"Half of everything we are taught in medical school will turn out to not be true. The problems is you don't know which half." - every medical school professor
In this era of evidence based medicine, medical traditions and dogma are constantly being re-evaluated and studied. Many of our dearest medical traditions have been passed down in text books and preached on morning rounds. But as most medical professors will attest to, half of what we are taught turns out to be wrong... or incomplete information. This is why we, as healthcare providers, are all required to continue our medical education to maintain our license. We culturally, and legally, acknowledge that if we don't keep up to date, we fall behind and unnecessarily exposure our patients to costly, and sometimes harmful medical interventions with little or no benefit.
The bloodletting knife, pictured above, was a sure sign of a competent physician in its day. It is also a symbol of evidence based medicine, one of the first stories in our history of how the scientific method eventually dispelled the myth that bloodletting cured all. Today, a physician would be considered a quack for suggesting such an intervention. Not that long ago, however, to argue against it was medical heresy. We so much different today?
ACEP Now - The Official Voice of Emergency Medicine is a publication of the American College of Emergency Physicians. In recent months, author Kevin Klauer, DO, EJD, FACEP published a 2 part series on Myths in the Emergency Department: rooted in culture, based on tradition Part 1 & Part 2 (click red link to see original article and references). Below is a summary of some of the key points discussed in the article.
Read something intriguing or controversial? Want to read more or find the original references? Link to Myths in the Emergency Department: rooted in culture, based on tradition Part 1 & Part 2 to find out more.
The bloodletting knife, pictured above, was a sure sign of a competent physician in its day. It is also a symbol of evidence based medicine, one of the first stories in our history of how the scientific method eventually dispelled the myth that bloodletting cured all. Today, a physician would be considered a quack for suggesting such an intervention. Not that long ago, however, to argue against it was medical heresy. We so much different today?
ACEP Now - The Official Voice of Emergency Medicine is a publication of the American College of Emergency Physicians. In recent months, author Kevin Klauer, DO, EJD, FACEP published a 2 part series on Myths in the Emergency Department: rooted in culture, based on tradition Part 1 & Part 2 (click red link to see original article and references). Below is a summary of some of the key points discussed in the article.
- Tramadol is less effective at 8 hours than ibuprofen for pain
- "Banana bags" are expensive and not superior to oral vitamins in most cases for alcohol intoxicated or malnourished patients
- Glucagon is no better than placebo for esophageal obstructions
- Patients with syncope and wi ECG changes or chest pain do not benefit from cardiac enzymes
- Dilution should not be an explanation for your patient's anemia
- Penicillin allergy is actually very rare, and there is only a 1% cross-reaction to cephalosporins (first and second generation with R chains)
- Iodine is not an allergen, and shellfish allergy is not a contraindication to IV contrast for a CT scan
- There is no evidence supporting the use of empiric antibiotics with nasal packing
- Tap water is likely the best irrigation solution for wounds
- CT brain is not routinely indicated prior to lumbar puncture
Read something intriguing or controversial? Want to read more or find the original references? Link to Myths in the Emergency Department: rooted in culture, based on tradition Part 1 & Part 2 to find out more.
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