Tactical Medicine News Blog

Every year there are 6 million visits to the Emergency Department (ED) for chest pain, and approximately 2 million hospital admissions each year.  This is approximately about 10% of ED visits and 25% of hospital admissions with 85% of these admissions receiving a diagnosis of a non-ischemic etiology to their chest pain (CP).  This over triage has enormous economic implications for the US health care system estimated at $8 billion in annual costs.

Once upon a time nurses were all women in hats and white skirts and doctors were readily identifiable by their formal dress, and deep, masculine voices. Changes in demographics, fashion and the health care teams have shattered these stereotypes.  In doing so, it has become more difficult for our patients and fellow practitioners to identify the diverse members of a modern health care team. This week we present the case of Jenny and Justin:  a couple of residents who are struggling with the assumptions of their patients and colleagues that result from their youthful looks and – in Jenny’s case – gender.

An 84-year old woman presents to your ED with a traumatic, left-sided posterior hip dislocation. You need to reduce the hip. But how should you sedate her? Procedural sedation is an important component of ED care. It allows us to more comfortably perform otherwise painful procedures such as fracture or dislocation reductions, endoscopies, large laceration repairs, and I&Ds. How safe is procedural sedation in older adults?

As a physician and newcomer to FOAM, I am finding that I have learned a lot of myths and pearls that are not true as I matriculated through school. This has taught me that learning from textbooks may be great for board exams, but  more importantly it is not optimal for patient care and has made me question a lot of different practices. We all want to know clinically relevant information that is evidence based and up to date that will make a difference in our care of patients. The purpose and goal of REBEL is to create a sustained change in beliefs, attitudes, and behavior through review of the best evidence available.

As a physician and newcomer to FOAM, I am finding that I have learned a lot of myths and pearls that are not true as I matriculated through school. This has taught me that learning from textbooks may be great for board exams, but  more importantly it is not optimal for patient care and has made me question a lot of different practices. We all want to know clinically relevant information that is evidence based and up to date that will make a difference in our care of patients. The purpose and goal of REBEL is to create a sustained change in beliefs, attitudes, and behavior through review of the best evidence available.