Articles: hospital-emergency-service.
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In this study, we examined the association between telemedicine use before a disaster and utilization of emergency or hospital services for ambulatory care sensitive conditions post-disaster. ⋯ Telemedicine familiarity pre-fire was associated with decreased inpatient and emergency department utilization for certain ambulatory care sensitive conditions for 1-year post-fire. These results suggest a role for telemedicine in preventing unnecessary emergency and hospital utilization following disasters.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2022
Variation in Prehospital Protocols for Pediatric Respiratory Distress Management in the United States.
This study aimed to compare statewide emergency medical services protocols for the management of pediatric respiratory distress. ⋯ All included states had specific recommendations for the management of pediatric respiratory distress. There was consistency in recommendations for albuterol use for wheezing and epinephrine use for anaphylaxis. However, there was wide variability in other uses for epinephrine, steroid administration, continuous positive airway pressure use, and specific treatments for croup and epiglottitis. The findings of this study provide a base for important future evidence-based protocol developments and changes in prehospital pediatric respiratory distress treatment.
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To analyze trends in admission rates and the proportion of admissions via the ED at rural hospitals in Pennsylvania and to identify factors that may impact admission rates. ⋯ Emergency departments are the gatekeepers of admissions at rural acute care hospitals in Pennsylvania. Many hospitals in rural Pennsylvania, including CAHs, are admitting most of their patients through the ED, concomitant with a significant decline in admissions and admission rates. This highlights the need to strengthen primary care practices serving rural Pennsylvania as well as the need to improve rural emergency and trauma systems. In the short to medium term, policy makers should explore innovative ways to fund smaller hospitals, especially CAHs, to develop level IV trauma center capabilities.