EWS ARTICLES REPRESENT AN important source of medical information for many patients and even some physicians. 1-3 One way in which journalists may help patients and physicians better interpret medical information is by presenting the information in a commercially unbiased manner. 4-9 An increasingly recognized source of commercial bias in medical research is the funding of studies by companies with a financial interest in the results. 10-14 In response to concerns about company funding, most peer-reviewed medical journals now require that study authors disclose their funding sources. 15-19 Little is known, however, about how frequently news articles report the funding sources of the medical research they report on. A previous study 8 based on data from more than a decade ago found that only 47% of 70 newspaper stories that reported on 2 medications (pravastatin and alendronate) indicated when a cited expert or study had received company funding. That study did not examine stories from online news sources-an increasingly common source of news in the United States 1nor did it report how prominently the disclosures were placed in the articles. Another study 9 showed that Canadian

INTRODUCTION Each year residents across the country take in-service examinations as a part of their training and preparation for board certification examinations taken at the end of their residency. Specifically, emergency medicine (EM) allopathic residents take the In-training Examination (ITE) and osteopathic residents take a similar test, the EM Residency In-service Examination (RISE). These examinations are used by programs to determine the progress of their residents. Strong correlations exist between these training exam scores and scores on the allopathic Written Qualifying Examination and the osteopathic EM Written (Part I) Exam. 1,2 A plethora of resources are available for the preparation for these examinations including study guides, review books, and

BackgroundIntracranial abscesses are rare and life-threatening conditions that typically originate from direct extension from nearby structures, hematogenous dissemination or following penetrating cerebral trauma or neurosurgery.FindingsA 36-year-old male presented to our emergency department with complaints of left eye swelling, headache and drowsiness. On physical exam, the patient was febrile and his left upper eyelid was markedly swollen with fluctuance and drainage. Maxillofacial computed tomography was obtained to evaluate for orbital pathology but revealed bifrontal brain abscesses.ConclusionsBrain abscesses should be considered in the differential diagnosis for patients who present with the classic triad of headache, fever and neurological deficit.

Introduction: Professionalism is a vital component of quality patient care. While competency in professionalism is Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-mandated, the methods used to evaluate professionalism are not standardized, calling into question the validity of reported measurements. We aimed to determine the type and frequency of methods used by United States (US) -based emergency medicine (EM) residencies to assess accountability (Acc) and professional values (PV), as well as how often graduating residents achieve competency in these areas. Methods: We created a cross-sectional survey exploring assessment and perceived competency in Acc and PV, and then modified the survey for content and clarity through feedback from emergency physicians not involved in the study. The final survey was sent to the clinical competency committee (CCC) chair or program director (PD) of the 185 US-based ACGME-accredited EM residencies. We summarized results using descriptive statistics and Fisher’s exact testing. Results: A total of 121 programs (65.4%) completed the survey. The most frequently used methods of assessment were faculty shift evaluation (89.7%), CCC opinion (86.8%), and faculty summative evaluation (76.4%). Overall, 37% and 42% of residency programs stated that nearly all (greater than 95%) of their graduating residents achieve mastery of Acc and PV non-technical skills, respectively. Only 11.2% of respondents felt their programs were very effective at determining mastery of non-technical skills. Conclusion: EM residency programs relied heavily on faculty shift evaluations and summative opinions to determine resident competency in professionalism, with feedback from peers, administrators, and other staff less frequently incorporated. Few residency programs felt their current methods of evaluating professionalism were very effective.