Management of emergencies in the medical office

As a result of requests by members of the medical staff, a course entitled "Management of Emergencies in the Medical Office" was developed by an emergency physician and was taught at the 1984 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Michigan State Medical Society. Forty-two of the 100 physician participants responded to a questionnaire given during the course. More than 50% stated that each of the above-listed emergencies had occurred in their offices more than once. Eleven percent had adequate equipment to manage common office emergencies. Seventy-nine percent were BCLS-certified, 35% were ACLS-certified, 19% had defibrillators, 35% had intravenous (IV) catheters, and 40% had laryngoscopes. The questionnaire shows that a large percentage of office physicians are poorly prepared to deal with common office emergencies. This educational deficiency presents a good opportunity for emergency physicians to interact with their colleagues. This type of positive educational experience may lead to better rapport between the staff and emergency physicians.