A 7-year-old boy with autism spectrum disorder presents to the emergency department (ED) with upper respiratory infection symptoms. He starts becoming agitated as you try to auscultate his lungs and aggressively comes towards you. You are unsure of the best method to approach this situation. Research has demonstrated that almost one third of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who present to the emergency department had negative experiences or unwanted outcomes.1,2 Children with …
The Climate Crisis and Emergency Medicine: Part 1 of 2
This two-part series will address the bidirectional relationship between EM and climate change. Part 1 will explore heat waves, atmospheric pollution, and natural disasters as illustrative examples of the impact of climate change on the ED. Beyond these examples, climate change also impacts other health issues such as water quality, infectious disease and food security (Figure 1).1,2 Part 2 will discuss the reciprocal impacts of emergency medicine practice on climate change, as well …
Clinical Question: When should patients be allowed to eat in the Emergency Department?
You have just finished seeing a 12-year-old boy who fell off the monkey bars about an hour ago. He has an obvious deformity to his right elbow and you suspect a displaced fracture that will require reduction. You would like to use procedural sedation to facilitate the reduction, but an empty granola bar wrapper stops you in your tracks. “We missed dinner rushing here and he couldn’t resist,” his mom says. Staring at …
The CCEDRRN COVID Mortality Score
Emergency Departments see critically ill patients with COVID-19. Families and care providers often have to make immediate management decisions about whether or not to intubate hypoxic patients. That decision has substantial downstream implications for patients and the health system. For patients a course of mechanical ventilation is commonly prolonged (average 13 days), and fraught with long-term sequelae, and often does not prevent death. Intubation takes patients’ ability to eat, speak and communicate with …
PoCUS Previews 01: Intro to PoCUS
Welcome to PoCUS Previews; CanadiEM’s newest infographic series! Ultrasound (US) is an imaging modality that uses high frequency soundwaves and their reflection to produce real time images of various structures within the human body. In Emergency Medicine, small portable US machines can be used to gain an abundance of clinical insight that can ultimately aid in diagnosis. However, generating and interpreting these images can be quite challenging. PoCUS Previews aims to simplify Point …
HiQuiPs: Consent in Quality Improvement
You’re ready to start a quality improvement (QI) project aimed at improving the effectiveness of the communication surrounding patient prognosis by providers. Your Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles involve retrospective chart reviews, surveys with patients to understand their experiences, and 1:1 key informant interviews with inter-disciplinary staff members in your department. You’ve learned about navigating ethics in quality improvement , and have reached out to your institution’s Research Ethics Board or QI leadership to determine the process …