A non-invasive direct nose to brain drug delivery platform vs. invasive brain delivery approach: patient-centered care impact analysis.

Current literature lacks structured methodologies for analyzing medical technologies' impact from the patient-centered care perspective. This study introduces, applies and validates 'Patient-Centered Care Impact Analysis' (PCIA) as a method for identifying patient-centered care associated demands and expectations for a particular technology and assessing its compliance with these demands. PCIA involves five stages: (1) demand identification, (2) ranking demands' impact magnitude, (3) scoring demand compliance (DC), (4) demand priority (DP) assignment based on impact magnitude and compliance, (5) generating a summative impact priority number (IPN).

Improving STEMI management in the emergency department: Examining the role of minority groups and sociodemographic characteristics.

Objective: To evaluate whether a fast-track intervention program will reduce time-lags of patients with STEMI considering minority groups, various socioeconomic status (SES) and clinical risk factors.

Methods: A retrospective-archive study was conducted according to clinical guidelines, comparing all STEMI patients (n = 140) admitted to the emergency department (ED) before (n = 60) and during (n = 80) implementation of the fast track intervention program. The program comprised four steps: (1) immediate bed rest, (2) marking patient chart, (3) assessing time-lags according to defined clinical guidelines, and (4) physician signing a dedicated sticker on the ECG.

Choosing wisely in the ED: The diagnostic cascade of needless medical testing in a two-level study.

Background: The diagnostic cascade in the emergency department (ED) has not been fully elucidated. Aim To inspect whether the usage of consulting medicine and imaging contributes to hospital outcomes. We also propose a theoretical model for better understanding the diagnostic cascade of needless medical testing.

Round-off decision-making: Why do triage nurses assign STEMI patients with an average priority?

Unlabelled: Patients with suspected ST elevation myocardial infarction should be classified with a high-priority triage level in the Emergency Department. Accurate triage can reduce mortality and morbidity in ST elevation myocardial infarction patients. Yet, half of these patients were given a low-priority score, especially the average classification (P3 on a P1-P5 scale).

A study of the workforce in emergency medicine in Israel 2012: what has changed in the last decade?

Objective: In 2003, we published a study on the Israeli workforce in emergency medicine (EM). We repeated the study in 2012 to assess changes in the workforce that have occurred in the interval decade.

Methods: This is an observational cross-sectional study of the physician workforce in EM in Israel in 2012.

[Non-traumatic unintentional injuries and risk factors for hospitalization in children presenting to a pediatric emergency department].

Objective: Unintentional injuries are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children. The authors present the results of a study in which data was collected regarding unintentional injuries presented to the Pediatrics Emergency Department (PED) at Ha'Emek Medical Center. The present study represents the first collection and analysis of such data gathered from the Pediatric Emergency Department in Northern Israel.

[Biphasic versus monophasic shock waveforms for transthoracic cardioversion of atrial flutter in the emergency room].

Unlabelled: Transthoracic electrical cardioversion (ECV), traditionally using monophasic waveform (MW) shock, has an important role in the treatment of symptomatic atrial flutter (AFI). Biphasic waveform (BW) shock has been demonstrated to be more successful than MW shock for termination of atrial fibrillation, but data about its use for ECV of AFI are limited.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 53 patients (pts) admitted -to the ER due to symptomatic AFl during the period August 2004 to August 2005: 31 pts received BW shock and 22 pts MW shock.

[Intravenous flecainide administration for conversion of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in the emergency room].

Introduction: Since the removal of intravenous propafenone from the Israeli market, flecainide is the only intravenous antiarrhythmic class 1C drug available nowadays in Israel.

Aim: The study aimed to report our experience of intravenous flecainide administration in the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) in the Emergency Room (ER).

Methods: Patients with AF lasting > 1 hour and <48 hour duration were considered possible candidates for entry into the study.

[Biphasic shock waveform for cardioversion of atrial fibrillation in the emergency room].

Unlabelled: Transthoracic electrical cardioversion, traditionally monophasic shock waveform, has been a mainstay of the therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF) since its introduction into clinical practice. Recent studies have demonstrated that biphasic shock is more efficient than monophasic shock waveforms for terminating both ventricular fibrillation and AF; however, data on the recommended initial shock energy in conversion of AF by biphasic shocks are limited.

Aim: Our study aimed to evaluate the optimal dose of the initial shock energy for conversion of AF to sinus rhythm by transthoracic biphasic shock waveforms in the Emergency Room (ER).

[Intravenous propafenone for conversion of atrial fibrillation in the emergency room].

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained symptomatic arrhythmia encountered in the emergency room (ER). Rapid, safe and effective conversions of AF to sinus rhythm (SR) are important aspects in the treatment of arrhythmia in a busy ER setting. The aim of our study was to investigate the rate of conversion, efficacy and safety of intravenous (i.