Annals of emergency medicine
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The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is one of the poorest countries in the world. Recent economic developments, as the country attempts to start a market economy, have had a profound impact on its health care system. This report describes the state of prehospital and emergency medical care in Vietnam and possibilities for the future.
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To determine patient-specific socioeconomic and health status characteristics for patients arriving by ambulance at an emergency department. ⋯ Ambulance use varies by age, clinical severity, income, patient-specific characteristics of physical function, and type of health insurance. Medicaid coverage and frequent ED use are not predictive of increased ambulance use.
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Comparative Study
Evaluation of a model for improving emergency medical and trauma services for children in rural areas.
To evaluate the effectiveness of a rural emergency medical and trauma services project in increasing the knowledge and confidence of emergency care personnel in the management of acutely ill and injured children. ⋯ The rural pediatric emergency medical and trauma services project was effective in increasing the knowledge and confidence of emergency care personnel in the management of acutely ill and injured children. This project offers a model that can be replicated in other rural areas nationally.
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To develop a preliminary clinical decision guideline, using characteristics of ED pediatric patients presenting with seizures, that successfully predicts all abnormal results of computed tomography (CT) of the head. ⋯ In this case series, the absence of defined high-risk factors predicted normal head CT findings. The deferral of emergency CT in this population should be considered.
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We sought to assess the involvement of law enforcement agencies in out-of-hospital emergency medical care and their attitudes toward expanded roles in emergency medical services (EMS) systems. ⋯ Many law enforcement agencies are involved to some extent in providing out-of-hospital emergency medical care, and most of the agencies we surveyed would support additional medical training and new or expanded roles for themselves in EMS systems.