Journal of general internal medicine
-
To determine: 1) whether a simple clinical prediction rule could identify emergency department patients with ureteral calculi; 2) whether the kidney, ureter, and bladder (KUB) radiograph provides diagnostic information beyond that obtained from the history and physical examination; and 3) whether ureteral calculi can be diagnosed accurately in the emergency department without emergency excretory urography, commonly known as intravenous pyelography (IVP). ⋯ These findings, which should be confirmed in another emergency department, suggest that subsets of patients with suspected ureteral calculi may be managed without emergency IVP; this approach thereby reduces the time a patient spends in the emergency department, radiation exposure, expense, and morbidity.
-
To determine how the physical health of homeless adults varies by the demographic characteristics of age, gender, ethnicity, lifetime length of homelessness, and work status. ⋯ Age and gender contributed most to the understanding of differences in health status among homeless adults. Since the homeless have a wide variety of physical, mental, social, and substance-abuse problems, primary care providers are in the best position to provide the broad-based care needed by such persons.
-
To examine the decision-making process to withhold or stop life support. ⋯ Decision making to withhold or withdraw life-support therapy from critically ill persons involves complex, difficult processes. Successful management of the tension among life extension, quality of life, patient autonomy, and social justice requires better understanding of these processes.