Top 10 evidence-based countermeasures for night shift workers.

Emergency edicine providers are responsible for ensuring the emergency department is staffed 24 hours a day. As such, providers must efficiently transition between day, swing and night shift on an almost weekly basis. There is no formal education in medical school or residency on how to approach the transition to and from night shift, remain alert and productive and maximise sleep during the day. There are a multitude of blogs and online sources discussing night shift, but few, if any, provide an evidence-based approach. This article will provide the top 10 evidence-based recommendations to increase sleep, maximise performance, decrease fatigue on shift and improve quality of life outside the workplace.

Promoting an obesity education program among minority patients in a single urban pediatric Emergency Department (ED).

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of the Emergency Department (ED) as a place for obesity education and to evaluate its impact on patient's lifestyle modification. METHODS: In this study, children between 8 and 18 years of age, who presented to the ED for non-urgent reasons in a single urban hospital, were enrolled. Parents' perception of their child's diet and exercise were assessed prior to the intervention. Both parents and children attended a brief audio-visual presentation that provided educational information on age-appropriate diet and exercise. Following the intervention, the participants were asked about their impressions regarding the ED as a place to receive obesity education and whether they plan to make any changes in diet and exercise. RESULTS: One hundred children and their parents participated in this study. Of these, 76 were Latino and 21 were African-Americans. The mean age was 14 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.6. Following the intervention, 21 (100 %) of the African-American parents and 73 (98.6 %) of the Latino parents felt that the ED should provide obesity education. Eighteen (85.7 %) of the African-American parents and 72 (97.3 %) of the Latino parents planned to make changes in their child's diet and exercise. Among the children, 21 (100 %) of African-American participants and 76 (100 %) of Latino participants reported that they found the audio-visual useful. Seventeen (81.0 %) of the African-American children and 73 (96.1 %) of Latino children stated learning new information from the intervention program. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the ED may have a role in primary health promotion and obesity prevention. An ED-based intervention may be used to provide education about obesity prevention and has the potential to impact life style modifications, including diet and exercise.

Recurrent intussusception.

Recurrent intussusception is defined as an occurrence of intussusception of a bowel loop in a patient with a prior resolution of intussusception, either spontaneously or with an intervention. It is not rare to develop a subsequent episode after a successful reduction of intussusception. We report the cases of 2 children who presented to the emergency department with recurrent intussusception and review the pertinent literature.