• Baton Handoff

Video: Caution about patient hand-offs in the ED

By |Jul 1, 2010|Categories: Medical Education|Tags: |

Kudos to Dr. Vineet Arora (Univ of Chicago) on creating a great video on the importance of clear, concise, and updated hand-off information on patients. This is especially important in the Emergency Department where patients are constantly being “signed out” to other residents for continued acute care. Whatever hand-off process you are using now, we can always do better. [+]

Trick of The Trade: Peritonsillar Abscess Drainage 2.0

By |Jun 30, 2010|Categories: ENT, Tricks of the Trade, Ultrasound|

Back in September of 2009 Michelle shared valuable Tricks of The Trade regarding drainage of peritonsillar abscesses. Today we revisit the topic and add two more tricks to avoid hitting “big red” a.k.a. the internal carotid artery. [+]

  • Grades

Article Review: Evaluating students using RIME method

By |Jun 28, 2010|Categories: Education Articles, Medical Education|Tags: |

How do evaluate medical students and residents, who are rotating through your Emergency Department? Do you have a structured framework for assessing their competencies? Have you heard of the RIME method of evaluating learners on their clinical rotation? Dr. Lou Pangaro (Vice Chair for Educational Programs in the Dept of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University) published a landmark article in 1999 on his simple yet effective approach in evaluating medical students and residents. I had the pleasure of briefly meeting Dr. Pangaro when he gave CDEM’s keynote speech in 2008.  [+]

  • Paracentesis

Paucis Verbis card: Ascites assessment with paracentesis

By |Jun 25, 2010|Categories: ALiEM Cards, Gastrointestinal|Tags: |

A paracentesis procedure is often performed in the Emergency Department to rule a patient out for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). Do you check coagulation studies before performing the procedure? How comfortable do you feel that the patient has SBP with an ascites WBC > 500 cells/microliter or ascites PMN > 250 cells/microliter? This installment of the Paucis Verbis (In a Few Words) e-card series provides an evidence-based review of the literature on topics related to the paracentesis procedure. Especially helpful is the pooled data of likelihood ratios. Like most everything in medicine, a lab test should be used in conjunction [+]

  • One Year

Blog’s one year anniversary

By |Jun 24, 2010|Categories: Life|

The blog is already one year old! What started initially as a little educational experiment has now evolved into a potentially long-term endeavor. It was initially built as a sort of personal journal of what I’ve learned and read about in the field of academic emergency medicine and educational technologies. Now I’ve it focuses on academics, clinical emergency medicine (Paucis Verbis cards), faculty and resident development, and technologies. [+]

  • Pneumothorax xray

Trick of the Trade: Finding the subtle pneumothorax

By |Jun 23, 2010|Categories: Radiology, Tricks of the Trade|

Can you see the pneumothorax? Small pneumothoraces can be difficult to detect on chest xrays. Overlying ribs, other bony structures, and soft tissue can obscure subtle findings. For a patient at risk for a small pneumothorax, you can use your digital radiology PACS system to improve your ability to spot them. [+]

Hot off the press: Journal of Graduate Medical Education

By |Jun 22, 2010|Categories: Medical Education|Tags: |

In 2009, ACGME has launched a new journal focused on graduate medical education, called the Journal of Graduate Medical Education (JGME). For those of you with education manuscripts in need of a “home”, consider this peer-reviewed journal. It publishes quarterly. [+]

  • CPR animation

Article Review: Impact of family presence in a code

By |Jun 21, 2010|Categories: Medical Education|

Family presence in the ED resuscitation of a dying patient is a controversial topic. Some surveys suggest that families favor this practice and would repeat it again in a similar situation. An article in Critical Care Medicine examines the impact of family presence on the ED personnel’s actions, rather than the impact on the families themselves. Second and third-year EM residents were randomized into paired teams in simulation exercises. All resuscitations involved a cardiac arrest patient. Each team was exposed to one of three types of resuscitation groups: No family witness Non-obstructive family witness (quiet person) – quiet crying and [+]

  • Appendix

Paucis Verbis card: Appendicitis – ACEP Clinical Policy

By |Jun 18, 2010|Categories: ALiEM Cards, Gastrointestinal|

Appendicitis is a common presentation in the Emergency Department. Dilemmas arise when deciding whether to image patients with equivocal symptoms and WBC lab results. Given the risk of ionizing radiation with CT scans, we should ideally minimize the number of CT scans ordered in these patients without mistakenly sending patients home with an early appendicitis. A perforated appendix places the patient at risk for bowel obstruction, infertility (in women), and sepsis. Where does the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) stand on the critical issues surrounding the evaluation of appendicitis? This installment of the Paucis Verbis (In a Few Words) [+]