Randomized controlled trial of prophylactic antibiotics for dog bites with refined cost model.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the rate of infection at which it is cost-effective to treat dog bite wounds with antibiotics.

Methods: Our study was composed of two parts. First we performed a randomized, double-blind controlled trial (RCT) to compare the infection rates of dog bite wounds in patients given amoxicillin-clavulanic acid versus placebo.

Validation of the Social Security Death Index (SSDI): An Important Readily-Available Outcomes Database for Researchers.

Study Objective: To determine the accuracy of the online Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for determining death outcomes.

Methods: We selected 30 patients who were determined to be dead and 90 patients thought to be alive after an ED visit as determined by a web-based searched of the SSDI. For those thought to be dead we requested death certificates.

Death after emergency department visits for syncope: how common and can it be predicted?

Study Objective: Syncope is a common condition that is usually benign but occasionally associated with death. This study evaluates the incidence of death after an emergency department (ED) visit for syncope and whether these deaths can be predicted.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted during a 45-month period.

Factors associated with patients who leave without being seen.

Objectives: Patients who leave without being seen (LWBS) can be an indicator of patient satisfaction and quality for emergency departments (ED). The objective of this study was to develop a model to determine factors associated with patients who LWBS.

Methods: A modified case-crossover design to determine the transient effects on the risk of acute events was used.