Resident Attitudes Toward Performing Pelvic Examinations in the Emergency Department.

Mounting evidence suggests that emergency physicians tend to avoid patients with gynecologic chief complaints, and that avoidance may be higher for male physicians compared to females. One underlying reason could be discomfort with performing pelvic examinations. The goal of this study was to assess whether male residents report greater discomfort with pelvic examinations than females.

Preventing Hospitalization in Mild Acute Pancreatitis Using a Clinical Pathway in the Emergency Department.

Goals: We created an observation pathway with close outpatient follow-up for patients with mild acute pancreatitis (AP) to determine its effect on admission rates, length of stay (LOS), and costs.

Background: AP is a common reason for hospitalization costing $2.6 billion annually.

Survey of publications and the H-index of Academic Emergency Medicine Professors.

Introduction: The number of publications and how often these have been cited play a role in academic promotion. Bibliometrics that attempt to quantify the relative impact of scholarly work have been proposed. The h-index is defined as the number (h) of publications for an individual that have been cited at least h times.

Applying the Boston syncope criteria to near syncope.

Background: We recently demonstrated that near-syncope patients are as likely as syncope patients to experience adverse outcomes. The Boston Syncope Criteria (BSC) identify patients with syncope unlikely to have adverse outcomes and reduce hospitalizations. It is unclear whether these guidelines could reduce hospitalization in near syncope as well.

Intubation practice patterns in Tuscan emergency departments.

Introduction: Intubation is one of the most important life-saving procedures performed by emergency physicians (EPs). There is variation in practice when different countries are compared.

Methods: A written questionnaire on intubation practices was administered to a group of Italian doctors practicing in Tuscany during the examination period of a year-long course in emergency medicine.

Is a postintubation chest radiograph necessary in the emergency department?

Background: Postintubation chest X-rays (CXR) are standard practice in emergency department (ED) intubations. In the operating room, it is not usually a standard practice to confirm endotracheal tube placement with a CXR.

Aims: We seek to study the utility of postintubation CXR in ED patients.

Ophthalmologic procedures in the emergency department.

Ophthalmologic emergencies account for up to 3% of visits to emergency departments in the United States. Although isolated ocular complaints are rarely life-threatening, they can lead to significant short- and long-term morbidity, including permanent visual loss. The role of the emergency physician in management of ocular emergencies is similar to that for other chief complaints: to recognize and diagnose emergency conditions, to provide appropriate initial therapy, and to ensure correct disposition.