Burnout and physician wellness are two sides of the same coin. With the use of journaling, one can flip the coin with the odds in their favour. Burnout, a prevalent term in emergency medicine, is defined as a mix of emotional exhaustion, lack of control, and depersonalization.1 Importantly, studies demonstrate that 65% of emergency physicians may experience burnout for a portion of their career1. This staggering rate is, in fact, more than double the …
CRACKCast E193 – Mechanical Ventilation and Noninvasive Ventilatory Support
View PostHiQuiPs: Preparation Part 1 – General Considerations for ED Quality Improvement Projects
You are in the middle of a busy night shift and you see a 73-year-old female with diffuse abdominal pain who is hemodynamically stable. You have a wide differential and order a CT scan to aid in the diagnosis as you begin empiric management. Three hours pass by and the CT has not been performed. This is the third time this week that this has happened. In light of this, you feel strongly …
I heard a snap! Clay Shoveler’s Fracture
Reginald, a 73-year-old man, presents to your Emergency Department with neck pain. He tells you that last night he was straining to lift a heavy box. He heard and felt a snap in his neck. This morning, he awoke with neck pain, dizziness, and mild confusion. You examine Reginald and find that he has pain with neck rotation, flexion, and extension. He also has exquisite, sharp tenderness on palpation over the C6 vertebrae. …
Sirens to Scrubs: Esophageal Foreign Body Obstructions
You respond lights and sirens to a popular lunch spot near the provincial legislature for a man choking. You find 56-year-old Jeff clutching at his chest, struggling to breathe and looking very panicked. Around him are dozens of other patrons looking equally panicked, uncertain of what to do. After performing a primary survey on Jeff and assisting him to your stretcher, your partner, who had been at the table talking to Jeff’s wife, …
Blood and Clots Series: Diagnosing pulmonary embolism in pregnancy
All the content from the Blood & Clots series can be found here. CanMEDS Roles addressed: Medical Expert Case Description A pregnant 32 year old female presents to the ER with chest pain. She is 33 weeks gestational age, and this is her third pregnancy (two prior uneventful deliveries). Her pain started 3 hours ago while she was watching television. It is sharp, worse with inspiration, and located along the right costal margin. …