Purpose: The effect of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) on imaging indication quality had only been measured in one institution's emergency department using a homegrown electronic health record with faculty physicians, and only with one instrument. To better understand how many US hospitals' recent CPOE implementations had affected indication quality, we measured its effect in a generalizable inpatient setting, using one existing and one novel instrument.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the indications for 100 randomly selected inpatient abdominal CT studies during 2 calendar months immediately prior to a 3/3/2012 CPOE implementation (1/1/2012-2/29/2012) and during 2 subsequent calendar months (5/1/2012-6/30/2012).
Objectives: We conducted a pilot study to assess the efficacy of acupuncture as an analgesic intervention for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) after minor acute trauma to the extremities. In addition, we sought to assess the feasibility of performing acupuncture in this setting.
Methods: Acupuncture was used as primary analgesia for a convenience sample of ED patients with acute, nonpenetrating extremity injury.
Objective: To determine the efficacy of pain scores in improving pain management practices for trauma patients in the emergency department (ED).
Methods: A prospective, observational study of analgesic administration to trauma patients was conducted over a nine-week period following educational intervention and introduction of verbal pain scores (VPSs). All ED nursing and physician staff in an urban Level I trauma center were trained to use the 0-10 VPS.
The purpose of this study was to investigate ED resource demand during periods of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-declared widespread influenza activity (WIA). An observational analysis of secondary data describing ED resource demand was performed using computerized ED patient data over a 130-week period. Measures of ED resource utilization were compared during WIA and non-WIA periods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective was to describe patterns of analgesic use for trauma patients treated in our emergency department (ED). We reviewed analgesic use in consecutive patients meeting American College of Surgeons (ACS) Trauma Center Guidelines. A comprehensive database was abstracted from this institution's Trauma Registry and medical records of each patient.
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