ScholarQuest and the DEM Focus on Research

March is an exciting time at the Department of Emergency Medicine as residents and faculty prepare to present the results of their research at the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Western Regional Meeting. 

2013 marks the department’s best year in generating research and gaining acceptance at regional and national conferences with 25 abstracts accepted as oral presentations at the SAEM Western Regional Meeting. 

Leading the nation in accepted peer-reviewed oral papers at regional and national emergency medicine meetings doesn’t happen by chance - the commitment to sustain a high quality research program at the UA Department of Emergency Medicine (DEM) is a part of the department’s mission.

The DEM has created a culture focused on research by providing encouragement and incentives as well as research support for DEM faculty who not only conduct and lead research projects of their own, but also serve as mentors for residents through the department’s ScholarQuest program. This year, 20 DEM faculty mentors were invaluable in producing unprecedented resident research output.

ScholarQuest is the DEM’s resident research curriculum and was implemented in 2006 to provide residents with hands-on training to conduct research in the field of emergency medicine.

The DEM’s focus on research has resulted in one or two ScholarQuest projects being accepted as manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals per year over the past 4 years, with the goal of the department to make this number even higher.

ScholarQuest began in 2006, but in 2008, with the hiring of Uwe Stolz, PhD, MPH the program was given an extra boost.  Uwe began working with the DEM first as a research specialist and now serves as the director of biostatistics and epidemiology and is a DEM assistant professor of research.

Before becoming a DEM faculty member, Uwe, armed with a doctorate in biology and an MPH in epidemiology, developed a solid research background in injury epidemiology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH. Then, he and his wife Lori Stolz, currently assistant professor and director of emergency ultrasound at UAMC – University Campus, moved to Tucson.

Now, he helps coordinate each ScholarQuest project – not a simple task as all DEM residents participate – where he assists with IRB approval, study design, statistical analysis, outcome interpretation, and abstract/manuscript preparation. In addition, he assists and collaborates with DEM faculty in their research.     

The ScholarQuest curriculum has two main components 1) Didactic lectures on study design and basic biostatistics and epidemiology. 2) Direct assistance with the development of a scientific research project from hypothesis to study design and finally outcomes.

“For residents going into academics, it gives them the competency to conduct research projects on their own and if the resident is looking to go into a community setting, it gives them the ability to review and understand published research with a deeper understanding,” said Uwe.

The following abstracts (Resident co-authors in Bold) will represent the DEM’s dedication to research during the SAEM Western Regional Meeting with the following TWO ScholarQuest projects selected as plenary presentations:

  1. John C. Sakles, Parisa P. Javedani, Jessica Garst-Orozco, Eric Chase:
    Video Laryngoscopy Reduces the Rate of Esophageal Intubations Performed by Emergency Medicine Residents Compared to Direct Laryngoscopy. (PLENARY)
  1. Isaac J. Farrell, Srikar Adhikari, Richard Amini, Nicolaus Hawbaker:
    Bedside Echocardiography in Cardiac Arrest, Predicting Return of Spontaneous Circulation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (PLENARY)

 Other abstracts accepted to the SAEM Western Regional Meeting:

  1. Allison Peasley, Alice Min, Leah Gilbert, Uwe Stolz:
    Car Safety Seat Usage in the State of Arizona and the Adherence to the 2002 American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines.
  1. Mark Ellis, Jha’Nae Stoffer, Allison Lane, Brett Coolman, Uwe Stolz, Dan Hays, Kristi J.H. Grall:
    Lidocaine Infiltration By Injection vs. Topical LET Gel for Anesthesia for Incision and Drainage of Cutaneous Abscesses: A Randomized Controlled Study.
  1. Daniel Falvey, Raj Joshi, Lucas Friedman, Jarrod Mosier, Terence O'Keeffe:
    Emergency Physician Knowledge of Massive Transfusion Protocol in Trauma.
  1. Julie M. Carland, Alice Min, Samuel M. Keim, Autumn Ray, Brian MacLeod, Markus Boin, Jessica Anderson, David A. Sbarra:
    Self-reported Sleep Disturbances Presage Decreases in Residents’ Psychological Wellbeing.
  1. Christopher Davis, Wells DeWitt, Uwe Stolz:
    Home falls in the Elderly: Eliciting the mechanisms responsible for severe injury.
  1. Josh Appel, Steven Groke, Nicholas Hurst, Casey Solem, Amy Williams, Uwe Stolz, Frank G. Walter:
    Do Mnemonics Help Healthcare Professionals Learn and Recall Toxic Syndromes for Cholinergic Hazardous Materials?
  1. Steve Groke, Frank G. Walter, Peter Chase, Chris Edwards and Mark Murphy:
    Sodium Acetate as an Alkalinizing Agent for Salicylate Intoxication: a Case Report.
  1. Lara Bickford, Sierra Bourne, Steve Whiting and Ash Panchal:
    Effectiveness of a Triage Screening Tool to Identify Psychiatric Patients Requiring Further Medical Evaluation in the ED.
  1. Kristi J.H. Grall, Lawrence DeLuca, Jr., Joe Peraza, Wanda Larson, Angela Westergard, Jessica Gonzaga, Lisa Stoneking, John Rosell, Amar Vira, John C. Sakles, Kurt R. Denninghoff:
    Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Prevention Education in the Emergency Department.
  1. Lori Stolz, Nicolaus Hawbaker, Matthew Thompson, Srikar Adhikari:
    Physical Exam Findings in Pericardial Effusion.
  1. Lori Stolz, Matthew Thompson, Nicolaus Hawbaker, Srikar Adhikari:
    Entry Sites for Emergency Pericardiocentesis.
  1. Lawrence Deluca, Jr., Kristi J. H. Grall, Lisa Stoneking, John Rosell, Amar Vira, Jessica Gonzaga, Wanda Larson, Angela Westergard, John C. Sakles, Kurt R. Denninghoff:
    VAP Compliance.
  1. Grant Roper, John Guisto, Jarrod Mosier:
    Sedation Dosing of Propofol for Treatment of Refractory Migraine Headache in the Emergency Department.
  1. Daniel Falvey, Nicholas Stea, Uwe Stolz, John C. Sakles:
    The Impact of Obesity on the First Pass Success Rate of Emergency Department Intubations.
  1. John C. Sakles, Jarrod Mosier, Corrine Walker:
    Declining Rate of Direct Laryngoscopy Intubations in an Academic Emergency Department.
  1. Isaac Farrell, Srikar Adhikari, Matthew Kostura:
    Bedside Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Symptomatic Nephrolithiasis.
  1. Alan B. Williams, Lawrence DeLuca, Jr., Lisa R. Stoneking, Donna Wolk, Deborah Novak, Mary C. Smith, Sean Elliott, Robyn Meyer:
    Characterization of the Procalcitonin Response Curve Following Initiation of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.
  1. Jaiva Larsen, Matthew Kostura, Isaac Farrell, Uwe Stolz:
    Breaking Down Muscle Breakdown: The demographics and outcomes of rhabdomyolysis patients in Southern Arizona.
  1. Michael J. Mitchell, Oday Naser, Christopher Edwards, Uwe Stolz, Amanda Peck, Hans Bradshaw:
    A Bad Taste In Your Mouth: Does Medication Palatability Affect Physician Prescribing Preferences?
  1. Ramesh Karra, Uwe Stolz, Lisa Chan:
    Epidemiology of Prescription Narcotic Utilization in Arizona: 2008-2012.
  1. Guyve Shalileh, Jarrod Mosier:
    A Second Troponin in the Setting of Chest Pain Greater Than 24 hours Provides no Benefit.