Administration & Operations , Patient Interactions , Medical Education

A Perfect Storm of Uncertainty: Forecasting Inpatient Length of Stay from the Emergency Department

10/31/2024 John Thompson, MD

“How long will I be in the hospital?” A review of the literature suggests that predicting length of stay at time of admission remains extremely difficult, and emergency physicians in particular are po

Patient Interactions , Toxicology , Pharmacology

Introducing the Fiver: A Modernized Alternative to the B-52 for Acute Agitation Control

10/22/2024 Matthew J. Christensen, MD, LT, MC, USN

Violence against health-care workers caused by acutely agitated patients is an unfortunate reality for many of us. When attempts at verbal redirection do not successfully de-escalate the situation, ex

Patient Interactions

Breaking the News: A Discussion on Effective Communication of Death Disclosure

10/22/2024 Mustafa Bahramand, MD , Michael Zdradzinski, MD

Telling a family member that their loved one has died is never an easy conversation, and it requires careful thought and consideration. This discussion reviews how to communicate such difficult news.

Patient Interactions , Medications

Introducing the ‘Fiver’: A Modernized Alternative to the ‘B-52’ for Acute Agitation Control

7/22/2024 Matthew J. Christensen, MD, LT, MC, USN

Violence against health-care workers caused by acutely agitated patients is an unfortunate reality for many of us. When attempts at verbal redirection do not successfully de-escalate the situation, ex

Palliative Care , Patient Interactions

Palliative Care vs. Hospice: The Role of the Emergency Physician

7/16/2024 Syna Daudfar, DO , Geoff Comp, DO, FAWM , Jonathan Burton, DO

Palliative care providers exist to give expert consultation and assistance with complex decision-making conversations; however, emergency physicians and primary care providers carry initial palliative

Pain Management , Patient Interactions

Strategies and Insights for Procedural Pain Management in the ED

6/25/2024 Jennifer Mirrielees, MD , Jada Thompson

Effective pain management is challenging under any circumstances, particularly for patients presenting to the ED with painful injuries. Many factors contribute to how patients experience and manage pa

Psychiatry , Patient Interactions , Health Care Administration

Unique Psychiatric Care: The Role of EmPATH Units

4/15/2024 George V. Koshy, DO, MPH , Eric Melnychuk, DO

Most EDs are not designed to provide comprehensive psychiatric care, leading to suboptimal treatment for psychiatric patients, particularly those with suicidal ideations. Boarding in the ED often resu

Mental Health , Psychiatry , Patient Interactions

Case Report: Ketamine for Treatment of Acute Suicidality

1/15/2024 Cheng-Wei Isaac Chuang, MD , Christopher Fox, MD , Christian Munk, DO , Patrick Olivieri, MD

Depression and suicidality are common presenting complaints in the ED and require vast resources to fully evaluate, treat, and determine appropriate dispositions for patients. Our case illustrates how

Patient Interactions , Geriatrics

Is That Really What They Want?

12/10/2023 Justin Brooten, MD

Despite our best intentions when speaking with a patient or their family, subtle aspects of our communication can dramatically influence these conversations and our conclusions regarding the patient’s

Psychiatry , Patient Interactions

Factitious Disorder Manifesting as Acute Tetanus

10/10/2023 Alex Avery Powell, MD , Mary-Claire O’Brien , Mary Wittler, MD

Our case highlights the importance of recognizing factitious disorder as early as possible and connecting these patients with appropriate resources, as even specialists have difficulty diagnosing and

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