We investigated Turkish emergency physicians' views regarding family witnessed resuscitation (FWR) and to determine the current practice in Turkish academic emergency departments with regard to family members during resuscitation. A national cross-sectional, anonymous survey of emergency physicians working in academic emergency departments was conducted. Nineteen of the 23 university-based emergency medicine programs participated in the study. Two hundred and thirty-nine physicians completed the survey. Of the respondents, 83% did not endorse FWR. The most common reasons for not endorsing FWR was reported as higher stress levels of the resuscitation team and fear of causing physiological trauma to family members. Previous experience, previous knowledge in FWR, higher level of training and the acceptance of FWR in the institution where the participant works were associated with higher rates of FWR endorsement for this practice among emergency physicians.
Objective To compare the effectiveness of smoking cessation counseling in the emergency department (ED) versus in outpatient clinics (OCs) setting. Methods Over a 3-month period, smokers and recent quitters presenting to ED or OCs were questioned about their smoking habits and desire to quit. They also completed the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) questionnaire and Prochaska's stages of change (PSC) survey. Standardized 5 min counseling session was carried out, and stop smoking pamphlet and phone number of the hospital's smoking cessation unit were given. One month after initial counseling, patients were telephoned, FTND, PSC, desire to quit, and daily cigarette consumption were asked. Data from those unable to be contacted within 6 weeks were excluded from analysis. Results Of the 392 patients (197 ED, 195 OC) counseled initially, 340 (87%) were reached for telephone follow-up. Counseling was effective in both groups: FTND and PSC scores had improved, and daily cigarette consumption decreased significantly (17.17–12.49 cigs/day; P = 0.000). Smokers counseled in the ED were found more inclined to stop smoking compared with smokers who counseled in OCs, after 1 month of the intervention (95% confidence interval = 14.7–7.5%; P = 0.051). Only one patient (0.6%) from the ED and 10 (6.6%) from the OC attended the smoking cessation program. Conclusion ED-based counseling for smoking cessation was as effective as that performed in the OC setting. Referral of smokers from the ED to a smoking cessation program was unsuccessful in our patient population.
