ALiEM Bookclub: Bouncebacks! Emergency Department Cases: ED Returns
There are many pitfalls the practicing Emergency Medicine practitioner can encounter, but hopefully avoid during their time in the ED. Bounceback patients, the ones who come back the next day, usually worse off than the day before, are definitely dreaded events that most would like to avoid. Of course, the ideal goal would be to never have that happen to you or your patients, but that is just not realistic. That’s why Bouncebacks! can be integral to anyone’s reading list. [+]
Social Media Index: Entering the Debate
On February 1, 2016, the St Emlyn’s blog published a post by notable FOAMite Dr. Simon Carley (@EMManchester) that critiqued the Social Media Index (SMi) [/fusion_builder_column] [1]. The SMi is an impact metric for emergency medicine (EM) blogs and podcasts that has been hosted on ALiEM for the past few years [2]. This post provides background on its creation and evolution and responds to some of these criticisms. It will be followed by a more philosophical post by Teresa Chan (@TChanMD) on CanadiEM tomorrow. [+]
ALiEMU CAPSULES Module 5: Procedural Sedation & Analgesia in the ED
We are proud to present CAPSULES module 5: Procedural Sedation & Analgesia in the ED, now published on the Academic Life in EM University (ALiEMU) website. Here is a summary of the key points from this outstanding module by Dr. Zlatan Coralic and Dr. Nadia Awad. [+]
Traumatic Brain Injuries in Older Adults
Older adults are at high risk of poor outcomes from even minor head injuries. We see many older patients in the ED who present after a fall or head injury, and we have good decision rules for which patients need brain imaging.1 However, even patients with mild traumatic brain injuries, who have a negative CT scan, are at risk for mortality and significant long-term sequelae. The CDC has called traumatic brain injuries a ‘silent epidemic’.2,3 The first steps to breaking that silence are awareness and recognition. Case A 75 year old male who is not on any anticoagulants presents to [+]
I am Dr. Greg Wanner, Emergency Medicine Resident: How I Stay Healthy in EM
Dr. Wanner (@GregWanner) is an emergency medicine resident from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Having been a physician assistant educator in EM for several years prior to his residency, he brings a wealth of experience on how to stay well. Despite this busy schedule, he still finds time to keep fit and spend time with this two daughters. Dr. Wanner is a big supporter of “laughter is the best medicine”. Here’s how he stays healthy in emergency medicine! [+]
Must-Know EM Pharmacotherapy Articles of 2015
There is so much literature to sift through each year, it becomes nearly impossible to stay abreast of it. Here is a quick summary of the 10 must-know Emergency Medicine pharmacotherapy articles from 2015, in my humble opinion. [+]
PV Card: Adult scaphoid fracture
What is the most commonly fractured carpal bone in adults? It's the scaphoid bone. As a bonus it has the dreaded complication of avascular necrosis. So how good are the physical exam and imaging modalities in diagnosing a fracture? What is the likelihood ratio (LR) that snuffbox tenderness predicts a fracture? Bottom lines: The exam is highly sensitive but poorly specific, such that one can only confidently state that a NON-tender snuffbox and scaphoid tubercle essentially rule out an acute scaphoid fracture. Also negative x-rays for patients with scaphoid tenderness still yield a fracture post-test probability of 25%. This PV card breaks down all the LRs.1 PV Card: Scaphoid Fracture Adapted from 1 Reference Carpenter C, [+]
EBSCO Health/DynaMed Plus EM Residency Wellness Grant winner: Dr. Kory Gebhardt
A few months ago, the ALiEM Chief Resident Incubator launched a nation-wide competition to find the best EM residency wellness ideas out there. Today we announce the winner, Dr. Kory Gebhardt and the Northwestern EM residency program. Thanks to the Chief Resident Incubator’s sponsor EBSCO Health/DynaMed Plus for generously underwriting this grant, which focuses on the crucial and often underappreciated aspect of graduate medical education and training — wellness. [+]
Naming contest for ACEP initiative on quality improvement – $250 prize
Are you creative? Got a knack for acronyms and catchy names? Want to have bragging rights on naming a major American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) initiative? Want to win a $250 prize? Here is your chance. ALiEM has partnered with ACEP to help be the social media wing in their ambitious, grand-scale quality improvement collaborative based on Choosing Wisely recommendations. [+]
MEdIC Series | The Case of the Awkward Assessors – Expert Review and Curated Commentary
The Case of the Awkward Assessors outlined a scenario where faculty members are put in a difficult position as they try to provide negative feedback to a medical student working in the ED. What did the ALiEM community think of this case? This month the MEdIC team, led by Brent Thoma (@Brent_Thoma) and Teresa Chan (@TChanMD) 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. [+]