Other Issues

Disinfection of Ultrasound Transducers Used for Percutaneous ProceduresIntersocietal Position Statement We, the undersigned organizations, wish to address the issue of disinfection of transcutaneous ultrasound transducers used for percutaneous procedures or forthe purpose of monitoring other invasive procedures. Current guidelines from multiple clinical societies have endorsed the use of low-level disinfection (LLD) for transcutaneous ultrasound transducer […]

Livonia, Mi– Today, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Senator Stabenow (D-MI) introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution designating today, September 17th as National Physician Suicide Awareness Day. This resolution is co-led by; Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, (D-IL), Rep. David McKinley (R-WV), Rep. Cindy Axne (D-IA), and Rep. Judy Chu […]

AAEM supports the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship and object to any interference in thatrelationship. Approved 9.16.21

EM Physician Organizations Form Mental Health Collaborative, Issue Joint Statement and Call to Action Regarding Mental Health Care Stigma in EM Each year in the U.S., roughly 300 to 400 physicians die by suicide1 — approximately double the suicide rate in the general population.2 More than half of physicians know of a physician who has […]

Part I: Emergency Medicine Rotations and LettersOn January 25, 2021, the Coalition for Physician Accountability (CoPA) released guidelines regarding away rotations for students participating in the upcoming residency application cycle in light of the ongoing COVID19 pandemic. The primary recommendations were: As a field that relies heavily on away rotations, Emergency Medicine (EM) is uniquely […]

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM), the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine (AACEM), and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) are committed to supporting women and underrepresented in medicine (URiM) faculty in advancing their careers and achieving academic promotion. Promotion not only celebrates individual achievement, […]

Dear Allopathic and Osteopathic Medical Board members, Thank you for reviewing our comments to the Chapter 2 reproposal. As physicians representing various medical specialties, and an organization representing 12,000 physicians, residents, medical students, and assistant physicians interested in patient safety in scope of practice matters, we are grateful to have the opportunity to submit comments. […]

The entire Emergency Medicine community, as represented by the undersigned organizations, is disheartened to see recent comments and national news stories that might confuse the public about the training and scope of practice of osteopathic physicians and emergency medicine specialists. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) make up a substantial segment of the fully licensed practicing […]

Dear Colleagues, It has come to our attention that Doximity is, once again, surveying emergency physicians to create “rankings” of emergency medicine residency training programs with a biased methodology. This type of flawed data approach does not benefit students applying to emergency medicine or emergency medicine residency programs, all of whom are working diligently to […]

East Lansing, MI (June 9, 2020)— The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) and the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM) will now provide letters of support that may be submitted to hospital credentialers to forego the need for additional short courses or certifications in the use of Emergency Ultrasound by emergency physicians. Physicians […]

AAEM Releases Statement with SAEM on the Death of George Floyd In the wake of the latest police killing of an African American man in Minneapolis, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) and Society for AcademicEmergency Medicine (SAEM) joins those calling for reforms on the use of deadly force by law enforcement, the review […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted clinical education in all U.S. medical schools, and has created unique challenges for the field of Emergency Medicine (EM). As Emergency Departments are primary sites for COVID-related care, the capacity of teaching hospitals to provide safe and appropriate EM experiences for students has been severely limited. Public health considerations have […]

The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) and the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM) define the standards for the care of the pediatric patient in an emergency department. Certification by ABEM or AOBEM obviates any additional certifications required for medical staff privileges or disease-specific care center designations, such as pediatric emergency departments or […]

We are all deeply saddened when we lose a colleague. Dr. Breen is a hero who served her patients and the NYC community during the COVID pandemic. She risked her life, her health and ultimately her death is a loss for her family, community, institution, and all of us as emergency physicians. Practicing emergency medicine […]

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) jointly and emphatically condemn the recent opinions released by Dr. Daniel Erickson and Dr. Artin Massihi. These reckless and untested musings do not speak for medical society and are inconsistent with current science and epidemiology regarding COVID-19. As owners of […]

Emergency physicians and other frontline clinicians are facing shortages of adequate PPE around the country amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.1 In response, they are addressing this through non-traditional means by self-supplying industrial devices meeting NIOSH standards. Unfortunately, there are numerous reports of hospital systems and administrators forbidding, shaming, and threatening physicians who elect to use a […]

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors. (10/7/2019) Recommendations: Introduction: Use of Conducted Energy Weapons (CEW) such as the TASER includes delivery of a series of brief electrical pulses, which result in painful muscular contractions. The pulses may be delivered via three possible mechanisms. The delivery may be via a pair of metal […]

Over 2 million Americans misuse prescription or illicitly-obtained opioids, and opioid overdose deaths rose to a record 47,600 in 2017, representing a nearly 600% increase in 18 years. (NCHS 2019, NIH 2019) Because patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) are often socioeconomically and functionally marginalized, the primary point of contact with healthcare for many is […]

Parenteral opioids are the most common analgesics used in the emergency department (ED) for relief of acute pain. Gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea and vomiting are common following opioid analgesia in long-term therapy for malignant and chronic pain and are considered a limiting factor in effective pain therapy.1 Despite the lack of clear and […]

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors. (6/7/2019) IntroductionPatients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with abdominal pain and concern for appendicitis typically require diagnostic imaging to confirm the diagnosis. Computer tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound (US) are the imaging modalities that can be used to diagnosis appendicitis. For non-pregnant […]

Introduction:The concept of sepsis has recently been redefined by an International Task Force. The task force recommended the use of the qSOFA score instead of SIRS criteria to identify patients at high risk of mortality from sepsis outside of the ICU, including in Emergency Departments. However, there are concerns from ED clinicians using qSOFA in […]

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors (11/28/2018) IntroductionPulmonary embolism (PE) remains a leading cause of cardiovascular mortality1 resulting in an estimated 150,000 deaths annually2 in the United States. With a 3-month mortality rate of 9-15%,3,4 PE presents an important clinical problem. Until recently, there has been little change in the treatment options […]

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors (11/28/2018) Introduction Current emergency department (ED) management of sepsis includes serial measurements of serum lactate. Since the initial publication of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines and the landmark study by Rivers and colleagues in 2001, numerous lactate measurement strategies have been introduced, including lactate clearance and […]

Emergency departments utilizing a “provider in triage” model should: Ensure that providers have an opportunity to perform an appropriate history and physical prior to ordering diagnostic testing; Conduct appropriate reviews to verify that over-testing is not occurring from triage based providers; Provide advance practice providers with supervision and support by board certified emergency physicians. Approved […]

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 […]