European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Diagnosing acute heart failure (AHF) is difficult in elderly patients presenting with acute dyspnea to the emergency department. ⋯ In this study, NT-proBNP alone exhibited the best diagnostic accuracy for diagnosing AHF in elderly patients presenting with acute dyspnea to the emergency departments. None of the other biomarkers alone or combined improved the accuracy compared to NT-proBNP, which is the only biomarker to use in this setting.
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Patient safety in emergency departments: a problem for health care systems? An international survey.
Patient safety in healthcare is one of the cornerstones of quality of care. The emergency department (ED) is by its very nature a place where errors and safety issues are liable to occur. ⋯ This survey highlighted that most health professionals identify the ED as an environment with specific safety issues. The main factors appeared to be a shortage of personnel during busy periods, overcrowding due to boarding, and a perceived lack of support from hospital management.