Clinical Practice Committee
Who We Are
The focus of the AAEM Clinical Practice Committee is to write evidence-based clinical practice statements on current issues that impact emergency medicine physicians.
Leadership
Robert L. Sherwin, MD FAAEM
Chair
Bradley E. Barth, MD FAAEM
Vice Chair
Lisa A. Moreno, MD MS MSCR FAAEM FIFEM
Board Liaison
Thomas G. Derenne
Staff Liaison
Our Projects
Statements
Since 2008, the committee has drafted over 40 clinical practice statements and clinical practice guidelines. Many of these statements have been submitted for peer review & publication in the Journal of Emergency Medicine (JEM).
The general guidelines for the preparation of clinical practice statements was updated April 2014. Join the committee as they develop clinical policy statements on current issues that impact emergency medicine physicians.
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Addressing Social Risks and Needs in the Emergency Department
Contrary to popular beliefs, health outcomes are driven only to a small degree by healthcare, and driven far more by what are called the “social determinants of health” (SDOH). Emergency physicians (EPs) are perfectly situated to provide both local and national leadership to recognize and address such social factors. There are many ways in which […] -
Should Ketamine be Used to Treat Prehospital Agitation?
Ketamine is a medication that can be utilized in the emergency department and prehospital setting for the sedation of the severely agitated patient. After an incident involving the misuse of prehospital ketamine received attention in the lay press, the safety and appropriateness of the prehospital use ketamine was brought into question. This clinical practice statement […] -
Can Application of Artificial Intelligence Improve ED Triage Performance?
Emergency Department (ED) overcrowding and resulting delayed patient care is a rapidly growing worldwide problem leading to increased mortality and morbidity. (39,40,41) ED triage presents the first opportunity to promptly identify high-risk patients and efficiently allocate ED resources. Current ED triage systems have suboptimal ability to differentiate critically ill patients due to subtle signs or […] -
Do Steroids Improve Clinically Relevant Outcomes in Patients with Septic Shock?
Sepsis is a dysregulated host response to infection that may progress to septic shock, a state of global hypoperfusion that often requires fluid resuscitation and vasopressors to support adequate oxygen delivery. Septic shock results in both macro- and microcirculatory failure, which ultimately progresses to multi-organ dysfunction and potentially death.(1,2) Depending on the patient population, mortality […] -
ECMO in ED for Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Statement reviewed and approved by AAEM Board of Directors. (4/23/2022) Executive SummaryEmergency departments (ED) and emergency medical services (EMS) are motivated to increase survival following sudden out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).1 Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) has been promoted as an option but substantial uncertainty exists regarding how to select patients.2 Recently, a single-center randomized […] -
Interruptions in the Emergency Department
Statement reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors. (4/23/2022) Every day, we manage many complicated patients in the fast-paced environment of the Emergency Department (ED). This work includes making phone calls, answering questions (from physicians, students, patients, and families), charting, and reviewing clinical data. The 2020 Position statement from the Academy of Academic […] -
Can Risk Stratification Tools be Utilized to Safely Discharge Low-Risk Febrile Neutropenic Patients from the Emergency Department?
Statement reviewed and approved by AAEM Board of Directors. (11/10/2021)Summary Recommendation: References and Literature Grading (PDF) -
Palliative Care in the Emergency Department: Recognizing and Meeting the Needs of Seriously Ill Patients
Statement reviewed and approved by AAEM Board of Directors. (9/16/2021) What is Palliative Care?The Center to Advance Palliative Care has provided the following definition: Early involvement is associated with greater benefits, including improved quality and reduced cost of care. An increasing number of professional society guidelines recommend early palliative involvement, eg., American College of Emergency […] -
How Should Native Crotalid Envenomation Be Managed in the Emergency Department?
Statement reviewed and approved by AAEM Board of Directors. (9/14/2020)Updated 4/26/2021 and 8/16/2021. Recommendations: Executive Summary Reference and Literature Grading (PDF) -
Do patients on Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) require repeat imaging and a period of observation after a head injury with an initial negative CT?
Statement reviewed and approved by AAEM Board of Directors. (4/8/2021) Summary Recommendation:There is substantial clinical uncertainty regarding the management of head injured patients taking DOACs for delayed intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) as there are no high-quality studies evaluating this question. DOACs have been generally shown to have a reduced rate of mortality, hemorrhagic stroke, and intracranial […]
Protocols for Submitting a Clinical Practice Statement
These general guidelines for the preparation of AAEM Clinical Practice Statements should be used when submitting to the committee for review.
Protocols
Options for Submitting a Board Approved CPC Paper for JEM Consideration
- Submit the paper in initial format as written by the author(s) to Dr. Gary Vilke, our JEM “expediter.” He can send it to the appropriate editor for expedited review. (no sharing of authorship with this route and it is presumably not as involved as getting it published as an outsider sending it to JEM for publication)
- Submit the paper to Dr. Gary Vilke for him and his fellows to “polish” before submitting to JEM. If substantial changes are required (i.e. in general, more than grammar and spelling changes), Dr. Vilke and his fellows will receive co-author credit.
- Submit for publication in the AAEM white pages in JEM. The paper is not peer reviewed and does not count toward peer-reviewed authorship. The paper is not searchable on PubMed and other related sites. The turnaround time for publication of a CPC statement is much faster than for a peer-reviewed paper.
How to Join
If you are interested in joining our committee, apply today!
Apply to Join a Committee
Appointments are confirmed on a quarterly basis (January, April, July, October).