Defining Incidental Versus Non-incidental COVID-19 Hospitalizations.

Background Rates of COVID-19 hospitalization are an important measure of the health system burden of severe COVID-19 disease and have been closely followed throughout the pandemic. The highly transmittable, but often less severe, Omicron COVID-19 variant has led to an increase in hospitalizations with incidental COVID-19 diagnoses where COVID-19 is not the primary reason for admission. There is a strong public health need for a measure that is implementable at low cost with standard electronic health record (EHR) datasets that can separate these incidental hospitalizations from non-incidental hospitalizations where COVID-19 is the primary cause or an important contributor.

Emergency Department Volume, Severity, and Crowding Since the Onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.

Study Objective: We describe emergency department (ED) visit volume, illness severity, and crowding metrics from the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic through mid-2022.

Methods: We tabulated monthly data from 14 million ED visits on ED volumes and measures of illness severity and crowding from March 2020 through August 2022 compared with the same months in 2019 in 111 EDs staffed by a national ED practice group in 18 states.

Results: Average monthly ED volumes fell in the early pandemic, partially recovered in 2022, but remained below 2019 levels (915 per ED in 2019 to 826.

Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Unintentional Ingestion of Marijuana in Children Younger Than 6 Years in States With and Without Legalized Marijuana Laws.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between state marijuana legalization and the rates of unintentional ingestions of marijuana in children younger than 6 years.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of all marijuana ingestions in the National Poison Data System in children younger than 6 years between January 1, 2000, and July 31, 2017. Data analysis from NPDS included, age, sex, state and year of occurrence, clinical effects, therapies, health care facility utilization, and medical outcome.

What can family medicine providers learn about concussion non-disclosure from former collegiate athletes?

Background: Despite the risks, concussion symptoms often go underreported by athletes, leading to delayed or forgone treatment and increased potential for concussion recurrence. One of the most serious long-term consequences of sports-related concussions is Chronic Traumatic Encephelopathy (CTE), a disorder associated with progressive neurological deterioration. The purpose of this study was to explore former collegiate athletes' understanding of concussions and motivations behind concussion non-disclosure in order to better assist family medicine providers in screening for and managing a history of concussions.