Alcohol is a common cause of hospital visits. Particularly in the ER, doctors and nurses often see and treat patients who are in alcohol withdrawal which can be life-threatening.
To help healthcare professionals evaluate if a patient is experiencing the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal like headache or anxiety, most of which are subjective, one ER physician at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto has come up with a brilliant new app to more objectively and accurately evaluate tremors, another key symptom of alcohol withdrawal.
"There are two dangers in misjudging the severity of tremors. First, an undertreated patient could suffer seizures if the tremors are underestimated. Second, doctors don’t want to overprescribe psychoactive medication to legitimate patients — benzodiazepines, usually Valium, are the primary treatment for alcohol withdrawal — or dole it out to people faking their symptoms in order to get high themselves or to sell the drugs on the street."
While the app is currently still a pilot project, initial tests of the technology are quite positive and many believe it could be used in numerous settings, not just in the emergency department. Find out more by checking out the link below:
"Toronto doctor’s iPhone app diagnoses alcohol withdrawal" by Kate Allen (Toronto Star)
To help healthcare professionals evaluate if a patient is experiencing the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal like headache or anxiety, most of which are subjective, one ER physician at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto has come up with a brilliant new app to more objectively and accurately evaluate tremors, another key symptom of alcohol withdrawal.
"There are two dangers in misjudging the severity of tremors. First, an undertreated patient could suffer seizures if the tremors are underestimated. Second, doctors don’t want to overprescribe psychoactive medication to legitimate patients — benzodiazepines, usually Valium, are the primary treatment for alcohol withdrawal — or dole it out to people faking their symptoms in order to get high themselves or to sell the drugs on the street."
While the app is currently still a pilot project, initial tests of the technology are quite positive and many believe it could be used in numerous settings, not just in the emergency department. Find out more by checking out the link below:
"Toronto doctor’s iPhone app diagnoses alcohol withdrawal" by Kate Allen (Toronto Star)
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