Photodocumentation as an emergency department documentation tool in soft tissue infection: a randomized trial.

Objectives: Current documentation methods for patients with skin and soft tissue infections receiving outpatient parenteral anti-infective therapy (OPAT) include written descriptions and drawings of the infection that may inadequately communicate clinical status. We undertook a study to determine whether photodocumentation (PD) improves the duration of outpatient treatment of skin and soft tissue infections.

Methods: A single-blinded, prospective, randomized trial was conducted in the emergency departments of a community hospital and an academic tertiary centre.

'Fever phobia' in the emergency department: a survey of children's caregivers.

Objectives: To investigate children's caregivers' attitudes towards fever in an emergency department setting.

Methods: A 25-item questionnaire was formulated, on the basis of similar previous published surveys, for administration to a convenience sample of caregivers. It was administered by a medical translator after triage, before assessment by a physician.