Top Stories: Jan-Feb 2021
Check out some articles that caught our attention in the first part of 2021! From US vaccine mishaps to new understandings of Emergency Physicians’ social role, there’s a lot to learn so far.
A ‘bunch of kids’ ran a major vaccination site for Philadelphia. Then the city cut its ties.
The New York Times
“With pressure mounting to get Covid-19 vaccine doses into arms as quickly as possible, many overburdened city health departments across the country have turned to partnerships with hospitals, nonprofit organizations and pharmacies. In Philadelphia this week, one such deal went awry after the city leaned on a start-up led by college students who were eager to get involved but had little experience.”
Covid: What’s the problem with the EU vaccine rollout?
BBC News
“The European Union has been criticised for the slow pace of coronavirus vaccinations in its member states. It has introduced export controls on vaccines produced in the EU after its rollout was hit by supply problems and delays. The UK, by comparison, has approved and distributed vaccines to its population significantly faster.”
Mammograms pick up swelling due to Covid-19 vaccine, causing unnecessary fear, radiologists say
CNN
“Tales of unnecessary biopsies spurred the patient care committee of the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) to put out an advisory in January: Ask your patients about their Covid-19 status, and record the date and which arm received the vaccine. Consider that before automatically scheduling a biopsy.”
The State of Emergency Medical Services in Sub-Saharan Africa (English)
The World Bank
“Health system investments in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have historically focused on primary health care to address the high rates of communicable diseases. However, with increasing rates of road trauma along with other life-threatening conditions such as non-communicable diseases like cardiac arrest and stroke that require urgent medical attention, many countries must now also look to develop functional Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Providing efficient and effective post-crash care and pre-hospital treatment for injuries, hemorrhage, and other medical and obstetrical emergencies under normal operating conditions become even more critical during disasters or conflict situations. They should also be made a priority due to the increasing morbidity and mortality from medical, surgical and obstetrical emergencies.”
Hong Kong Journal of Emergency Medicine
“Burnout is a syndrome occurring from an overwhelming workplace stress. The study was done at a large teaching hospital identified as a COVID-19 treating hospital. During COVID-19 pandemic, the country was in Movement Control Order since 18 March 2020 to contain the spread of the virus, and thus, it has increased the job workload and responsibility. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of burnout among emergency healthcare worker in this hospital and to identify the factors contributed to the burnout.”
Prehospital Management of Hypoglycemic Emergencies
The Journal of Collegiate EMS
“Treatment of hypoglycemic emergencies may present a unique challenge to collegiate-based emergency medical services providers due to variations in patient presentations and available management options. While hypoglycemia can occur in a variety of settings, it is most commonly a complication of the treatment of diabetes. As the prevalence of diabetes in the general population continues to increase, providers are more likely to encounter patients experiencing hypoglycemic emergencies, necessitating familiarity with relevant protocols and treatment. This review discusses the pathophysiology and presentation of hypoglycemic emergencies, as well as assessment and treatment options across different scopes of practice for emergency medical services providers. Additional recommendations are provided for collegiate-based agencies regarding training and prevention.”
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
“Three decades ago, in North America, pediatric emergency medicine was an evolving subspecialty of pediatrics, contributing in valuable and life-saving ways to the care of children. Currently, in LMICs (low middle-income countries) pediatric programs are expanding training and education in the subspecialty of pediatric emergency medicine. We aim to determine if care provided by a single institution with dedicated pediatric emergency resources and personnel in Kenya can change mortality rates in children with similar mRISC scores suffering from respiratory illness, as compared to previously published data from the same region of Eastern Africa. As mRISC is used at the time of a child's admission to the hospital to describe the severity of their respiratory illness, we will compare mortality rates by mRISC score to compare groups of patients with similar severities of illness between hospitals.”
Health Affairs
“Hospitalizations account for the largest share of health care spending. New payment models increasingly encourage health care providers to reduce hospital admissions. Although emergency department (ED) physicians play a major role in the decision to admit a patient, the extent to which admission rates vary among ED physicians even within the same hospital remains poorly understood.”
