The benefits of a virtual emergency department observation unit for hospital observation patients.

Background: The benefit of virtual emergency department observation unit (EDOU) care relative to traditional observation care in an inpatient bed is unknown.

Objective: To determine if virtual observation care in an EDOU is associated with improved length of stay, cost, inpatient admission rate, and adverse events relative to traditional observation care in non-observation unit (NOU) inpatient bed.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational cohort study of observation patients managed over 24 months in two urban teaching hospitals.

The Impact of a High Sensitivity Troponin HEART Pathway Based Clinical Decision Protocol on Observation Visits.

Background: Use of high-sensitivity troponin (hs-cTn) might lead to an increase in hospital observation visits due to higher number of abnormal troponin levels.

Study Objectives: To determine the impact of incorporating hs-cTn into a chest pain clinical decision protocol (CDP) on observation visits in a large academic health system.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational cohort study of all chest pain observation patients in four hospitals in an academic health system over 24 months.

The Rwandan Healthcare System: Can a Shifting Burden of Disease Threaten a Post-war Success Story?

Rwanda is located in Central Africa, bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda. In 1994, Rwanda was immersed in a brutal war and genocide. Rwanda's subsequent remarkable post-war recovery has been well documented.

A Case Report of Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum From an Unusual Cause: Baritone Practice.

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is a rare but potentially life-threatening clinical entity in which free air is introduced into the mediastinum. It most commonly presents in young males and has an incidence of approximately 0.002% of the general population.