.
Methods: There were 3 study periods: baseline (April 2009-March 2010), improvement (July 2012-December 2013), and operational (January 2014-December 2018).
Objectives: High-quality clinical research of resuscitations in a pediatric emergency department is challenging because of the limitations of traditional methods of data collection (chart review, self-report) and the low frequency of cases in a single center. To facilitate valid and reliable research for resuscitations in the pediatric emergency department, investigators from 3 pediatric centers, each with experience completing successful single-center, video-based studies, formed the Videography In Pediatric Emergency Research (VIPER) collaborative.
Methods: Our initial effort was the development of a multicenter, video-based registry and simulation-based testing of the feasibility and reliability of the VIPER registry.
Provision of optimal care to critically ill patients in a pediatric emergency department is challenging. Specific challenges include the following: (a) patient presentations are highly variable, representing the full breadth of human disease and injury, and are often unannounced; (b) care team members have highly variable experience and skills and often few meaningful opportunities to practice care delivery as a team; (c) valid data collection, for quality assurance/improvement and clinical research, is limited when relying on traditional approaches such as medical record review or self-report; (d) specific patient presentations are relatively uncommon for individual providers, providing few opportunities to establish and refine the requisite knowledge and skill; and (e) unscientific or random variation in care delivery. In the current report, we describe our efforts for the last decade to address these challenges and optimize care delivery to critically ill patients in a pediatric emergency department.
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