Characteristics of patients enrolled in hospice presenting to the emergency department.

Objectives: Emergency Departments (EDs) frequently care for patients with life-limiting illnesses, with nearly 1 in 5 patients enrolled in hospice presenting to an ED during their hospice enrollment. This study investigates the reasons patients enrolled in hospice seek care in the ED, the interventions they receive, and their outcomes.

Methods: Multicenter, retrospective cohort study of patients enrolled in hospice who presented to an ED within a health system between 2018 and 2023.

High- versus low-dose ketamine for analgesia in older adults in the emergency department.

Background And Objectives: Ketamine is increasingly being utilized in the management of acute pain in the emergency department (ED), including for older adults, a population at increased risk of adverse effects from medications. We aimed to compare the safety and analgesic effects of high-dose (≥0.3mg/kg) to low-dose (<0.

Serious illness communication skills training for emergency physicians and advanced practice providers: a multi-method assessment of the reach and effectiveness of the intervention.

Background: EM Talk is a communication skills training program designed to improve emergency providers' serious illness conversational skills. Using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, this study aims to assess the reach of EM Talk and its effectiveness.

Methods: EM Talk consisted of one 4-h training session during which professional actors used role-plays and active learning to train providers to deliver serious/bad news, express empathy, explore patients' goals, and formulate care plans.

Serious Illness Communication Skills Training for Emergency Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers: A Multi-Method Assessment of the Reach and Effectiveness of the Intervention.

Background: EM Talk is a communication skills training program designed to improve emergency providers' serious illness conversational skills. Using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, this study aims to assess the reach of EM Talk and its effectiveness.

Methods: EM Talk is one of the components of Primary Palliative Care for Emergency Medicine (EM) intervention.

Association of delirium with increased short-term mortality among older emergency department patients: A cohort study.

Study Objective: To evaluate the association between delirium and subsequent short-term mortality in geriatric patients presenting to the emergency department (ED).

Methods: This was an observational cohort study of adults age ≥75 years who presented to an academic ED and were screened for delirium during their ED visit. The Delirium Triage Screen followed by the Brief Confusion Assessment Method were used to ascertain the presence of delirium.

Increased short-term mortality among patients presenting with altered mental status to the emergency department: A cohort study.

Objectives: To evaluate the short-term mortality of adult patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with altered mental status (AMS) as compared to other common chief complaints.

Methods: Observational cohort study of adult patients (age ≥ 40) who presented to an academic ED over a 1-year period with five pre-specified complaints at ED triage: AMS, generalized weakness, chest pain, abdominal pain, and headache. Primary outcomes included 7 and 30-day mortality.

A big white dot after CPR.

Introduction: Patients may remain comatose after the resumption of spontaneous circulation with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. A primary neurologic event may precede a cardiac standstill.

Case Report: We present a 33-year-old patient with successful resuscitation for pulseless electrical activity and a "normal computed tomography (CT) scan.

Should age be incorporated into the adult triage algorithm in the emergency department?

Objective: To compare resource utilization and mortality between older and younger adult patients with similar ED chief complaints and ESI triage levels.

Methods: This was an observational study of consecutive adult patients (age ≥ 40) who presented to an academic ED over a 1-year period with chest pain, abdominal pain, altered mental status, generalized weakness, or headache. Patients were categorized into 40-64, 65-79, and ≥ 80-year old groups.

Palliative care in the emergency department: A survey assessment of patient and provider perspectives.

Background: Palliative care has been identified as an area of low outpatient referral from our emergency department, yet palliative care has been shown to improve the quality of patient's lives.

Aim: This study investigates both provider and patient perspectives on palliative care for the purpose of identifying barriers to increased palliative care utilization within our healthcare system.

Design: Two surveys were developed, one for patients/caregivers and one for healthcare providers.

An Examination of Screening Tools for Collaborative Care of Adolescent Depression.

Objective: Collaborative care models for treatment of adolescent depression are rapidly evolving. However, a dearth of information exists regarding patient characteristics associated with positive outcomes. We explored the association between baseline scores on routine screening tools for substance abuse, mood disorders, and anxiety with depression remission and graduation from a collaborative care program in an outpatient pediatric practice.

The anatomy of the perineal branch of the sciatic nerve.

A "perineal" branch of the sciatic nerve has been visualized during surgery, but there is currently no description of this nerve branch in the literature. Our study investigates the presence and frequency of occurrence of perineal innervation by the sciatic nerve and characterizes its anatomy in the posterior thigh. Fifteen cadavers were obtained for dissection.

Impact of contacting study authors to obtain additional data for systematic reviews: diagnostic accuracy studies for hepatic fibrosis.

Background: Seventeen of 172 included studies in a recent systematic review of blood tests for hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis reported diagnostic accuracy results discordant from 2 × 2 tables, and 60 studies reported inadequate data to construct 2 × 2 tables. This study explores the yield of contacting authors of diagnostic accuracy studies and impact on the systematic review findings.

Methods: Sixty-six corresponding authors were sent letters requesting additional information or clarification of data from 77 studies.