Must-Read Emergency Department Articles Today

ED-Hospital-Clinic Operations Emergency Medicine Health Policy Pediatric Emergency

Bordering on Unsafe—Boarding Times and Adverse Outcomes
May 19, 2026May 18, 2026

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Among adult ED boarders, longer boarding duration plus each extra hour a patient waits for an inpatient bed portends higher risk and early clinical deterioration, with patients who deteriorate having substantially higher 28-day mortality.

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Early Clinical Deterioration Among Emergency Department Boarders: A Retrospective Analysis. Ann Emerg Med. 2026 Mar 19:S0196-0644(26)00071-5. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2026.01.023. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41860510.

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Critical Care ED-Hospital-Clinic Operations Emergency Medicine Health Policy Infectious Disease

Timely Fluid and Antibiotics = More Patients Home?
April 16, 2026April 20, 2026

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This multihospital cohort study showed that timely antibiotics and fluid resuscitation were associated with increased discharge to home after community-onset sepsis.

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Timely antibiotics and fluid resuscitation are associated with increased discharge to home after sepsis. Chest. 2026 Mar 13:S0012-3692(26)00300-4. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2026.03.002. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41833809.

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Critical Care ED-Hospital-Clinic Operations Emergency Medicine Health Policy Pediatric Emergency

Private Equity Ownership Increases Mortality
December 1, 2025December 6, 2025

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In this study examining outcomes before and after private equity hospital acquisitions, both emergency department and intensive care unit mortality increased following acquisition, while healthcare worker staffing declined.

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Hospital Staffing and Patient Outcomes After Private Equity Acquisition. Ann Intern Med. 2025 Nov;178(11):1529-1538. doi: 10.7326/ANNALS-24-03471. Epub 2025 Sep 23. PMID: 40982974.

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ED-Hospital-Clinic Operations Emergency Medicine Health Policy Pediatric Emergency Psychiatry | Substance Use

Can We Spot Potentially Violent Patients at the Door?
November 27, 2025December 4, 2025

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The DASA tool to identify patients at high-risk of violence was successfully implemented at triage with high adoption rates, identifying younger, male, and police- or ambulance-arrived patients as higher risk for aggression.

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The Implementation of Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression Score at Emergency Department Triage. Ann Emerg Med. 2025 Oct;86(4):374-383. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2025.02.023. Epub 2025 Apr 2. PMID: 40172506.

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ED-Hospital-Clinic Operations Emergency Medicine Pediatric Emergency

What Drives Physician Speed in Patients-Per-Hour?
November 25, 2025December 4, 2025

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Younger age and longer tenure at a site increased patients-per-hour (PPH) without increasing 72-hour returns.

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Predictors of Emergency Physician Productivity in a National Emergency Medicine Group. Ann Emerg Med. 2025 Oct;86(4):347-358. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2025.02.002. Epub 2025 Mar 28. PMID: 40152844.

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Critical Care ED-Hospital-Clinic Operations Emergency Medicine Pediatric Emergency Technology

Speak Fast, Care More? Does Voice Recognition = Better Notes?
November 24, 2025December 4, 2025

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Implementing voice recognition (VR) software for dictating electronic health record (EHR) notes in the ED enhances efficiency by streamlining documentation processes.

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Observational service evaluation of voice recognition technology in the emergency department: association with electronic note-writing efficiency. Emerg Med J. 2025 Sep 25:emermed-2024-214589. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2024-214589. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40998570.

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Critical Care ED-Hospital-Clinic Operations Emergency Medicine Health Policy Pediatric Emergency Psychiatry | Substance Use Wellness

Healthcare Violence is Too High—3 Ways to Break the Cycle
November 10, 2025November 20, 2025

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This paper discusses three systems-level, proactive strategies to decrease workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare workers.

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Breaking the cycle: Preventing workplace violence against healthcare workers. J Hosp Med. 2025 Sep 21. Doi: 10.1002/jhm.70167. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40975826.

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Critical Care ED-Hospital-Clinic Operations Emergency Medicine Health Policy Pediatric Emergency Psychiatry | Substance Use Social Drivers of Health

What Precedes and Leads to Workplace Violence?
November 3, 2025November 8, 2025

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Most assaults were committed by socially and psychiatrically vulnerable patients, often during prolonged psychiatric boarding. Overcrowding, limited psychiatric services, and inadequate agitation management contribute to staff assaults and inequitable patient care.

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Workplace Violence in an Urban Community Emergency Department: A Deeper Dive into the Antecedents and Circumstances of Violent Behaviors. J Emerg Med. 2025 Oct;77:1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.07.012. Epub 2025 Jul 4. PMID: 40840095.

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ED-Hospital-Clinic Operations POCUS

POCUS Reduces Inpatient Length of Stay for Dyspnea
November 3, 2025November 25, 2025

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In this cluster-randomized study of hospitalized patients with undifferentiated dyspnea, POCUS utilization was associated with shorter length of stay and reduced costs.

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Cardiopulmonary Point-of-Care Ultrasonography for Hospitalist Management of Undifferentiated Dyspnea. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Sep 2;8(9):e2530677. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.30677. Erratum in: JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Oct 1;8(10):e2543834. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.43834. PMID: 40911308; PMCID: PMC12413653.

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ED-Hospital-Clinic Operations Ethics Family Medicine Pediatrics

Chaperones for Peds & Adolescent Encounters – New AAP Policy
July 23, 2025July 21, 2025

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The AAP released a policy statement about the use of chaperones for pediatric and adolescent encounters. Here’s what you need to know.

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Use of Chaperones for the Pediatric and Adolescent Encounter: Policy Statement. Pediatrics. 2025 Jun 1;155(6):e2025071810. doi: 10.1542/peds.2025-071810. PMID: 40383537

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