Erika's Musings on a Career in Emergency Medicine

What Obama Doesn't Get About Americans and Health Care

2009-09-29T12:48:00.002-05:00

Click here to read the full article online at FoxNews.com

Toddler Has Same IQ Score as Stephen Hawking

2009-06-10T08:58:00.003-05:00

Who knew a 2 year old could be the next Bill Gates? Click Here to Read the Full Story at FOXNews.com

Texas Among First States Predicted to Recover from Recession

2009-06-02T09:25:00.007-05:00

Bill Dedman, MSNBC.com, Investigative reporter, updated 10:19 p.m. CT, Sun., May. 31, 2009 NEW YORK— If you want to be in the right place when the recovery starts, that place may be in Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas or Washington. The recession didn't start at the same time in every state, and it won't end at the same time either. A new forecast from

Many Doctors Voicing Concern About Teens & Texting

2009-05-28T11:15:00.009-05:00

Trouble for texting teens?: Constant text-messaging concerns doctors Teens' text-messaging is on the rise, raising concerns ranging from anxiety and sleep deprivation to repetitive stress injury. THOMAS JAMES HURST / THE SEATTLE TIMES A young attendee at Endfest in 2007 uses her cellphone to text-message. Some experts say too much

GPS for the Body® Tracks Cancer in Patients During Treatment

2009-05-28T10:17:00.012-05:00

What is GPS for the Body®?The implanted Beacon® electromagnetic transponders work with the Calypso® 4D Localization System™ to provide guidance to the clinician on the position and movement of the prostate during radiation therapy. Clinicians use the motion data provided by the Calypso System to guide radiation therapy setup and monitor the prostate position during treatment delivery.The

9 patients made nearly 2,700 ER visits in Texas

2009-04-03T10:20:00.005-05:00

AUSTIN, Texas – Just nine people accounted for nearly 2,700 of the emergency room visits in the Austin area during the past six years at a cost of $3 million to taxpayers and others, according to a report. The patients went to hospital emergency rooms 2,678 times from 2003 through 2008, said the report from the nonprofit Integrated Care Collaboration, a group of health care

Certified ER Docs in Short Supply to Meet Future Needs

2009-01-13T10:33:00.001-06:00

Even in best-case scenario, study says more than a decade needed to achieve goals FRIDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- The number of board-certified emergency doctors in the United States will likely fall short of hospital emergency department staffing needs in the future, say Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers. The scientists suggested that alternative

US Falls Short of EM Trained Physicians in Hospital Emergency Departments

2008-12-19T17:09:00.003-06:00

"Emergency Medicine Specialists in Short Supply"by Elizabeth Cooney, www.Boston.comDecember 17, 2008Even under the rosiest of scenarios, it's unlikely the nation's emergency rooms will be staffed with only emergency medicine specialists anytime soon, Boston researchers predict.Writing in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine, lead author Dr. Carlos A. Camargo of Massachusetts General Hospital

EM in War Time: A True Story in Iraq

2008-12-10T12:01:00.002-06:00

I was reading an article in the November 2008 volume of Emergency Physicians Monthly (www.EPmonthly.com) that really touched me. The article was written by CDR Mark Plaster of the Marine Corps, United States Navy. He wrote about the importance of disassociation when treating patients anywhere, and especially within a unit during war time. His story begins by describing his team of providers

Does Your State Make the Grade in Emergency Medicine?

2008-12-09T13:30:00.007-06:00

The American College of Emergency Physicians (www.ACEP.org) released a report this week that "grades" Emergency Care in the United States. They gave the nation a C- overall, and didn't grant anything higher than a B for any state in the union. Click the link below to see how your state measures up. Click Here for the Full Report

Gasping After Cardiac Arrest Associated with Improved Survival

2008-12-02T17:58:00.003-06:00

By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage TodayPublished: November 24, 2008 Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 24 - Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients who gasp or have labored breathing derive the most survival benefit from immediate chest compressions, a

New Doctors Still Too Tired for Safety

2008-12-02T17:50:00.001-06:00

Report recommends extended rest breaks after 30-hour shifts WASHINGTON - Doctors-in-training are still too exhausted, says a new U.S. report that calls on hospitals to let them have a nap. Regulations that capped the working hours of bleary-eyed young doctors came just five years ago, limiting them to about 80 hours a week. Tuesday, a panel of the prestigious Institute of

CT Scans to Determine Heart Disease in the Emergency Room

2008-11-25T10:39:00.003-06:00

Courtesy of Physorg.com, Nov 27, 2007. Source: University of Pennsylvania.In the future, patients who arrive at a hospital Emergency Department complaining of chest pain may be diagnosed with a sophisticated CT scan. If the diagnosis is negative, the patient can go home—and the total time at the hospital will be much shorter than it is today. That is the theory behind a study being presented at

