Medical Specialties Commons^™

Reducing Respiratory Viral Testing In A Pediatric Emergency Department: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Anna Suessman

North Texas GME Research Forum 2026

Background: Respiratory viral testing in pediatric emergency departments (EDs) is frequently performed despite limited impact on clinical management for many low-risk presentations. Unnecessary testing increases cost and operational burden may delay patient throughput and can provide false reassurance to caregivers. Additionally, pediatric emergency department nurses agreed with overburden and impact to throughput based on overuse of viral testing (qualitative nursing survey conducted on September 4, 2024 showed >98% felt testing was unnecessary). We hypothesized that reducing testing through standardized team education and discharge processes would not negatively affect patient experience. This initiative aimed to decrease unnecessary respiratory viral testing during …

Impact Of Mips Measure 66 On The Incidence Of Pta's, Sydney Finch, Christopher Houston

North Texas GME Research Forum 2026

INTRO

A number of randomized controlled trials indicate that using point-of-care group A strep (POC GAS) testing decreases antibiotic utilization without compromising health outcomes. In 2018, the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) measure 66 went into effect requiring the testing for GAS when treating pharyngitis. The intent was to decrease the unnecessary use of antibiotics in the treatment of pharyngitis, given that most cases are viral. Anecdotally, some physicians have noticed the increased incidence of peritonsillar abscesses (PTA). Our research group aims to investigate if there has been a significant increase in incidence of PTAs after the implementation of MIPS …

Percutaneous Pneumothorax Placement, Miranda Bingham, Christopher Houston

North Texas GME Research Forum 2026

Background: Timely and accurate chest tube placement in the Emergency Department (ED) is critical for the management of life-threatening conditions such as a pneumothorax. At Medical City North Hills Emergency Department, chest tube placement can be delayed or complicated due to variability in available equipment types, sizes, storage locations, and setup processes. Providers may be unfamiliar with less commonly used kits, experience skill decay due to infrequent procedural exposure, or lack access to bedside educational resources during high-stress, time-sensitive situations. These challenges contribute to procedural delays, increased complication rates, prolonged hospital stays, and higher healthcare costs. This quality improvement project …

Nitrous Oxide Vs. Ketamine: Impacts On Pediatric Emergency Department Length Of Stay, Tabitha Brock, Anna Suessman

North Texas GME Research Forum 2026

Background Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a well-established analgesic and anxiolytic agent, widely used for procedural sedation in pediatric dentistry. Despite its demonstrated safety and efficacy, its use in Pediatric Emergency Departments (PEDs) remains limited and underexplored. To address this gap, we implemented a comprehensive training program for PED providers and introduced N₂O as an alternative sedation agent.

Objective We hypothesized that using N₂O for procedural sedation would significantly reduce patient length of stay (LOS) without compromising safety or outcomes.

Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of pediatric patients who underwent painful procedures in a tertiary children’s hospital emergency department. …

Retrospective Analysis Of Predictive Accuracy In Applying The Nih Stroke Scale, Rachel Hoang, Ray Rahimi, Kelly Mofor, Charley Meadows, Ty Shields, Hibba Thayyil, Hannah A. Affleck, Parker Owen, Sanjay Sharma

North Texas GME Research Forum 2026

BACKGROUND: The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is widely used to quantify neurologic deficits in acute stroke, yet it is based on observable symptoms rather than ischemic stroke pathophysiology. Because ischemic stroke typically results from focal vascular occlusion, deficits classically localize to a single hemisphere and do not cross the midline. The frequency with which patients presenting with bilateral or contralateral symptoms have MRI-confirmed ischemic infarction, compared with those with unilateral deficits, remains unclear.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients for whom a code stroke was activated at a single institution. Patients presenting with bilateral/contralateral or …

Analysis Of Stemi Activations, Ashleigh Wilson, Christopher Houston

North Texas GME Research Forum 2026

Background Prior studies of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMI) presentations have shown that longer door-to-balloon (D2B) times are associated with increased mortality. Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) within 90-minutes is standard. It appears that STEMI patients without prehospital notifications have longer ischemic times. Prehospital activation of cathlab involves EKG transmission that the Emergency Physician interprets before activating cathlab, which has the potential to cause delays. We propose that prehospital notification and prehospital having the ability to activate cathlab could decrease D2B times.

Study aims:

• Evaluate current prehospital notification system.
• Assess EMS accuracy in STEMI identification and cathlab activation. 
• Does prehospital notification …

Positive Efast—Not So Fast, Barry J. Knapp, Mitchell Vallone, Megan Duggins, Matt Jones, Jacob Knapp, Lily Kauffman, Alexander Dornstauder

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Publications

[Patient presentation] A 68-year-old man presented via emergency medical services (EMS) with right hip pain following a traumatic fall from his bicycle. On arrival at the emergency department, he was alert and oriented. Physical examination revealed only tenderness over the greater trochanter of the left femur, with no significant pain on passive range of motion of the left hip. Plain radiography demonstrated a left acetabular fracture (Fig 1).

Improving Timely Asthma Treatment In A Pediatric Emergency Department Through A Standardized Evidence-Based Pathway, Olivia Everard Harris

Covenant Nurses Week 2026

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Rapid Response Team On In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Events, Sara Everard Tucker, Julie Gale Bell, Stephanie Pigg, Shelby Austin, Kelsey Sawyer, Stephan Smith, Michelle Bradberry, Jonathan Ortegon, Matt Mitchell

Covenant Nurses Week 2026

No abstract provided.

