Background: Chest wall injury in older adults is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Optimal nonsurgical management strategies for these patients have not been fully defined regarding level of care, incentive spirometry (IS), noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV), and the use of ketamine, epidural, and other locoregional approaches to analgesia.
Methods: Relevant questions regarding older patients with significant chest wall injury with patient population(s), intervention(s), comparison(s), and appropriate selected outcomes were chosen.
Objectives: To determine whether Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, and Burnout scores differ by specialty in incoming residents.
Methods: This is a single-site, prospective, cross-sectional study. Three validated survey instruments, the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Emotional and Social Competency Inventory, were written into a survey platform as a single 125-question Qualtrics survey.
Background: Treating older trauma patients requires a focus on the confluence of age-related physiological changes and the impact of the injury itself. Therefore, the primary way to improve the care of geriatric trauma patients is through the development of universal, systematic multidisciplinary research. To achieve this, the Coalition for National Trauma Research has developed the National Trauma Research Action Plan that has generated a comprehensive research agenda spanning the continuum of geriatric trauma care from prehospital to rehabilitation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report on a novel curriculum (Scholarly Excellence, Leadership Experiences, Collaborative Training [SELECT]) in an allopathic medical school designed to prepare students to be physician leaders while remaining empathetic by combating burnout. SELECT students were surveyed annually. The survey contained the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To review interim data regarding longitudinal burnout and empathy levels in a single Doctor of Pharmacy class cohort.
Methods: Students were emailed an electronic survey during their first semester and annually at the end of each academic year for a total of 3 years (2017-2020). Validated survey tools included the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) student version.
Introduction Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among older adults according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Falls Efficacy Scale (FES) and Vulnerable Elder Survey (VES-13) are validated screening tools used to assess concern of falling, health deterioration and functional decline. We set out to determine if the FES or VES-13 could serve as a predictor of falls among older adults in the Emergency Department (ED) setting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction Homeless youth are a vulnerable population. A volunteer clinic supported by medical students in northeastern Pennsylvania provides shelter and healthcare to adolescents seeking refuge. We set out to determine the immunization status of youth in the shelter and evaluate for associations of immunization deficiency with demographics or biopsychosocial factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAtlantoaxial rotatory subluxation (AARS) is a rare outcome of trauma in adults. We present a case of a 38-year-old female who presented with neck pain and stiffness after a mild trauma. On exam the patient had a "cock-robin" position, comparable to acute torticollis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Falls are among the leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits.
Objective: We set out to determine whether using a bedside decision aid could decrease falls.
Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on those aged ≥ 65 years who were being discharged home and screened positive for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fall risk factor.
Background: Patients who experience trauma, particularly thoracic trauma, may be at risk for missed cardiac injury.
Case Report: We present a case of a 36-year-old male presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) as a trauma after a high-speed motor vehicle crash. After computed tomography (CT) scans revealed a right hemopneumothorax and multiple orthopedic injuries, the patient was admitted to the trauma neuroscience intensive care unit (TNICU), where telemetry revealed ST elevations.
Background: Elderly patients commonly suffer isolated hip fractures, causing significant morbidity and mortality. The use of orthogeriatrics (OG) management services, in which geriatric specialists primarily manage or co-manage patients after admission, may improve outcomes. We sought to provide recommendations regarding the role of OG services.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Despite an aging population and increasing number of geriatric trauma patients annually, gaps in our understanding of best practices for geriatric trauma patients persist. We know that trauma center care improves outcomes for injured patients generally, and palliative care processes can improve outcomes for disease-specific conditions, and our goal was to determine effectiveness of these interventions on outcomes for geriatric trauma patients.
Methods: A priori questions were created regarding outcomes for patients 65 years or older with respect to care at trauma centers versus nontrauma centers and use of routine palliative care processes.
Objective: We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the "Timed Up and Go" (TUG) and the Chair test as screening tools in the Emergency Department (ED), stratified by sex.
Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at a Level 1 Trauma center. After consent, subjects performed the TUG and the Chair test.
Background: There is currently no gold standard for delivery of systems-based practice in medical education, and it is challenging to incorporate into medical education. Health systems competence requires physicians to understand patient care within the broader health care system and is vital to improving the quality of care clinicians provide. We describe a health systems curriculum that utilizes problem-based learning across 4 years of systems-based practice medical education at a single institution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe CDC reports that among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury-related death and rates of fall-related fractures among older women are twice those of men. We set out to 1) determine patient perceptions (analyzed by gender) about their perceived fall risk compared to their actual risk for functional decline and death and 2) to report their comfort level in discussing their fall history or a home safety plan with their provider. Elders who presented to the Emergency Department (ED†) were surveyed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Trauma Acute Care Surg
September 2016
Background: Fall-related injuries among the elderly (age 65 and older) are the cause of nearly 750,000 hospitalizations and 25,000 deaths per year in the United States, yet prevention research is lagging. Using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology, the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma produced this practice management guideline to answer the following injury prevention-related population, intervention, comparator, outcomes (PICO) questions:PICO 1: Should bone mineral-enhancing agents be used to prevent fall-related injuries in the elderly?PICO 2: Should hip protectors be used to prevent fall-related injuries in the elderly?PICO 3: Should exercise programs be used to prevent fall-related injuries in the elderly?PICO 4: Should physical environment modifications be used to prevent fall-related injuries in the elderly?PICO 5: Should risk factor screening be used to prevent fall-related injuries in the elderly?PICO 6: Should multiple interventions tailored to the population or individual be used to prevent fall-related injuries in the elderly?
Methods: A comprehensive search and review of all the available literature was performed. We used the GRADE methodology to assess the breadth and quality of the data specific to our PICO questions.
Background: The Centers for Disease Control reports that motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of injury and death among U.S. teenagers, and disproportionately affect males.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that among older adults (≥65 years), falls are the leading cause of injury-related death. Fall-related fractures among older women are more than twice as frequent as those for men. Gender-specific evidence-based fall prevention strategy and intervention studies show that improved patient-centered outcomes are elusive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Falls in the elderly cause serious injury.
Objective: We aimed to determine subjects' comfort in discussing fall risk and home safety evaluations.
Methods: This prospective study surveyed a convenience sample of subjects (≥50 years old) in an emergency department (ED), health fair (HF), and family practice (FP).