Google Uses Searches to Track Flu’s Spread

2008-11-21T07:45:00.004-06:00

New York Times - Technology By MIGUEL HELFT Published: November 11, 2008 SAN FRANCISCO — There is a new common symptom of the flu, in addition to the usual aches, coughs, fevers and sore throats. Turns out a lot of ailing Americans enter phrases like “flu symptoms” into Google and other search engines before they call. That simple act, multiplied

Conventional Wisdom on Uninsured Use of the ED Is Only Half True

2008-11-12T14:11:00.002-06:00

By Emily P Walker, Washington Correspondant, MedPage TodayPublished Oct 21, 2008 ANN ARBOR, Mich. Oct. 21 -- Three of the six most common assumptions about emergency department use by uninsured patients are false, and three are supported by fact but are true for all ED users, insured and uninsured, according to researchers here. The single most common assumption -- that

Health Care Industry Not Immune to Recession

2008-11-07T14:42:00.006-06:00

From the St. Louis Today Website (www.stltoday.com) When people make sacrifices in a tough economy, they usually don't start with their health. That's one reason the health care industry, if not exactly recession-proof, seems one of the best able to endure the economic downturn. St. Louis' growing medical sector includes the area's largest employer, BJC HealthCare, with

Texas Medical Board Issues Record Number of Physician Licenses

2008-11-07T14:39:00.002-06:00

From the Texas Medical Board Fall 2008 Newsletter, found at www.tmb.state.tx.us With the help of additional resources appropriated by the Texas Legislature, along with some streamlining of its processes, the Texas Medical Board set a record in Fiscal Year 2008 by licensing more than 3,600 doctors. This surpassed the previous record, set in FY 2007, by almost 300 licenses. TMB

Positive Motion: Helping 3rd World Countries Provide Emergency Medical Care

2008-11-06T16:13:00.006-06:00

PositiveMotion is a company dedicated to providing medical equipment to third world countries around the globe. A team of 20 students, medical providers, and their families from Arizona and Texas attended an annual mission trip to New Hope Primary School and Orphanage in Kampala, Uganda. New Hope was started over 8 years ago when preacher Chris Lubega began finding abandoned children on his door

CIN Protection: Post Contrast Nephropathy

2008-11-05T10:49:00.006-06:00

Dr. Eric Wilke is back again with another insightful video for ER docs.Click Here for the Google Document OutlineEmail Your Comments to Dr. Wilke

Physician Shortage Fuels Local Recruiting Efforts

2008-11-05T10:35:00.006-06:00

We all have heard that the physician shortage is getting worse and worse in the United States. According to an article at www.timesnews.net, we'll be short by about 200,000 physicians within the next decade! The article states a projection of 200 job offers for every physician graduating from residency within the next 10 years. The article points out that the U.S. government tried to stop the

Video Blog: Protocol and Order Set for Induced Hypothermia

2008-11-03T15:04:00.009-06:00

Affilion's Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director of the College Station Medical Center Emergency Department, Dr. Eric Wilke, MD, has posted an excellent 12-minute video explaining a full-coverage protocol and order set for induced hypothermia.click here to watch the videoWhat do you think of this video? Do you have any additional thoughts or comments? Send me an email and I'll pass all

Researchers Evaluate the Effect of the Emergency Department Wait on Patient Satisfaction

2008-11-03T14:10:00.011-06:00

In the Wall Street Journal Health Blog (read full article here) (10/30), Jacob Goldstein asked "how long is too long?" when it comes to the willingness of patients to happily ride out the emergency department (ED) wait. Researchers at Michigan's William Beaumont Hospital posed the same question, "and got a pretty clear answer: Three and a half hours." After looking "at more than 2,000

ACEP Scientific Assembly in Chicago, Illinois Oct 27 - 30, 2008

2008-10-21T14:59:00.016-05:00

This year's ACEP Scientific Assembly is quickly approaching! It marks the 40th anniversary of the American College of Emergency Physicians and will take place in the beautiful city of Chicago, Illinois. This year's conference is at the McCormick Place Convention and Trade center, just minutes from Downtown Chicago. More than 300 stimulating educational sessions are available for providers

Baptist St. Anthony’s Hospital ED – Emergency Medicine in the Texas Panhandle

2008-10-10T16:44:00.012-05:00

Amarillo, Texas, is an interesting place. With a population of nearly 200,000 people, it's the largest town in the panhandle and the only major town between Denver, Colorado, and Dallas, Texas. So what's so special about a relatively small town in the mid-west? Not only is the town of Amarillo steeped in history, but it is also home to Baptist St. Anthony's hospital, one of the top ranked

MountainView Regional Hospital in Las Cruces, NM - Relaxation Mecca of the South

2008-09-26T17:39:00.012-05:00

Let's explore a place to live that provides great climate, excellent pay, and year round outdoor activities for you and the family: Las Cruces, New Mexico.Las Cruces, an absolutely stunning city in the southwest US, lies in the heart of the Mesilla Valley, surrounded by the Rio Grande Mountains. If you want to see an amazing sunset, this is where you want to be! It truly is one of the best kept