I am Dr. Victoria Brazil, Director of Simulation: How I Stay Healthy in EM
Dr. Victoria Brazil is an emergency physician from Australia’s Gold Coast. Despite her busy schedule, Dr. Brazil still takes the time to stay well and appreciate her environment around her. When she isn’t working in the ED or on academic work, she can be found fitting in a run or spending time with her family. Being an experienced clinician, Dr. Brazil provides us with solid advice for maintaining our careers. Here’s how she stays healthy in EM! [+]
Trick of the Trade: Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block for Treatment of Primary Headaches
It is thought that the autonomic nervous system is likely involved in migraines and other primary headache disorders given commonly associated symptoms such as nausea, lacrimation, emesis, and rhinorrhea. The sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) is an extracranial parasympathetic ganglion with both sensory and autonomic fibers. It has therefore been hypothesized that blockade of the sphenopalatine ganglion may produce relief from primary headaches by modulating the autonomic fibers involved in headache disorders.1 While in our anecdotal experience with SPG blocks has been overall very positive, thus far there have been only a few small studies that have investigated it’s use in the [+]
Calling all U.S. EM residents: 5 Reasons to Fill out the 2017 National EM Resident Wellness Survey
This week the Wellness Think Tank is launching a resident wellness survey for Emergency Medicine residency training programs across the United States. We want 100% of EM residents to complete this important survey and we need your help! Check out 5 reasons why you should take our survey TODAY, if you are a U.S EM resident! [+]
PEM Pearls: 2017 AAP Section of EM’s Guide to Pediatric Community Acquired Pneumonia
Pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an acute, common, and potentially serious infection of the pulmonary parenchyma in children. In November 2010, the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed “The management of community-acquired pneumonia in infants and children older than 3 months of age: clinical practice guidelines by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.” [PDF]1Based on this guideline, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Emergency Medicine’s Committee on Quality Transformation developed a clinical algorithm for CAP in the ED setting. [+]
Beyond the Abstract: Patient video testimonials improve physician interpretation of advance directives and POLST
Over 1,300 physicians across the U.S. were asked to interpret patient preferences for end-of-life care in theoretical cases. Physicians rarely reached consensus about patient preferences when they were given only living wills and POLST documents to interpret. The addition of a patient video testimonial helped physicians make better care decisions that reflected their patients’ wishes. Will video become the new national standard for advance care planning? [+]
AIR Series: Trauma Module (2017)
Welcome to the Trauma Module! After carefully reviewing all relevant posts from the top 50 sites of the Social Media Index the ALiEM AIR Team is proud to present the highest quality procedure content. Below we have listed our selection of the 21 highest quality blog posts within the past 12 months (as of September 2016) related to Trauma emergencies, curated and approved for residency training by the AIR Series Board. More specifically in this module, we identified 5 AIRs and 16 Honorable Mentions. We recommend programs give 7 hours (about 20 minutes per article) of III credit for this module. [+]
MEdIC Series: The Case of Shifting Expectations – Expert Review and Curated Commentary
The Case of Shifting Expectations outlined a scenario of a junior emergency attending who feels like she has lost control of her department while working with an overconfident senior resident. This month, the MEdIC team (Tamara McColl, Teresa Chan, Sarah Luckett-Gatopoulos, Eve Purdy, John Eicken, Alkarim Velji, and Brent Thoma), hosted a discussion around this case with insights from the ALiEM community. We are proud to present to you the Curated Community Commentary and our expert opinions. Thank-you to all participants for contributing to the very rich discussions surrounding this case! [+]
PV Card: Laceration Repair and Sutures – A cheat sheet guide
Laceration repair and suturing are foundational skills for the Emergency Department. This pocket card serves as a quick reference guide for clinicians, and provides a much-needed update and design upgrade from the 2011 PV card on Sutures. This card covers suture/staple removal times, suture sizes, suture material characteristics, special laceration considerations, and suture techniques. [+]
I am Dr. Kate Groner, Associate Medical Director: How I Stay Healthy in EM
Dr. Kate Groner is an emergency physician and Associate Medical Director from Newark, DE. When she’s not keeping busy in the department, she can be found participating in all sorts of different activities. Staying active with family and friends is an important part of how she stays well. Her advice on understanding our own limitations and taking each day, one at a time, it something we could all put into practice. Here’s how she stays healthy in EM! [+]
IDEA Series: Applying Gamification and Competition-Based Learning to an Ultrasound Curriculum
The Problem Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) is integral to the practice of emergency medicine (EM) and is a core competency for EM residents. Learning ultrasound requires development of a multi-faceted skill set including image acquisition, image interpretation, and integration into clinical decision making. Utilizing the principles of gamification and competition-based learning provides a more engaging method for teaching POCUS than traditional didactic formats. [+]