European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
-
Observational Study
Can emergency medicine practitioners predict disposition of psychiatric patients based on a brief medical evaluation?
Emergency medicine practitioners (EMPs) often provide 'medical clearance' before evaluation by a psychiatry practitioner (PP). We set out to determine the level of agreement between EMP impression and disposition as determined by PPs. ⋯ EMPs did not reliably predict psychiatric disposition decisions based on clinical 'gestalt'. Future research will focus on clinical guidelines to help EMPs better independently assess need for emergency psychiatric services.
-
To improve the communication during shift handover in an emergency department. ⋯ The present study showed how in-depth observations and analyses of real work processes can be used to better support the quality of patient care.
-
Patients with recent-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) elevations show poor outcomes. Coronary heart disease might be a cause, consequence, or an innocent bystander. ⋯ In patients with AF and cTnI elevations, tailored care inclusive of echocardiography and stress testing succeeded in recognizing and treating masked 'critical' coronary heart disease, avoiding adverse events.
-
Our study analyzes the impact of becoming a major trauma centre (MTC) on paediatric trauma workload in a centre outside a major city without specialist paediatric surgical services. ⋯ The implementation of a regional trauma network has led to a rise in paediatric trauma cases. Paediatric trauma patients tend to be less severely injured, but the proportion undergoing CT scanning has remained the same, and these scans are more likely to be normal. A more rational approach for imaging of paediatric trauma patients is required to reduce the potentially harmful effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, and criteria for implementing trauma calls in children should be reconsidered.
-
The aim of this study was to create an overview of the treatment of mallet fingers in Dutch hospitals. ⋯ There is a general consensus on the treatment of uncomplicated mallet fingers. The follow-up treatment of uncomplicated lesions as well as the treatment of complicated mallet fingers should be fields of future research.