The Medical Malpractice Curriculum for Emergency Physicians

Malpractice is a topic that is often avoided in medical training. We arguably spend more time learning to perform once-in-a-lifetime/never-in-a-lifetime procedures than we learn about something that is very likely to occur in our career. According to the American Medical Associations’ Physician Practice Information survey in 2007-2008, 75% of emergency physicians over the age of 55 years old reported having ever been sued. Additionally, 30.9% of emergency medicine respondents reported being sued at least two times, with 109 claims per 100 physicians who responded…

Legal, Conference RecapsKelly WongOctober 19, 2020malpractice, medicolegal, lawsuitComment

Pediatric Diarrhea: History is the Primary Diagnostic Tool

A 5 year-old healthy male presented to the emergency department with his father with a chief complaint of fever, diarrhea, and vomiting. Fever was his first symptom. It started one week prior to presentation and was persistent over the course of the week. His highest temperature was 103.7 °F. Fevers occurred daily despite treatment with antipyretics. After his fever developed, he started having 4-5 daily episodes of watery diarrhea. Dad noted blood in the diarrhea only once. He complained of generalized abdominal pain when having bowel movements…

Infectious Disease, PediatricsFrederick VaroneOctober 12, 2020Diarrhea, Pediatrics, SalmonellaComment

The Febrile Seizure

Despite how frequently emergency physicians encounter children who have had a febrile seizure, there tends to be great variation in the diagnostic evaluation of these patients. The algorithm below was created to provide a more simplified approach to the patient presenting with a febrile seizure. The algorithm draws from the 2011 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Clinical Practice Guideline for the Febrile Seizure as well as the clinical pathways published by Seattle Children’s Hospital…

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