A public health research agenda in emergency medicine


Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

4088.0: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 - Board 2

Abstract #103122

Michael Greenberg, MD, MPH¹, Jennifer Wiler, MD², and Julie Marquez, MD¹. (1) Emergency Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Broad and Vine Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19087, (2) Dept of Emerg. Med, Drexel University College of Medicine, Broad and Vine Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19087, 716-390-1288, mg43@mac.com

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the current research were to identify areas of public health addressed in the recent emergency medicine (EM) literature and based on these findings to propose a research agenda for public health issues relevant to emergency medicine. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study. Public health curricula, texts, and public health experts were consulted in order to define subject categories for emergency medicine problems that embody the various disciplines of public health. The tables of contents of the four major, peer-reviewed, emergency medicine journals were evaluated for the time frame June 1999 through June 2004 to determine which articles, based on title, fell into various public health categories. Full-length articles, case reports, letters and abstracts were included in our analysis while photo columns were excluded. RESULTS: 7264 articles were evaluated. 5103 articles (70.25%) fell within one of the designated public health categories. Several specific areas were underrepresented in the EM literature as follows: obesity (n=0), food and nutrition (n=0), immigrant health (0.03%, n=2), health policy (0.07%, n=5), child abuse (0.07%, n=5), firearms (0.15%, n=11), epidemiology of disease (0.17%, n=12), indigent care (0.22%, n=16), pregnancy and labor (0.50%, n=36), race and gender issues (0.52%, n=37), elder health (0.87%, n=63), medical errors (0.94%, n=68), womans' health (0.98%, n=71), environmental health (0.99%, n=72), disease prevention (1%, n=105). CONCLUSIONS: Important publication gaps exist in areas of interface between emergency medicine and public health. These gaps should form the basis for a research agenda in emergency medicine and public health.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, the listener will be able to

1- identify areas of research common to the discipliens of public health and emergency medicine
2- identify a research agenda in the interface between public health and emergency medicine

Keywords: Emergency Department/Room, Essential Public Health Services

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Emergency Health Services Research Posters

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA