RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To overcome the shortage of personal protective equipment and airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIRs) in the COVID-19 pandemic, a collaborative team of research engineers and clinical physicians worked to build a novel negative pressure environment in the hopes of improving healthcare worker and patient safety. The team then sought to test the device's efficacy in generating and maintaining negative pressure. The goal proved prescient as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) later recommended that all barrier devices use negative pressure. METHODS: Initially, engineers observed simulations of various aerosol- and droplet-generating procedures using hospital beds and stretchers to determine the optimal working dimensions of the containment device. Several prototypes were made based on these dimensions which were combined with filters and various flow-generating devices. Then, the airflow generated and the pressure differential within the device during simulated patient care were measured, specifically assessing its ability to create a negative pressure environment consistent with standards published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). RESULTS: The portable fans were unable to generate any airflow and were dropped from further testing. The vacuums tested were all able to generate a negative pressure environment with the magnitude of pressure differential increasing with the vacuum horsepower. Only the 3.5-horsepower Shop-Vac, however, generated a -3.0 pascal (Pa) pressure gradient, exceeding the CDC-recommended minimum of -2.5 Pa for AIIRs. CONCLUSION: A collaborative team of physicians and engineers demonstrated the efficacy of a prototype portable negative pressure environment, surpassing the negative pressure differential recommended by the CDC.
RESUMEN
To address the needs for curation of online educational content as well as the development of a nationally available curriculum that meets individualized interactive instruction, the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) Approved Instructional Resources (AIR) Series and AIR-Pro Series were created in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Using an expert-based, crowd-sourced approach, these two programs identify trustworthy, high-quality, educational blog, and podcast content. Here, we summarize the accredited posts that met our a priori determined quality criteria and evaluated by eight attending physicians.
RESUMEN
The Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) Approved Instructional Resources (AIR) Series was created in 2014 to address a lack of both curation of online educational content and a nationally available curriculum that meets individualized interactive instruction. Using an expert-based, crowdsourced approach, the AIR series identifies trustworthy, high-quality, educational blog and podcast content. Here, we summarize the content rated as high quality per our a priori criteria as evaluated by eight attending physicians.
RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: The WestJEM Blog and Podcast Watch presents high quality open-access educational blogs and podcasts in emergency medicine (EM) based on the ongoing ALiEM Approved Instructional Resources (AIR) and AIR-Professional series. Both series critically appraise resources using an objective scoring rubric. This installment of the Blog and Podcast Watch highlights the topic of neurologic emergencies from the AIR series. METHODS: The AIR series is a continuously building curriculum that follows the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Director's (CORD) annual testing schedule. For each module, relevant content is collected from the top 50 Social Media Index sites published within the previous 12 months, and scored by eight board members using five equally weighted measurement outcomes: Best Evidence in Emergency Medicine (BEEM) score, accuracy, educational utility, evidence based, and references. Resources scoring ≥30 out of 35 available points receive an AIR label. Resources scoring 27-29 receive an honorable mention label, if the executive board agrees that the post is accurate and educationally valuable. RESULTS: A total of 125 blog posts and podcasts were evaluated. Key educational pearls from the 14 AIR posts are summarized, and the 20 honorable mentions are listed. CONCLUSION: The WestJEM Blog and Podcast Watch series is based on the AIR and AIR-Pro series, which attempts to identify high quality educational content on open-access blogs and podcasts. This series provides an expert-based, post-publication curation of educational social media content for EM clinicians with this installment focusing on neurologic emergencies.
