Multimedia approach to preoperative adenotonsillectomy counseling.

Objective: The primary objective was to compare retention of knowledge of surgical risks in parents of children having an adenotonsillectomy who received a preoperative handout or watched a video, in addition to standard counseling. A secondary objective was to determine whether time from counseling to day of surgery affects risk retention.

Study Design: Prospective randomized control study.

Prospective comparison of handheld pneumatic otoscopy, binocular microscopy, and tympanometry in identifying middle ear effusions in children.

Objectives: To compare pneumatic otoscopy, binocular microscopy, and tympanometry in identifying middle ear effusions in children and to determine if a significant difference exists in sensitivity and specificity based on patient age and/or experience of the examiner.

Methods: A prospective study of 102 patients, or 201 ears, enrolled over a 1-year period in a tertiary medical center. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were determined for staff and resident-performed pneumatic otoscopy, staff and resident-performed binocular microscopy, and tympanometry.

Tracking workload in the emergency department.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to create a methodology for measuring transient levels of physician workload in a live emergency department (ED) environment.

Background: Characterizing, defining, and measuring aspects of this interrupt-driven work environment represent the preliminary steps in addressing impending issues concerning ED overcrowding, efficiency, and patient and provider safety.

Methods: A time-motion task analysis was conducted.

Emergency physicians' behaviors and workload in the presence of an electronic whiteboard.

Background: As the demands on the emergency medicine (EM) system continue to increase, improvements in the organization of work and the access to timely clinical and system information will be required for providers to manage their workload in a safe and efficient manner. Information technology (IT) solutions are beginning to find their place in the emergency department (ED) and it is time to begin understanding how these systems are effecting physician behavior, communication and workload.

Methods: The study used a time-in-motion, primary task analyses to study faculty and resident physician behavior in the presence of an electronic whiteboard.