Observational study of intravenous versus oral corticosteroids for acute asthma: an example of confounding by severity.

Objectives: To demonstrate the problem of "confounding by severity" using the example of intravenous (IV) versus oral corticosteroids for the treatment of acute asthma. Double-blind, randomized trials have clearly demonstrated that IV and oral corticosteroids have comparable efficacy.

Methods: Using a standardized protocol, 64 emergency departments enrolled 1,847 patients, aged 18-54 years, with acute asthma.

Designing evaluations for a women's health education program.

Explicitly incorporating women's health into the medical school curriculum is a relatively new process for educators. Moreover, until recently, no standard definition of women's health had been developed. Because there are no specific evaluation designs for women's health programs, evaluators must adapt existing evaluation concepts to fit the needs of the program.

Bloody neonatal diaper.

As part of the ongoing effort to minimize health care expenses, mothers and newborns are being discharged after shorter hospital stays. Problems that previously would have been noticed in the hospital nursery are now being seen in the emergency department. We report the case of a 1-day-old infant who was brought to our ED with grossly bloody stool.

Comparison of intermittent and continuously nebulized albuterol for treatment of asthma in an urban emergency department.

Study Objective: To compare continuously nebulized albuterol with intermittent bolus nebulization of albuterol.

Design: Consecutive block enrollment in groups of ten to continuous or intermittent therapy.

Setting: Urban emergency department.