Objective During the first phase of the FOTO-ED Study, 13% (44/350;95%CI:9–17%) of patients had an ocular fundus finding, such as papilledema, relevant to their emergency department (ED) management found by non-mydriatic ocular fundus photography reviewed by neuro-opthalmologists. All of these findings were missed by ED physicians (EPs), who only examined 14% of enrolled patients by direct ophthalmoscopy. In the present study, we evaluated the sensitivity of non-mydriatic ocular fundus photography, an alternative to direct ophthalmoscopy, for relevant findings when photographs were made available for use by EPs during routine clinical care. Methods 354 patients presenting to our ED with headache, focal neurologic deficit, visual change, or diastolic blood pressure ≥120 mmHg had non-mydriatic fundus photography obtained (Kowa nonmyd-alpha-D). Photographs were placed on the electronic medical record for EPs review. Identification of relevant findings on photographs by EPs was compared to a reference standard of neuro-ophthalmologist review. Results EPs reviewed photographs of 239 patients (68%). 35 patients (10%;95%CI:7–13%) had relevant findings identified by neuro-ophthalmologist review (6 disc edema, 6 grade III/IV hypertensive retinopathy, 7 isolated hemorrhages, 15 optic disc pallor, and 1 retinal vascular occlusion). EPs identified 16/35 relevant findings (sensitivity:46%;95%CI:29–63%), and also identified 289/319 normal findings (specificity:96%; 95%CI:87–94%). EPs reported that photographs were helpful for 125 patients (35%). Conclusions EPs used non-mydriatic fundus photographs more frequently than they perform direct ophthalmoscopy, and their detection of relevant abnormalities improved. Ocular fundus photography often assisted ED care even when normal. Non-mydriatic ocular fundus photography offers a promising alternative to direct ophthalmoscopy.

Elevated BP is common among ED patients. African American patients are more likely than those of other ethnic groups to have greater BP values. The ED visit may be a good opportunity to identify patients with unrecognized or poorly controlled hypertension.

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In a process that has evolved over the last four years, the Emory University Emergency Medicine Education Committee has developed an ''academic attending'' teaching shift incorporating a formatted lecture series with a clinical evaluation exercise (CEE). The program structures the approach to clinical teaching at the bedside, provides an objective clinical evaluation tool specific to emergency medicine residents, and provides targeted learning for medical students and residents rotating in the emergency department (ED). The CEE instrument was designed to be quick and efficient, satisfy requirements of assessment of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) general competencies, and incorporate the language of the ''Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine.'' The original program called for unstructured bedside teaching three days a week, by faculty freed from clinical duties, combined with a limited series of introductory emergency medicine lectures. The program proved more successful when concentrated in a once weekly structured educational program. The prepared, repeating lecture series has been expanded to include many of the most common ED presenting chief complaints and has significantly advanced a curriculum for medical students and visiting interns. A CEE was developed to evaluate and provide immediate feedback to residents on many of the core ACGME competencies. The CEE has been successfully used to structure the bedside educational encounter. This dedicated non-clinical ''teaching'' shift appears effective in meeting the educational goals of the authors' academic ED. This is a description of the program and its evolution; the program has not been formally evaluated.