To define the range of clinical conditions Canadian emergency pediatricians consider appropriate formanagement by physician assistants (PAs) and the degree of autonomy PAs should have in the pediatric emergency department (PED).

We conducted a cross–sectional, pan-Canadian survey using electronic questionnaire technology: the Active Campaign Survey tool. We targeted PED physicians using the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada (PERC) network database (N = 297). Three outcome measures were assessed: demographic information, familiarity with PAs, and PA clinical roles in the PED. The level of PA involvement was assessed for 57 common nonemergent clinical conditions.

Of 297 physicians, 152 completed the survey, for a response rate of 51.2%. None of the 57 clinical categories achieved at least 85% agreement regarding PA management without direct physician involvement. Twenty-four clinical conditions had ≥ 15% agreement that any PA involvement would be inappropriate. For the remaining 33 clinical conditions, more than 85% of respondents felt that PA could appropriately manage but were divided between requiring direct and only indirect physician supervision. Respondents' selection of the number of conditions felt to be appropriate for PA involvement varied between the size of the emergency department (ED) in which they work (larger EDs 87.7–89.1% v. smaller EDs 74.2%) and familiarity with the clinical work of PAs in the ED (90.5–91.5% v. 82.2–84.7%).

This national survey of Canadian PED physicians suggests that they feel PAs could help care for a large number of nonemergent clinical cases coming to the PED, but these clinical encounters would have to be directly supervised by a physician.

A consensus panel of Emergency Physicians with experience in international health has published a recommended curriculum for a formal fellowship in International Emergency Medicine. This article reviews the current International Emergency Medicine (IEM) fellowships available to residency-trained Emergency Physicians in the United States.

Every allopathic Emergency Medicine (EM) residency program in the United States was contacted via e-mail or telephone. Programs that reported having an IEM fellowship were asked detailed information about their program, including: (1) the number of years the program has been offered; (2) the duration of the program; (3) the number of fellows taken each year; (4) the number of fellowship graduates from each program and their current practice patterns; (5) how the fellowship is funded; and (6) whether a Masters Degree in Public Health (MPH) is offered.

All 127 allopathic EM residency programs responded. Eight (6.8%) of these programs offered IEM fellowships. Of a total of 29 graduates identified, 23 (79.3%) were employed in academic medicine. All of the fellowships offered formal public health training and were funded by a combination of clinical billing and project-specific grants and scholarships. All IEM fellowships described a curriculum that reflected the previously published recommendations.

Opportunities in formal training in international health are increasing for graduates of EM residencies in the United States. The proposed curriculum for IEM fellowships seems to have been implemented and graduates of IEM fellowships seem to be applying their training in international projects.

Our objective was to document and compare the views obtained at laryngoscopy during emergency department (ED) rapid sequence intubation (RSI) by anesthetists and emergency physicians of varying seniority and experience.

Data were prospectively collected on every intubation attempt in 7 urban Scottish EDs for 2 calendar years, commencing Jan. 11, 1999. Data included patient’s age, gender, grade and specialty of intubator, laryngoscopic grade, and number of intubation attempts. Quality of laryngoscopic visualization was graded using the Cormack–Lehane scale, with grades I and II considered good visualization. A descriptive analysis was performed, and key statistical comparisons made.

During the study period, 735 patients underwent RSI, and grade of intubation was documented in 672 cases (91%). In total, 68.2%, 23.4%, 6.1% and 2.4% of the intubations were classified as Cormack–Lehane grade I, II, III and IV respectively. Overall, anesthetists and anesthesia trainees achieved good laryngoscopic visualization in 94.0% of cases (95% confidence interval [CI], 90.8%–96.4%) and emergency physicians and emergency medicine trainees did so in 89.2% of cases (95% CI, 85.5%–92.3%; p = 0.027). Specialist registrars and senior house officers in anesthesia were more likely to obtain good visualization than their emergency medicine counterparts (p = 0.034 and 0.035 respectively). Consultants in emergency medicine were more likely to obtain good views than their anesthesia counterparts, but this difference was not statistically significant.

Anesthetic trainees obtain better laryngoscopic views than emergency medicine trainees, but these differences disappear with increasing emergency physician seniority, suggesting a training and experience effect. Emergency medicine trainees may benefit from additional focus on laryngoscopic visualization techniques early in their training period.

Investigate Emergency Physicians' knowledge about the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) Title III legislation, passed by the United States Congress in 1986, and to determine the factors contributing to their level of preparedness in dealing with patients exposed to toxic chemicals.

A 115-item questionnaire was mailed to the medical directors of all emergency departments (EDs) in the State of New York. The results of the cross-sectional survey were analyzed using standard statistical methods.

One hundred and eighty-seven (72%) of the directors of EDs in New York State responded to the survey. Three years after SARA was enacted, only 33% of the directors had heard about this legislation. Only 18% had been invited to attend the meetings of the Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC). Sixty percent of the directors knew whether or not the LEPC had devised plans that defined a role for their EDs in responding to environmental emergencies. This knowledge about community planning mainly had an effect on preparedness of the EDs. Preparedness also was predicted by how recently the EDs had treated patients exposed to toxic chemicals, the perception that emergency physicians had a legitimate role in planning for and responding to chemical emergencies, and how often emergency physicians had attended continuing education courses about hazardous materials.

Despite the finding that some emergency physicians are involved in community preparations, two main problems persist in planning a medical response to environmental emergencies. First, the ED directors generally are unaware of the legislation that mandates these preparations and are not interacting with community planners. Second, there is not full involvement by the local EDs in the LEPC planning efforts.

A procedure is needed to disseminate information about legislation which affects emergency physicians, such as SARA, and about regional planning for environmental emergencies. Dissemination should include education about the professions' role in planning for and providing care for patients exposed to toxic chemicals.