Statement Type

AAEM endorses the following points regarding the emergency treatment and discharge of patients with psychiatric and/or social problems: AAEM believes that all ED patients should be discharged under conditions that are safe and account for their personal dignity. AAEM encourages communities to establish effective options for persons in need that would enable them to avoid […]

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 […]

The introduction of the electronic medical records system into the practice of medicine has brought great benefits and presented great challenges to the doctor patient relationship.                                 Multiple studies have shown both benefits and detriments with EMRs. Benefits include a reduction in medication errors, which is the number one cause of adverse events,1 and fast […]

Whereas the volume of ED visits continues to rise and now exceeds 100 million in the United States annually; and Whereas the scope of Emergency Medicine requires a high intensity of service for many conditions, especially during the first hour of treatment; and Whereas emergency medicine involves patient evaluation, interval assessments, complex decision-making, time-intensive procedures, […]

The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) and the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM) define the standards for the specialty of Emergency Medicine. Certification by ABEM or AOBEM obviates any additional certifications required for medical staff privileges or disease-specific care center designations, such as that needed for trauma or stroke centers. Major Emergency […]

AAEM White Paper on Acute Pain Management in the Emergency Department Sergey Motov, MD FAAEM Reuben Strayer, MD FRCP FAAEM Bryan Hayes, PharmD Mark Reiter, MD MBA FAAEM Steven Rosenbaum, MD FAAEM Melanie Richman, MD FAAEM Zachary Repanshek, MD FAAEM Scott Taylor, MBBS Benjamin Friedman, MD FAAEM   Effective, efficient, and safe pain management is […]

These recommendations by ACP are free, non-specialty specific and promote removing obstacles and distractions from providing actual care and improving quality of health care. These recommendations can be referenced by AAEM members for use in their home institutions with a goal of putting clinical care first and improving work-life balance.    View the position paper […]

AAEM opposes the oversight and management of emergency medicine residency programs by contract management groups with lay ownership. AAEM is concerned that this arrangement raises significant conflicts of interests between a residency program's educational mission and the contract management group's fiduciary duty to its shareholders.   Approved: 9/7/17  

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors (7/10/2017) IntroductionDuring the assessment of a febrile neonate, defined as less than 28 days of age, initiation of a full septic work-up including blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis followed by administration of broad spectrum antibiotics is standard. Consideration of testing and treatment for possible […]

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors (6/7/2017) IntroductionDabigatran was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010 and was the first nonwarfarin oral anticoagulant (NOAC) to be introduced to the U.S. market. Dabigatran is a direct thrombin inhibitor that inhibits both free and fibrin-bound thrombin. Current indications include prevention and […]

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors (3/20/2017) Introduction: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a serious, potentially fatal condition, but is difficult to safely rule out using only clinical features. Studies have demonstrated that a combination of risk-stratification and D-dimer testing can essentially rule-out PE. The prevalence of PE increases with age, but D-dimer […]

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors (3/17/2017) IntroductionThe work-up of uncomplicated suspected ureterolithiasis has been shown to be expeditious when ultrasound is the diagnostic modality of choice. Classically, a non-contrast cat scan (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis has been used to determine the size and location of a suspected ureteral stone […]

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors (3/17/2017). Answer: Crystalloid solutions remain the resuscitative fluid of choice for patients with sepsis and septi shock. Balanced crystalloid solutions may improve patient-centered outcomes and should be considered as an alternative to 0.9% normal saline (when available) in patients with sepsis. The use of albumin does […]

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors (3/17/2017) Executive Summary:No new studies published between 2010 and 2016 meaningfully reduced uncertainty regarding our understanding of the benefits and harms of tPA for acute ischemic stroke. Discussions regarding benefit and harm should occur for patients and risk prediction scores may facilitate or expedite the conversation. […]

Position Statement: Emergency Physicians are Not Responsible for Providing Routine Follow-Up Care and Screening It is the position of The American Academy of Emergency Medicine that follow-up care is beyond the scope of practice of emergency physicians and that care in the Emergency Department should encompass diagnosis and treatment and stabilization of acute emergency medical conditions. Therefore: […]

It is AAEM’s position that physicians at work in an emergency department should be notified in real time as soon as a threat of violence to their hospital or emergency department becomes known.   Approved: 9/14/16  

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors (2/17/2016) Answer: No. However, standard care has significantly improved since the publication of the original EGDT trial. Early recognition of sepsis, prompt administration of appropriate antimicrobial therapy, urgent source control, intravenous fluid, and maintenance of adequate mean arterial pressure are critical interventions in the care of […]

IntroductionSub-dissociative dose ketamine (low-dose ketamine) is useful and safe to use alone or in combination with opioid analgesics for the treatment of acute pain in the Emergency Department (ED) and in pre-hospital settings. Its use is associated with higher rates of minor but well tolerated adverse side effects. In order to identify manuscripts for review […]

Executive SummaryAppropriate patients may be eligible for mechanical thrombectomy whether or not they have previously received intravenous t-PA, and whether or not they presented to a center capable of this specialized technique. Based on several recent randomized controlled trials, mechanical treatment reduces long-term disability in properly selected patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large […]

IntroductionThe successful use of intravenous fat emulsion (IFE) for the adverse effects associated with local anesthetics has led to its consideration as an effective antidote for multiple xenobiotics/substances (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) . Similar to most toxicology research, the evidence is completely reliant on animal experiments and human case reports. In addition to […]

Position StatementCurrent evidence suggests that patients with acute cholecystitis who are under 70 years of age and without risk factors should undergo early cholecystectomy during their initial hospital stay, preferably within 24-48 hours after onset of symptoms. DiscussionAcute cholecystitis (AC) is an acute inflammation of the gallbladder. In the US, gallstones are present in over […]

IntroductionInfluenza is an acute respiratory virus that is responsible for both epidemic and pandemic outbreaks of disease. There are three types of Influenza (A, B, and C) that are further subtyped based on surface proteins. Currently, A (H1/N1) and A (H3/N2) are the subtypes circulating in humans (1). The annual global prevalence of seasonal influenza […]

Executive summaryComputed tomography angiography (CTA) of the brain is a reasonable test to consider when evaluating select patients for subarachnoid hemorrhage after a negative non-contrast computed tomography of the brain. The benefits and risks of CTA of the brain need to be considered by the treating physician. DiscussionAcute onset headache is a common presenting complaint […]

Emergency physicians have the responsibility for all emergency patients’ care and disposition — including which patients require involuntary holds. The regulations concerning psychiatric holds or detainments vary from state to state. Some states require that law enforcement places a patient in an involuntary hold status without physician input. EPs should have the responsibility for patient […]

Medical scribes should be considered ancillary staff members employed to assist the emergency physician with data entry and documentation requirements. Their function should be to free the emergency physician to focus on clinical duties.  All information entered or generated in a health care record by a medical scribe should be reviewed for accuracy by the treating […]