Prevalence and correlates of spitting on police officers: New risks in the COVID era.

Objectives: Spitting is an occupational hazard of police work with increased risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to calculate the prevalence of spitting on police officers in use of force incidents, as well as the demographic and situational factors associated with spitting.

Methods: Data on spitting were compiled from more than 10,000 use of force incidents occurring at 81 agencies in eight different states in the US.

Early head-to-pelvis computed tomography in out-of-hospital circulatory arrest without obvious etiology.

Objectives: Patients resuscitated from an out-of-hospital circulatory arrest (OHCA) commonly present without an obvious etiology. We assessed the diagnostic capability and safety of early head-to-pelvis computed tomography (CT) imaging in such patients.

Methods: From November 2015 to February 2018, we enrolled 104 patients resuscitated from OHCA without obvious cause (idiopathic OHCA) to an early sudden-death CT (SDCT) scan protocol within 6 h of hospital arrival.

A Novel Medical Student Assistant Accommodation Model for a Medical Student With a Disability During a Required Clinical Clerkship.

Background: As efforts continue to diversify the physician workforce so that it better matches the patient population, the number of medical students with disabilities will increase. U.S.

Diagnostic accuracy of early computed tomographic coronary angiography to detect coronary artery disease after out-of-hospital circulatory arrest.

Aim: To test the diagnostic accuracy of ECG-gated coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) to detect coronary artery disease (CAD) among survivors of out-of-hospital circulatory arrest (OHCA).

Methods: We prospectively studied head-to-pelvis computed tomography (CT) scanning (<6 h from hospital arrival) in OHCA survivors. This sub-study tested the primary outcome of CCTA diagnostic accuracy to identify obstructive CAD (≥50% stenosis) compared to clinically-ordered invasive coronary angiography.

The Relationship of Injury and Complaints of Police Use of Excessive Force.

Use of excessive force (UOEF) is an important and controversial topic but little is known about how injury severity is related to allegations of UOEF. We hypothesized that such complaints would be associated with more significant traumatic injuries. Emergency department records were searched for all individuals making UOEF complaints against an urban police department from 2010 to 2012.

Does the Medium Matter? Evaluating the Depth of Reflective Writing by Medical Students on Social Media Compared to the Traditional Private Essay Using the REFLECT Rubric.

Introduction: Social media is a novel medium to host reflective writing (RW) essays, yet its impact on depth of students' reflection is unknown. Shifting reflection on to social platforms offers opportunities for students to engage with their community, yet may leave them feeling vulnerable and less willing to reflect deeply. Using sociomateriality as a conceptual framework, we aimed to compare the depth of reflection in RW samples submitted by medical students in a traditional private essay format to those posted on a secure social media platform.

Navigating Cognitive Dissonance: A Qualitative Content Analysis Exploring Medical Students' Experiences of Moral Distress in the Emergency Department.

Background: As undergraduate medical students are acculturated into clinical practice, they develop a set of refined professional values that impact their decision making. We aimed to use students' reflective narratives on ethical dilemmas to identify how students experience moral distress while working in the emergency department (ED) to better understand how to support them in the development of their own agency to act ethically.

Methods: Students rotating in our emergency medicine clerkship are required to submit an essay describing an ethical dilemma they encountered.

Diagnostic yield of non-invasive imaging in patients following non-traumatic out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest: A systematic review.

Aim: To review data for non-invasive imaging in the diagnosis of non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Data Sources: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and clinicaltrials.gov databases from inception to January 2017 for studies utilizing non-invasive imaging to identify potential causes of OHCA [computed tomography (CT), ultrasound including echocardiography, and magnetic resonance (MRI)].

Use of Emergency Medical Services by Police.

Objectives: Many police officers receive medical training for limited assessments and interventions. In most situations where medical issues arise, however, emergency medical services (EMS) are called for evaluation, treatment, and transport. Given the limited amount of information about such encounters we examined officer calls for EMS help in a single system to better describe these encounters.

Emergency Department Documentation of Alleged Police Use of Excessive Force in Cases Where Formal Complaints Are Ultimately Filed.

Background: Emergency physicians encounter patient concerns of police use of excessive force (UOEF). However, unlike other forms of potential assault, there are no guidelines for documentation of these encounters. Our objective was to examine the adequacy of emergency department documentation of injuries from police encounters where formal complaints of UOEF were later filed with the law enforcement agency.

Emergency department utilization by a jail population.

Background: Incarcerated individuals represent a significant proportion of the US population and face unique healthcare challenges. Scarce articles have been published about emergency department (ED) care of these patients. We studied the ED visits from one urban jail to better describe this population.

Polytrauma from Unintentional Pressure Cooker Explosion: A Case Report.

Background: Pressure cookers are common kitchen appliances with a good safety record and only rare associated explosions.

Case Report: Here we present a case of unintentional pressure cooker explosion leading to polytrauma with injuries including pneumothorax, intracranial hemorrhage, open skull fracture, and multiple facial fractures. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Extreme forces and temperatures are involved in pressure cooking.

A Novel Approach to Medical Student Peer-assisted Learning Through Case-based Simulations.

Introduction: Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is the development of new knowledge and skills through active learning support from peers. Benefits of PAL include introduction of teaching skills for students, creation of a safe learning environment, and efficient use of faculty time. We present a novel approach to PAL in an emergency medicine (EM) clerkship curriculum using an inexpensive, tablet-based app for students to cooperatively present and perform low-fidelity, case-based simulations that promotes accountability for student learning, fosters teaching skills, and economizes faculty presence.

Missed appendicitis: did unexpected intraluminal densities play a role?

A healthy 19-year-old boy presented to our emergency department with abdominal pain. His history, examination and laboratory evaluation raised concern for appendicitis. A CT study of the abdomen and pelvis was carried out by the radiologist and emergency physician and was notable only for a large amount of unexpected high-attenuation intraluminal material.

Emergency Medicine Resident Perceptions of Medical Professionalism.

Introduction: Medical professionalism is a core competency for emergency medicine (EM) trainees; but defining professionalism remains challenging, leading to difficulties creating objectives and performing assessment. Because professionalism is dynamic, culture-specific, and often taught by modeling, an exploration of trainees' perceptions can highlight their educational baseline and elucidate the importance they place on general conventional professionalism domains. To this end, our objective was to assess the relative value EM residents place on traditional components of professionalism.