Syncope makes up approximately 1% of acute care visits in Canadian emergency departments and is a common symptom for a wide range of underlying etiologies.1 Identifying any serious underlying condition for syncope and disposition planning is the main area of focus in the emergency department. In addition to a comprehensive history and physical, the 12-lead ECG is a part of the initial evaluation in any patient presenting with syncope. The mnemonic, WOBBLER can …
CRACKCast E228 – Neck Trauma
View PostExpert’s Corner – Dr. Eddy Lang on Quality Improvement and Healthcare
Welcome to another HiQuiPs Expert Corner. In this edition, we asked Dr. Eddy Lang three questions about Quality Improvement (QI) given his impressive track record of system improvements. Dr. Eddy Lang is the current Department Head of Emergency Medicine and a Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. In addition, he serves as the Clinical Department Head for Emergency Medicine and a senior researcher at Alberta Health Services, Calgary zone. …
MI Pretty Peaceful APE: Differentials for Sinister causes of chest pain
About 1 in 10 cases seen in the Emergency department involve chest pain. While some of these causes are benign or subacute, there are six emergent and sinister causes of chest pain that one would want to consider first before exploring other diagnoses. The mnemonic “MI Pretty Peaceful APE” can be used to quickly recall these sinister causes in order from most to least frequent presentations. Given below are those conditions, their prevalence, …
CRACKCast E227 – Spinal Injuries
This updated episode of CRACKCast covers Rosen’s Chapter 36 (9th Ed.) on spinal injuries. This episode will outline the approach and details of the diagnosis, classification and treatment of spinal trauma in the emergency department. Shownotes – PDF Here Rosen’s in Perspective Alright, podcast listeners. We are back at it again with another episode of CRACKCast. Today, we will be reviewing Chapter 36 – Spinal Injuries in Rosen’s 9th Edition. This is one …
HiQuiPs: Navigating Ethics in Quality Improvement
You have decided to start a quality improvement (QI) project on improving access to fascia iliaca nerve blocks for hip fractures in your emergency department (ED). You have also gathered an interdisciplinary team of experts within your ED to help you identify structure, process, outcome and balance measures to use in your QI project. But how can you ensure you collect your data ethically when executing this project? Welcome back to another HiQuiPs …