Comparative Evaluation Of Conventional Ct And Dual-Energy Ct In The Detection And Characterization Of Intracerebral Stroke, Aidan Rosado, Shakiba Jalili, Hap Tain, Saleha Zafar

Research Methods Poster Session 2026

No abstract provided.

Introducing Education For Sensory Approaches In Mental Health-Related Emergency Department Visits: A Quality Improvement Project To Enhance Patient-Centered Care, Jesse O'Neill

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Barriers to specialty care access have resulted in emergency departments (ED) operating as temporary psychiatric hold facilities for their communities. Patients boarding in the ED are demonstrated to use a disproportionate percentage of facility resources with minimal benefit to the patient. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement identifies the impact of the healthcare environment on patient outcomes and suggests staff training to foster trauma-informed practice culture (Schall et al., 2020).

Local Problem: High-stress healthcare environments can escalate maladaptive patient behaviors and the use of restrictive interventions. Traditional use of restrictive interventions lacks supportive evidence and contradicts person-centered care goals (Molloy …

Improving Pediatric Emergency Department Lethal Means Safety Documentation Rates For Adolescents With Mental Health Concerns, Cassandra L. Stegall, Ana-Maria Mcgill, John Fanton, Paul C. Mullan

Department Psychiatry & Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Introduction:

Lethal means safety counseling (LMSC) is recommended for children presenting to the emergency department (ED) for a mental health (MH) evaluation. Currently, no gold-standard guidelines exist for documenting LMSC in the ED.

Methods:

This quality improvement project was conducted in the ED of a tertiary children's hospital. Baseline data were analyzed for access to any LMSC documentation (ALD) for "firearms/guns," "sharps," or "medication," and for complete LMSC documentation (CLD) if access to all 3 types was documented. The first intervention period added open-ended screening questions about access to lethal means to the MH-licensed clinical social worker note template. Intervention …

Does The Serum Salicylate Need To Be Checked On Every Patient With An Overdose? Could A Toxic Salicylate Concentration Be Ruled Out With The Absence Of An Elevated Anion Gap?, Ibrahim Al-Saadi, William Lopez Jr, Hedaya Othman, Nicholas Connors

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Use Of Ultrasound In The Pre-Hospital Setting To Differentiate Acute Dyspnea, Kenith D'Souza, Michael Cabebe, Taryn Hoffman, Martin Wegman, Justin Deaton, Christopher Carney

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Catheter Directed Therapy In Acute Pulmonary Embolism: Patient Characteristics And Variability, Kalyan Mantha, W Angelo Kantrales, Brooke Mcmurtie, Caroline Mills, Martin Wegman

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Ed Presentation Of Pediatric Suprasellar Mass Presenting As Headache With New-Onset Seizure, Pranav Bommineni, Arjavon Talebzadeh, Michael Beck

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Breaking The Pain Cycle: Ultrasound-Guided Sciatic Nerve Blocks For Acute Sciatica In The Ed, Pranav Bommineni, Taryn Hoffman

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Utility Of Pocus In Expediting Time To Diagnosis In Two Separate Presentations Of Fournier's Gangrene, Arjavon Talebzadeh, Charles Budzyn, Taryn Hoffman, Mark Attlesey

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Large Mesenteric Cyst Mimicking Dyspepsia In A Young Adult Female, Arjavon Talebzadeh, Hugo Barrera

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Association Between Emergency Medicine Residency Program And Diagnostic Efficiency For Pulmonary Embolism, Kerolos Abadeer, Kalyan Mantha, W Angelo Kantrales, Pranav Bommineni, Martin Wegman

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

A National Evaluation Of A Novel Quality Measure Of Emergency Behavioral Health Care., Martin Wegman, Marshall Johnson, Hannah Cortero, Natalia Badillo-Velez, Crystal Bharat, Sanket Patel, Caroline Mills, Des'ree Garvin

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Code Strepsis: A Multicenter Study Of The Impact Of Emergency Department Stroke Alert On Sepsis Bundle Performance In Sepsis Patients, Jason Smith, Jennifer Chapman, W Angelo Kantrales, Edward Descallar, Martin Wegman

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

A Multidisciplinary Approach To Acute-On-Chronic Pain Management In The Emergency Department, Lisa Persaud, Cameron Burr, Ursula Des Bordes, Noah Novembre, Abhishek Desai, Kaitlyn Phelps, Desiree Aird

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

A Rare Cause Of Pelvic Pain: Emergency Department Diagnosis Of Hematometra Using Point-Of-Care Ultrasound, Casey Wilson, Lena O'Field, Hannah Chotiner

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Methemoglobinemia, Noah Novembre, Kaitlyn Phelps, Jarratt Lark, Dallin Lindstorm, Shaylen Wingert

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Prevalence Of Mrsa In Subcutaneous Abscess In The Er, Noah Novembre, Casey Wilson

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Emergency Percutaneous Needle Decompression Of Tension Pneumoperitoneum: A Case Report, Lauren Kirk, Jonathan Leggett, Jay Minter, Rachel Thompson, Dalton Drumm, Luke Lish, Edward Grove

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Case Report: Wellens Syndrome In The Emergency Department, Johnathan Abdool, John Robinson, Daniel Regino

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Acute Anterior Compartment Syndrome Of The Arm Secondary To Distal Biceps Tendon Rupture: A Case Report, Christopher Castagno, Alec Van Loo, Max Gehrman, Jessica Hamrick, Jonathan Leggett

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Code Red: The Scarlet Fever Case, Lauren Eisenberg, Vanessa Knapp, Jonathan Leggett

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.