Breaking Down Medicine’s Hierarchy

Breaking Down Medicine’s Hierarchy

There’s a pretty standard hierarchy in medicine:   Medical Student → Junior Resident → Senior Resident → +/- Fellow → Attending   Similar to many things in medicine, this hierarchy stems from old habits and practices. In the ninetieth century, medical...
Gender Based Violence Towards Women of Colour

Gender Based Violence Towards Women of Colour

The Sexual Assault and Partner Abuse Care Program (SAPACP) that works out of the Civic Campus Emergency Department at the Ottawa Hospital represents an intersection between emergency medicine, forensics and the justice system. Our patients present to us in the...
Advanced reperfusion strategies for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and refractory ventricular fibrillation (ARREST): a phase 2, single centre, open-label, randomised controlled trial

Advanced reperfusion strategies for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and refractory ventricular fibrillation (ARREST): a phase 2, single centre, open-label, randomised controlled trial

Methodology: 3.5/5 Usefulness: 3.5/5 Yannopoulos D, et al. Lancet. 2020 Dec 5;396(10265):1807-1816. Question and Methods: The ARREST trial was a phase 2, single centre, open-label, RCT comparing early ECMO facilitated resuscitation to ED-based standard ACLS care for...
Effect of Nebulized Magnesium vs Placebo Added to Albuterol on Hospitalization Among Children With Refractory Acute Asthma Treated in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Effect of Nebulized Magnesium vs Placebo Added to Albuterol on Hospitalization Among Children With Refractory Acute Asthma Treated in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Methodology: 4.5/5 Usefulness: 4/5 Schuh S, et al. JAMA. 2020 Nov 24;324(20):2038-2047. Question and Methods: RCT assessing the effectiveness of nebulized magnesium versus placebo in children presenting with an acute asthma exacerbation refractory to standard therapy,...
Plaster cast versus functional brace for non-surgical treatment of Achilles tendon rupture (UKSTAR): a multicentre randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation

Plaster cast versus functional brace for non-surgical treatment of Achilles tendon rupture (UKSTAR): a multicentre randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation

Methodology: 3.5/5 Usefulness: 3.5/5 Costa ML et al. Lancet. 2020 Feb 8;395(10222):441-448. Question and Methods: The UKSTAR trial was a pragmatic, multicenter RCT that compared plaster cast against walking boot for non-operative management of Achilles tendon rupture...