Emergency Room

Women are catching up with men nationally in overall drinking, as well as in binge drinking, drunk driving and deaths from cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcoholism.

Alcohol-Related ER Visits Soar, Especially Among Women

2:07pm January 11, 2018

by Robin Lloyd

The nine-year period ending in 2014 saw a sharp increase in the U.S. of alcohol-related visits to emergency rooms, a study finds. And binge drinking doesn't completely explain it.

Carmen Algeria, a survivor of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, was admitted to Sunrise Hospital. She had been shot in the leg and on Oct. 2 was awaiting surgery.

Sheer Number Of Casualties Makes Las Vegas Count Difficult

2:37pm October 04, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

Doctors and emergency officials are still trying to figure out exactly how many people were shot in Las Vegas. The wide range of injuries and the sheer number of people injured are challenges.

Dr. Winston Watkins, an internist at St. Joseph Medical Center in Houston, volunteered to do a shift in the ER to give his colleagues a break.

Health & Safety

In A Houston Emergency Room, It Was A Week Like No Other

8:47am September 02, 2017

by Rachel Osier Lindley

At the only emergency department providing care in downtown Houston, staff stayed in the hospital throughout the week to care for patients. It was an emotional experience.

As baby boomers age, more older Americans are visiting the emergency room, which can be an overcrowded, disorienting and even traumatic place.

Can Comfort Care At The ER Help Older People Live Longer And Suffer Less?

4:57am May 26, 2017

by Melissa Bailey

Many older patients have problems that an emergency room is ill-equipped to handle, but often there is nowhere else to go. So some hospitals are adding palliative care consultants to the front lines.

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore opened a six-bed urgent care center next to its infusion center a couple of years ago. Of the patients who land there, about 80 percent are discharged home afterward, rather than needing admission to the hospital.

Urgent Care Services For Cancer Patients Offer A Gentler ER Alternative

12:15pm May 03, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

Some hospitals and oncology practices are setting up urgent care sites tailored to the needs of cancer patients, to help keep them out of the emergency room when complications or side effects arise.

Turning to poetry, a trauma nurse explores the idea of compassion fatigue in a semi-autobiographical poem.

A Trauma Nurse Reflects On 'Compassion Fatigue'

5:10pm April 30, 2017

by Meredith Rizzo

Years of treating grievously injured people starts to wear on a person, a trauma nurse in Minneapolis says. She explores "compassion fatigue" in a semi-autobiographical poem.

Many people with sore throats and colds who requested virtual medical appointments would have stuck to home remedies if telehealth weren't available, a study suggests.

Telehealth Doctor Visits May Be Handy, But Aren't Cheaper Overall

8:00am March 26, 2017

by Jon Brooks

Many patients like the convenience of being able to quickly consult a doctor by text or phone or webcam instead of heading to an urgent care clinic. But the cost of consultations can add up.

Although expanding Medicaid in Oregon didn't drive down the recipients' overall use of hospital emergency rooms, the state has seen a decline in avoidable use of ERs by 4 percent in the past two years, according to state statistics.

Emergency Room Use Stays High In Oregon Medicaid Study

6:35pm October 19, 2016

by Kristian Foden-Vencil

Health officials hoped giving more people health insurance would curtail their use of expensive emergency rooms for routine medical care. But data from Oregon suggest their overall ER use didn't drop.

Queue Listen Now

Too often, pediatricians say, the teen depression that went undiagnosed in the community shows up in the ER as a suicide attempt.

How Gaps In Mental Health Care Play Out In Emergency Rooms

7:40pm October 17, 2016

by Shefali Luthra

Psychiatric patients have longer ER stays than patients with physical problems, research shows, and have trouble finding inpatient care and follow-up treatment. Kids can be among the hardest hit.

Health & Safety

Falls From Strollers And Baby Carriers Can Cause Serious Injuries

3:51pm August 18, 2016

by Rob Stein

Though they're generally safe, strollers and baby carriers are associated with thousands of trips to the emergency room for very young children. Falls are more common than you might think.