European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
-
The aims of our study were to study the early impact of bereavement and to evaluate the effectiveness of the bereavement care given by our multidisciplinary team to close relatives of a sudden death, measured by the intensity of grief reaction (Texas Revised Inventory of Grief). The study sample consisted of close relatives of patients certified dead at the accident and emergency department (AED) between March 1996 and February 1997. The relatives received immediate care at the AED and were supported continually by the members of the bereavement care team. ⋯ The mean score of the intensity of grief reactions were 41.8 and 34.6 in the control (n = 11) and study (n = 18) groups respectively among high risk sample (p = 0.04). However, in the low risk sample, the mean scores were 35.3 and 30.2 in the control (n = 18) and study (n = 25) groups respectively (p = 0.11). Our study suggests that the bereavement care was especially effective in reducing the intensity of the grief at 6 months in the high risk group.
-
The aim of this study was to find out if informing the patients about the facts of an emergency department (ED) on arrival influences their behaviour and satisfaction about the care given in the ED. For 5 days an information form was distributed on arrival to all patients visiting the ED and a questionnaire directed at all patients when leaving the ED. For a former 3 days the same questionnaire directed at the patients was distributed without giving them the information form. ⋯ The overall degree in satisfaction of the informed patients was better (p = 0.03). The differences in the overall satisfaction and preference of this ED's parameters were statistically significant, the other parameters were not so significant. These results proved that giving general information to patients visiting the ED can influence the degree of their satisfaction.
-
When waiting times in accident and emergency (A&E) departments become too long, some patients leave the department before seeing a doctor. This study was designed to investigate the characteristics and outcome of this group of patients in one A&E department. We identified all patients who left the department without seeing a doctor on 12 randomly selected days in October and November 1997. ⋯ Of the patients reviewed, 45 (58%) sought medical attention afterwards and one required hospital admission. The majority of patients were satisfied by the explanation given for the delay in seeing a doctor. This limited study suggests that patients are able themselves to gauge the severity of their symptoms and safely defer medical consultation.
-
Septic complications arising from drug misuse are well documented. It is likely that most complications occur as a result of attempted intravenous (i.v.) injection. We report four cases of soft tissue infections where the patients were unable to obtain i.v. access and gave injections of drugs using a technique known as 'popping'. 'Popping' is the deliberate injection of drugs subcutaneously or intramuscularly when i.v. access is not possible. This practice is further discussed and the literature associated with soft tissue infections from drug misuse is reviewed.