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Dr. Jeremy Tucker

The No-Interruption Zone

In the hectic ED, interruptions and distractions can cause critical errors, even death. Here are five key areas where disruptions need to be eliminated, and practical ways to get there. The following is an example of a typical cockpit to tower communication during landing. Pilot: “Cincinnati Tower, we’re six miles southeast and control VFR.” Tower: […]

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Turn Emergency Docs Into End-Of-Life Experts

My first introduction to medical futility was as an intern in Chicago in the late 90s. I was working on a medical floor when a code blue was called overhead. I responded to find the nursing staff attending to an elderly male. As I started CPR and called out orders, I inquired as to what […]

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Closing the Provider-Psych Patient Information Gap

In the emergency department, psychiatric patients can be particularly challenging. Evaluation in the ED is primarily based on history from many different sources–police, family, EMS, many times second hand or on a written report or petition. Often, family does not accompany the patient to the ED. Patients can be unreliable, intoxicated or just plain unable […]

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Reducing Medical Errors Through Improved Communication

The most important take away point from this WSJ article “Hospitals Overhaul ER’s to Reduce Mistakes” is communication. The article states that most errors in judgment involve missing pieces of critical data or information that one team member may be aware of and assume that others know. In an ideal world, the best model for […]

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Drug Shortages in the ER

Drug shortages in healthcare have been increasing in the last few years and have frustrated many a physician in various specialties. A survey was just done by Premier Inc., which showed that nearly 90% of healthcare facilities surveyed experienced shortages that may have caused a patient safety issue or error in patient care.  In the […]

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Improving Healthcare Literacy

Emergency medicine has long been called the “safety net” in our medical system, taking care of people who cannot access healthcare through other avenues. While emergency medicine would be more efficient if we only saw true emergencies, this is not a practical reality in today’s healthcare system. We take care of patients with urgent conditions; […]

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What Does “Meaningful Use” Mean to You?

The passage of the HITECH Act in 2009 has lead to a rapid push to implement electronic health record (EHR) use in both the hospital setting and by outpatient providers. Unfortunately, it is not quite as simple as purchasing an EHR system from a vendor and flipping on the switch. Many organizations are now trying […]

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The Best Way To Handle Growth Is to Get More Efficient

During my career as an emergency physician, I have worked in several different emergency departments. Going back to residency, I had shifts in numerous ER’s in Chicago, from inner city locales and large teaching hospitals to smaller community based hospitals in the surrounding suburbs. There are many differences in facilities and processes even within the […]

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