Category: Emergency Medicine
Road deaths climb in 2012, ending six-year slide
The number of people who died in traffic accidents inched up last year, reversing a downward trend in road deaths that began in 2006, according to a federal report.
Snohomish emergency preparedness event seeks to engage diverse communities
The day will have two educational tracks: One for community residents to learn more about being prepared for emergencies, and another for emergency responders to learn ways to respond more effectively to a diverse community.
Death rates rise at small, remote hospitals
Congress has bestowed special privileges to some small remote hospitals, usually in rural areas, to help them stay afloat.
Despite these benefits, there’s new evidence that the quality of many of these hospitals may be deteriorating.
Reviving research into US gun violence – BMJ feature
For much of the 20th century, gun violence in the US had been considered a law enforcement issue. But in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a series of reports and workshops started to recast the issue as a public health problem and calling for a far broader societal approach.
Observation units can improve care but may be costly for patients
Patients who are kept in the hospital observation units to monitor their condition may not be formally admitted. When this happens they often have to pick up a bigger share of the cost.
How the NRA undermined law to require mental health checks for gun buys
Bush administration proposed legislation that would require all states to share the names of residents involuntarily committed to mental health facilities. The information would be provided to a Federal Bureau of Investigation database. The idea, in part, was to help gun dealers get important information about whether potential customers were mentally ill.
Blacks missing out on critical early treatment for strokes
Getting to the emergency room within the first few hours of recognizing stroke symptoms can help prevent permanent brain damage, but a new study finds that Blacks are only half as likely as Whites to get timely treatment.
Emergency departments are on the frontline of the flu
More patients with the flu are seeking care at the emergency room this year, despite the 112 million Americans who have gotten a flu shot
Silencing the science on gun research
Research into gun-violence prevention is being suppressed by pro-gun forces in the U.S. Congress and state legislatures, writes UW pediatrician Dr. Frederick Rivara in a JAMA viewpoint he authored with RAND policy analyst Dr. Arthur Kellerman/
Adults with Disabilities More Likely to Seek Care in the Emergency Department
People with disabilities, while making up just 17 percent of the working-age adult population, account for almost 40 percent of all emergency room visits. They may seek care at an ER due to the complexity or urgency of their medical conditions, because they lack access to other accessible care or because they lack health insurance.
Xmas toy safety tips from Seattle Children’s
“Parents should remember that children don’t perceive toys the same way we do and often don’t use them as we might expect . . .If a toy can be misused, chewed on, eaten, swallowed or thrown at someone, it will be.”
Despite a spate of deadly shootings, states have relaxed gun laws
In Washington State, felons can get their gun rights restored as long as they haven’t been convicted of any new crimes in five years. Under Washington State’s Hard Times for Armed Crimes Act, judges actually have no discretion to deny restoration based on a felon’s character or mental health.
Connecticut school shooting – Helping kids cope with violence in the news
Studies show that children can suffer long-term emotional damage from exposure to violence in news coverage. Dr. Bob Hilt, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Seattle Children’s Hospital, says parents should be prepared to help their children deal with traumatic events, such as natural disasters and acts of violence.
Four NYC hospitals still closed by hurricane Sandy
Three weeks after Hurricane Sandy, four New York City hospitals remain closed for inpatients, leaving thousands of patients scrambling to find other medical centers to treat everything from broken bones to brain cancer.
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