emergency medicine

Hospital emergency departments are tasked with saving the lives of people who overdose on opioids. Clinicians and researchers hope that more can be done during the hospital encounter to connect people with treatment.

Hospitals Could Do More For Survivors Of Opioid Overdoses, Study Suggests

2:15pm August 22, 2017

by Andrea Hsu

Researchers say hospitals are missing an opportunity to help people with opioid addiction get into treatment by not doing enough when they show up in emergency rooms after an overdose.

While doctors and nurses have an ethical duty to treat all patients, they are not immune to feelings of dread when it comes to patients who are hateful or belligerent. A well-known article from the 1970s spoke to this.

After Charlottesville, A Doctor Reflects On Hateful Patients And His Own Biases

1:15pm August 16, 2017

by John Henning Schumann

Medical professionals take pride in their commitment to care for all patients. But that pride doesn't shield them from the difficult ones.

Drones carrying automated external defibrillators got to the sites of previous cardiac arrest cases faster than ambulances had, according to test runs conducted by Swedish researchers.

Could Drones Help Save People In Cardiac Arrest?

9:23pm June 13, 2017

by Courtney Columbus

AED-carrying drones beat ambulance times to the sites of previous cardiac arrest cases in a rural area of Sweden, a study finds. But this has yet to be tried in real emergencies.

Kurt Hinrichs and his wife Alice in 2015, less than a year after Kurt had a stroke. He recovered after doctors removed the clot that was blocking blood from flowing to part of his brain.

A Lazarus Patient And The Limits Of A Lifesaving Stroke Procedure

11:58am May 01, 2017

by Irina Zhorov

About 800,000 people have strokes each year in the U.S. Most are caused by clots that block blood to the brain. In some cases, doctors can remove the clot using a device that looks like a fishing net.

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Emergency Room Doctors Are Picking Noses — For Drug Delivery, That Is

4:58pm April 05, 2017

by Jessica Boddy

Nasal versions of sedatives and overdose drugs are increasingly popular in emergency departments. Doctors like that they act quickly and don't require an IV to administer.

Hanan Abu Qassem is the first female EMT to staff professional soccer games in Gaza.

A First In Gaza: A Female Treats Injured Male Soccer Players

4:59am November 07, 2016

by Lauren Frayer

Hanan Abu Qassem is one of a handful of female emergency medical technicians working at Palestinian soccer games. Stares and jeers don't faze her. "I'm anxious to be a very famous EMT," she says.

Military medics, medical corps and technicians from every branch of the military attend courses at the Medical Education and Training Campus in San Antonio.

Lessons From 2 War Zones Make A Difference In Medic Training

6:22pm November 02, 2016

by Wendy Rigby

Nearly every medic in the U.S. military is now trained in San Antonio. Shaped by combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, that training has evolved to improve care and save more lives.

An ambulance pulls out of the emergency entrance at Temple University Hospital in North Philadelphia.

Will A Study Save Victims Of Violence, Or Gamble With Their Lives?

6:07pm October 20, 2016

by Aaron Moselle

Victims of a shooting or stabbing in Philadelphia may soon become part of a study to figure out what kind of care is better--going straight to a hospital or getting more care at the scene.

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Too often, pediatricians say, the teen depression that went undiagnosed in the community shows up in the ER as a suicide attempt.

How Gaps In Mental Health Care Play Out In Emergency Rooms

7:40pm October 17, 2016

by Shefali Luthra

Psychiatric patients have longer ER stays than patients with physical problems, research shows, and have trouble finding inpatient care and follow-up treatment. Kids can be among the hardest hit.

Amanda McMacken, a registered nurse at Temple University Hospital, shows North Philadelphia residents how to slow bleeding in trauma victims.

In Philadelphia, Neighbors Learn How To Keep Shooting Victims Alive

4:31pm August 30, 2016

by Taunya English

A first-aid class in Philadelphia is designed to help people learn how to keep shooting victims alive until the paramedics arrive. It teaches skills such as applying tourniquets to stop bleeding.