Key Concepts Bioethics is a method of using values and moral principles to come to defendable decisions for ethical dilemmas . In emergency medicine, many ethical dilemmas often go unrecognized. Ethical dilemmas arise from conflicts between multiple good options or…
Key Concepts Palliative care is physical, spiritual, psychological, and social support provided to patients and families at any stage of serious illness. Palliative care teams are specialized interdisciplinary teams that should be involved early in the course of illness. Hospice…
Key Concepts The rapid increase in the number of older adults in the United States (US) and around the world, as well as the unsustainable costs of the current US health care system, mandates improved emergency care systems for these…
Key Concepts Over the past 20 years, emergency ultrasound (EUS) has become an integral part of emergency medical care in the United States and has become standard in the evaluation of emergency medical conditions. EUS answers specific, often binary questions,…
Key Concepts A key feature of humanitarian crises is the mass displacement of large numbers of people from their homes. Displaced populations are designated either as internally displaced persons (IDPs) or refugees. The international response community has developed practice guidelines…
KEY CONCEPTS World Health Assembly resolution 72.16, “Emergency care systems for universal health coverage: ensuring timely care for the acutely ill and injured,” was passed in 2019 and calls for the strengthening of emergency care delivery through a detailed list…
KEY CONCEPTS Intimate partner violence encompasses a pattern of controlling behaviors, including intentional physical assault, sexual assault, psychological violence, and financial control. Intimate partner violence (IPV) patients are best served by a coordinated system response plan that includes staff training,…
Acknowledgment We would like to thank Judith A. Linden and Ralph J. Riviello for their significant contribution to the prior edition of this chapter. KEY CONCEPTS Sexual assault is most common in women but can happen to gay and heterosexual…
Key Concepts It is important for prevention efforts, including those in hospitals and emergency departments, to consider unjust social conditions disproportionately experienced by minority communities, and especially by African Americans; these include generational poverty, residential segregation, and other forms of…
Key Concepts Challenges with food, housing, transportation, and other social determinants of health account for approximately 50% of poor health outcomes in the United States. Emergency providers can connect patients to resources that can help address challenges with different social…