The American journal of emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomized controlled trial to improve primary care follow-up among emergency department patients.
Primary care (PC) follow-up for discharged emergency department (ED) patients provides patients with further medical attention. We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial to determine whether using a freely-available physician appointment-booking website results in higher self-reported PC follow-up. ⋯ Among ED patients that providers judged PC follow-up is important, using a booking website to schedule an appointment before ED discharge resulted in a higher but not statistically significant self-reported PC follow-up rate. This intervention warrants further investigation in a study with a larger sample size and objective follow-up visit data.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of emergency department to hospital antibiograms: Influence of patient risk factors on susceptibility.
Traditional antibiograms use local resistance patterns and susceptibility data to guide empiric antimicrobial therapy selection. However, antibiograms are rarely unit-specific and do not account for patient-specific risk factors. ⋯ There were no statistically significant differences between the ED and hospital antibiogram with the exception of Escherichia coli. However, development of an ED-specific antibiogram can aid physicians in prescribing appropriate empiric therapy when risk factors are included.