Did the Affordable Care Act actually reduce ED visits as politicians promised?
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was supposed to expand coverage to the uninsured and many politicians claimed this would result in lower use of “expensive emergency rooms” for the treatment of patients’ acute complaints. Ignore, for the moment, the controversy about whether or not the emergency department (ED) is an expensive or appropriate place for patients to seek care. A new survey [PDF] from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), asked the question: Did the ACA actually reduce ED visits as politicians promised?1 [+]
Top 10 Educational Initiatives from the Chief Resident Incubator
Chief Resident Incubator, known colloquially as the CRincubator, which for the first time brought together in one virtual space chief residents from EM programs coast to coast. The inaugural class used this opportunity to meet with mentors in EM, discuss difficult situations of being chief residents, and collaborate on projects in areas of education, wellness/public health, leadership and administration. As the academic year comes to an end we want to highlight the top 10 projects that were accomplished by chiefs involved in the CRincubator. [+]
I am Dr. Masashi Rotte, Emergency Physician and Assistant Professor: How I Stay Healthy in EM
Dr. Rotte is an emergency physician currently practicing in New York. His passion for traveling, love of hiking, and commitment to eating right are some of his secrets on how he maintains wellness. Dr. Rotte shares how he is able to get away, travel, and stay well, while keeping up with his work demands. We could all use a little of Dr. Rotte’s passion for life long learning! Here is how he stays healthy in EM! [+]
MEdIC Series: The Case of the Fibbing First Year
Welcome to season 3, episode 7 of the ALiEM Medical Education in Cases (MEdIC) series! Our team (Brent Thoma, Sarah Luckett-Gatopoulos, Tamara McColl, Eve Purdy, John Eicken, and Teresa Chan) is pleased to welcome you to our online community of practice where we discuss difficult medical education cases each month. As usual, the community discussion will be reviewed using qualitative research methods to produce a curated summary that will be combined with two expert responses to create a functional teaching resource. This month’s case dives into the truth omitting or fibbing resident. Why do some learners lie and how should staff respond? [+]
Ultrasound For the Win! Case – 43-year-old Man with Syncope #US4TW
Welcome to another ultrasound-based case, part of the “Ultrasound For The Win!” (#US4TW) Case Series. In this peer-reviewed case series, we focus on real clinical cases where bedside ultrasound changed management or aided in diagnoses. In this case, a 43-year-old man presents to the Emergency Department after a syncopal episode. [+]
Peter Reardon, MD
AIR Pro Series: Critical Care, Part 1 (2016)
Below we have listed our selection of the 12 highest quality blog posts related to 5 advanced level questions on critical care topics posed, curated, and approved for residency training by the AIR-Pro Series Board. The blogs relate to the following questions: Ultrasound fluid assessment Ultrasound in critical care Vasopressors for critical care patients Peripheral intravenous vasopressor administration Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation basics In this module, we have 8 AIR-Pro’s and 4 honorable mentions. To strive for comprehensiveness, we selected from a broad spectrum of blogs identified through FOAMSearch.net. [+]
AIR Series: Cutaneous Module
Welcome to the Cutaneous 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 cutaneous content. Below we have listed our selection of the 4 highest quality blog posts within the past 12 months (as of February 2015) related to dermatology emergencies, curated and approved for residency training by the AIR Series Board. More specifically in this module, we identified 0 AIRs and 4 Honorable Mentions. [+]
MEdIC Series | The Case of the Pimping Physician – Expert Review and Curated Commentary
The Case of the Pimping Physician outlined a scenario where a resident physician experiences . What did the ALiEM community think of this case? This month the MEdIC team (Brent Thoma, Sarah Luckett-Gatopoulos, Tamara McColl, Eve Purdy, John Eicken, and Teresa Chan), hosted a MEdIC series discussion around this issue with insights from the ALiEM community. We are proud to present to you the Curated Community Commentary and our 2 expert opinions. Thank-you to all our participants for contributing to the very rich discussions last week. [+]
ALiEM Bookclub: Beyond the ED – Recommendations by Dr. Jan Shoenberger
Dr. Jan Shoenberger has been a long time leader in medical education. She is the Program Director at LAC+USC Emergency Medicine Residency and is dual boarded in Emergency Medicine and Palliative Care. She is equally well known for her involvement with EM:RAP, Essentials of Emergency Medicine, HIPPO EM, ALiEM, Emergency Medicine Abstracts, and multiple other courses and electronic resources. Beyond being a talented educator, many of her colleagues see her as an inspiration and a role model. We are pleased to have her contribute to this edition of the ALiEM Bookclub: Beyond the ED. The only important thing in a book is [+]
Trick of Trade: Build-it-yourself IV Fluid and Drug Administration Trainer
Simulation equipment can be rather expensive and wanting to practice fluid and drug administration does not always warrant the purchase of specialized equipment. Luckily, a simple administration trainer can be made in less than 10 minutes and only costs a few dollars (or even nothing). This is an ideal option for resuscitation training if you are already using a manikin without IV arms or an IO option. Learners can practice preparing infusions and administering fluid or preparing an injection and administering it via the syringe port. This trainer can have multiple IV cannulas in one lid and can even include an intraosseous [+]