December 1, 2004
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Flu vaccine shortage places premium on infection control and surge capacity
With the flu season upon us and only half the normal supply of vaccine available, ED managers are preparing and bracing for a greater influx of flu patients this year. -
Preventive health for staff critical to patient safety
If the flu vaccine shortage leads to a significant surge in flu patients, maintaining optimal staff health will be critical to providing adequate care for those patients, observers agree. -
Strategies for Universal Respiratory Etiquette
Provide surgical masks to all patients with symptoms of a respiratory illness. Provide instructions on the proper use and disposal of masks. -
New approaches to pain ease discomfort, distress
A growing number of ED managers are coming to realize pain is much more than a physical symptom and taking a more holistic approach to pain can not only ease patient discomfort, but improve satisfaction. -
Bar-coded patient IDs cut LOS nearly one hour
In our November issue, EDM featured strategies and methods employed at Grady Hospital in Atlanta and University Hospital in San Antonio, which made their programs successful. We continue our series with this article. -
Study finds 83% of ED patients have insurance
Common wisdom may say that the nations EDs are being filled up with the uninsured, but a new study on EDs asserts that more than 80% of patients seen in EDs have health insurance and a usual source of health care such as a primary care physician. -
CMS eases diagnostic testing rules for EDs
The final rule on hospital outpatient payment services for 2005 from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has some good news for ED managers: Requirements for reporting diagnostics tests have become less burdensome. -
Journal Review
Schull MJ, Vermeulen M, Slaughter G, et al. Emergency department crowding and thrombolysis delays in acute myocardial infarction. Ann Emerg Med; in press. -
Prepare your hospital for a very unusual flu season
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Hospitals won’t have to ask about immigration status