Physician in the Loop
For youSign inAsk
Emergency medicine ·

Prehospital GFAP test flags brain bleeds in coma; emergency physicians top out-of-specialty AI queries; rural EMS gets funding for at-home care

Two defibrillator paddles standing side by side on flat metal electrode plates, with amber handles and coiled cords looping off the bottom of the frame.
THE SHORT READ

A point-of-care blood test for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) detected intracranial hemorrhage with 97.0% sensitivity in comatose patients before hospital arrival, according to a study of a U.K. helicopter emergency medical service. A JAMA study found 88% of emergency physicians' queries to the OpenEvidence AI platform were outside their specialty, and rural emergency medical services agencies in Alabama and Montana received funding to care for some patients at home.

THE DETAILS
  • Technology Oct 15, 2026
    Prehospital point-of-care GFAP test shows 97.0% sensitivity for intracranial hemorrhage in 65 comatose patients
    The diagnostic study, published in JAMA Network Open, tested whole blood on Abbott's i-STAT Alinity point-of-care analyzer in patients 16 and older with acute nontraumatic coma treated by a U.K. physician-paramedic helicopter emergency medical service. Of 65 patients tested, 33 (50.8%) had intracranial hemorrhage. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) had 97.0% sensitivity (95% CI 84.2% to 99.9%) and 53.1% specificity at the manufacturer's 65 pg/mL threshold; UCH-L1 showed 78.8% sensitivity and 18.8% specificity, and a combined approach reached 100.0% sensitivity with 15.6% specificity. The authors said prospective external validation is required to determine its association with triage.
    Sources: JAMA Network Open, JAMA Network Open (article page)
  • AI Oct 15, 2026
    Emergency physicians direct 88% of OpenEvidence AI queries outside their specialty, JAMA study of 271 million queries finds
    Researchers from Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School analyzed 271 million queries that 952,008 U.S. clinicians submitted to the OpenEvidence AI-enabled clinical information platform from January 2024 to June 2026. The share of physician queries on topics outside the physician's own specialty ranged from 35% among oncologists and hematologists to 88% among emergency department physicians. Treatment and management made up 33.1% of physician queries and diagnosis 13.9%. Three authors were OpenEvidence employees during the study, and the company provided data and contributed to the analysis, according to the disclosures.
    Sources: JAMA, JAMA (article page), Becker's Hospital Review
  • Policy Oct 16, 2026
    Rural EMS agencies in Alabama and Montana get funding to care for some patients at home, with telemedicine backup in Alabama
    The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences received $1.76 million through Alabama's Rural Health Transformation Grant Program to equip emergency medical services (EMS) crews in 13 rural counties to treat patients at the scene with a physician available by telemedicine, WBMA reported. Principal investigator Martha Crowther said the physician makes the final clinical call on whether a patient stays home; the project will start in three counties, and no launch date was given. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced $3.63 million for 17 rural Montana EMS agencies for community integrated health services including post-discharge follow-up.
    Sources: WBMA ABC 33/40, CMS

The weekly innovation roundup for emergency medicine, published every Sunday for the week before; every item links to its sources. Latest emergency medicine news · All specialties