Exploration of Aggression/Violence Among Adult Patients Admitted for Short-term, Acute-care Mental Health Services.

Background/purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore and describe: (a) the prevalence of incidents of aggression and violence among patients, including frequency, kinds and severity of incidents of among patients; target of the aggression; (b) situational factors including time of location and time of event; and (c) staff interventions. We describe the relationships among variables to answer the following research questions: (1) What factors are associated with incidents of aggression and violence, and (2) are factors modifiable?

Methods: The exploratory descriptive study used data collected by retrospective chart review over a three-year period; the dates of January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2013. A medical record was included if it met the following criteria: 1) person ages 18-75years; 2) admitted to the psychiatric mental care unit (PMCU) during the designated time frame; 3) the length of stay was up to 7days; and 4) during this time the person made a verbal threat of violence or exhibited violent behavior towards property, self, another patient, or a member of the hospital staff.

Building a resident research program in emergency medicine.

Residency training programs requirements state, "Residents should participate in scholarly activity." However, there is little consensus regarding how best to achieve these requirements. The objective of this study is to implement a resident research program that emphasizes resident participation in quantitative or qualitative empirical work.

Sensory stimuli as obstacles to emergency care for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Visits to the emergency department (ED) are stressful for any patient and pose special challenges and potential barriers to care for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In addition, people (both children and adults) with ASD differ in their perception of, or responses to, environmental stimuli. Some people with ASD present with sensory defensiveness that is environmentally moderated, but there is a gap in our knowledge about patterns or thresholds of stimulation that kindle behavioral responses.

Meteorological Variables Associated with Stroke.

To elucidate relationships between meteorological variables and incidence of stroke, we studied patients diagnosed with stroke after presenting to the emergency department (May 1, 2010-August 8, 2011). Patient demographics and medical data were reviewed retrospectively with regional meteorological data. Across 467 days, 134 stroke events were recorded on 114 days.

Investigation of a safety-engineered device to prevent needlestick injury: why has not StatLock stuck?

Objective: This article sought to define whether an alternative safety-engineered device (SED) could help prevent needlestick injury (NSI) in healthcare workers (HCWs) who place central venous catheters (CVCs).

Design: The study involved three phases: (1) A retrospective analysis of deidentified occupational health records from our tertiary care urban US hospital to clearly identify NSI risk and rates to an HCW during invasive catheter placement; (2) 95 residents were surveyed regarding their knowledge and experience with NSIs and SEDs; (3) A random sample of six residents participated in a focus group session discussing barriers to the use of SED.

Setting: A single urban US tertiary care teaching hospital.

Age-related alterations in GABA(A) receptor subunits in the nonhuman primate hippocampus.

Pharmacological studies have documented that altered drug responses, particularly to benzodiazepines, are common in elderly populations. While numerous factors may contribute to changes in drug response, age-related alterations in the molecular composition of GABA(A) receptors may be a key factor in regulating these responses. We employed quantitative densitometry to examine the cytological features and density of highly prevalent hippocampal GABA(A) receptor subunits (alpha1 and beta2/3) in young and aged rhesus monkeys.