American journal of medical quality : the official journal of the American College of Medical Quality
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Every source quoted in this study has clearly refuted the need for emergency transport and care of an uncomplicated grand mal seizure in a managed epileptic patient. This review of a large patient population has determined that 27% of emergency department seizures were uncomplicated and occurred in patients already under care. ⋯ It is hoped that further education of the public, medical community, and epileptic patients will produce a comfort level that permits decisions about emergency transport and care of seizures. These savings could translate into basic health insurance for thousands of our medically deprived citizens.
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Routine preoperative laboratory testing has become dogma to many. Often, surgeons, anesthesiologists, hospital administrators, and even patients expect that there will be some "labs" on the chart prior to any operative procedure. Many have questioned the usefulness and cost-effectiveness of such a policy. ⋯ This makes the assessment of the preoperative laboratory evaluation difficult for a medical quality assurance program. The question that arises is, how much routine preoperative laboratory testing is enough? The answer to this question depends on (a) the purpose of this testing and (b) the limitations and potential misinterpretations of laboratory testing. This article will discuss the reasons for the potential misinterpretation of laboratory tests and then the data supporting selective preoperative laboratory testing.