Emergency Relief

An ED Going to the DogsFigureYour emergency department may offer free coffee and bottled water to ease wait times during peak periods, but can that compete with a welcome from Quincy, a mixed-breed Labrador? Or Brinkley, a Burmese Mountain dog? These canine companions, technically called “therapy dogs,” proved such a hit at one large Midwestern ED that even the researchers seemed stunned. Fewer than 10 percent of people who answered a survey said they had any qualms whatsoever that the friendly hounds might pose a sanitary risk, and less than five percent were afraid of contact with them, despite the fact that they're really big dogs. The investigators chalked it up to the pair's personalities, and that “it's possible that people who liked dogs completed more surveys than dog haters.” The study bears replicating with smaller breeds, they suggested, to collar more solid data and fetch the specific benefits. (West J Emerg Med 2012;13[4]:363.) Stop Making that Sound! Phony ambulance sirens and fake emergency alerts are no laughing matter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which fined Turner Broadcasting a cool $25,000 for blaring such sounds to promote — what else? — a celebrity interview that was coming up on a talk show. The FCC “will not tolerate” emergency alert sounds for such on-air ads, said an FCC spokesman, explaining the penalty. Plus it wasn't even used for TV coverage of Justin Bieber's arrest in Miami. (Variety, Nov. 6, 2013; http://bit.ly/1mUAadI.) A Different Set of Street Smarts When it comes to parts of West Virginia, EMS systems pretty much have to stay on the phone when emergency calls come in. That's because some sections have no street names and callers can't give an address, only directions via landmarks such as churches, parks, and even big trees. Instructing one caller to listen for the approaching blare of sirens, one firefighter said he had to keep asking if the sound was getting closer. A disabled man was located only after he described his house as having out-of-season holiday lights across it. Unsurprisingly, efforts are underway to get all roads named. One street received a moniker that seems to sum up the task: Git-R-Done Drive. (The Atlantic, January/February 2013.)FigureGolf-Cart Drivers Need to Take it Slow In the annals of injury and prevention, golf carts once escaped notice as a cause of crashes. Not any more. Morbidity from this mode of transportation is sending more people than ever to emergency departments. One reason is that golf carts are faster to zip around in and more powerful. Another is that they're often used by baby boomers whose ranks are growing and who have never been known as a group to accept their senior status or their own mortality. Yet bodily damage now occurs in golf-cart travel by people just toppling out. (Accident Analysis & Prevention 2013;59:574.)FigureYou May Get No Respect, but You'll Have Fun! What is so good about being an emergency physician? Helpful career-choosing advice is offered on many medical sites, but none appears as candid as the commentary of a longtime professor at the Western Michigan University School of Medicine. One “con” is that emergency medicine can still lack respect as a legitimate specialty in some hospitals, forcing some emergency physicians to “put up with excessive amounts of flack on a daily basis” from the medical staff and administration, said David T. Overton, MD. But, wait, could it be jealousy? “Emergency medicine still has more fun and exciting things going on than most other specialties,” he added, and he listed that as quite an advantage over daily bouts of the same old thing. Also, “there is the undeniable cachet of occasionally being an integral part of the 6 o'clock news,” he pointed out. Who could ever challenge that kind of prestige? (“Medical Student Survival Guide,” Emergency Medicine Residents' Association; http://bit.ly/1oHAxds.) Can We Give Everyone an A? When Penn Medicine unveiled some of its recent neuroscience research, kids from some local elementary schools were invited to serve as judges. Asking the grade-schoolers to rate poster presentations proved hard on the youths, but not because of difficulty reading the abstracts. As one boy explained, they just didn't like giving anyone bad grades. (Penn Medicine News; http://bit.ly/1emHMh9.)FigureShowing Mentors They Really Rock One question that poses a year-round problem: a way to express appreciation to a great emergency medicine mentor. When Theresa Chan, MD, an emergency physician, addressed this issue in an online column, she incited discussion in which one associate professor of emergency medicine lamented that there is no evidence-based answer, but added (hopefully?) that a bottle of Scotch might be a nice gesture. Another wrote in support of that old standby, home-baked cookies. But it was Michelle Lin, MD, an emergency physician in San Francisco, who proposed the most original idea: rocks. She considers them “a geographical souvenir map of sorts.” She was thrilled when she got one from a former student thrilled. Really. (She posted a photo.) Of course, the thank you note with it probably helped turn it into a treasure. (MEdIC Series: The Case of the Magnificent Mentor, Jan 3, 2014; http://bit.ly/1lLR7H7.) A Traditional Valentine's Day Truly is Best Every Valentine's Day, it's the same thing for some emergency departments. Chocolate and flower allergies send some gift recipients for treatment after they've “enjoyed” these presents, often to prevent the possibility of hurt feelings by the partner who gave the gift. One British emergency physician suggested — tongue planted firmly in cheek — that this kind of gift-giving results in far less pain compared with other selections, no matter the consequences. Relying on gift alternatives like vacuum cleaners or other household supplies simply won't signify love, and that can backfire on Feb. 14, he stressed. “You don't want to be the guy who bought his wife a set of kitchen knives,” he said, adding, “Some things simply cannot be re-attached.” Jewelry is just much safer, he advised. (The Spoof; http://bit.ly/1e9NB7g.)Figure

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