Articles: hospital-emergency-service.
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Emergency medical services (EMS) diversion strategies attempt to limit the impact of low-acuity care on emergency department (ED) crowding, but evidence supporting these strategies is scarce. ⋯ A prehospital diversion program reduced ED visits and EMS transport times. Improved targeting of patients for enrollment would further increase the intervention's efficacy and cost savings.
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Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality with more than 700,000 hospitalizations and 200,000 deaths annually in the United States. Early recognition of sepsis is critical for timely initiation of treatment and improved outcomes. We sought to evaluate. in-hospital mortality rates of patients diagnosed with sepsis before and after implementation of emergency department (ED) sepsis teams. ⋯ Implementation of ED sepsis teams decreased inpatient hospital mortality rates, ED length of stay and hospital length of stay.
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Prolonged length of stay in emergency departments is associated with increased hospitalization, hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, medication errors, and mortality. In acute admissions in Denmark in 2018, 67% of patients experienced waiting time from arrival to examination. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of prolonged length of stay (≥6 hours) and identify risk factors related to input, throughput, and output components. ⋯ Female, elderly, and medical patients were each identified as at-risk characteristics for ≥6-hour length of stay in the emergency department. Acute care patient pathways in the emergency department, particularly for evening and night, with guideline-based care and system level improvements in patient flow are warranted. Further research with larger populations is needed to identify and support interventions to decrease prolonged length of stay.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2022
Pediatric Medical Emergencies and Injury Prevention Practices in the Pediatric Emergency Unit of Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.
The epidemiology and presence of pediatric medical emergencies and injury prevention practices in Kenya and resource-limited settings are not well understood. This is a barrier to planning and providing quality emergency care within the local health systems. We performed a prospective, cross-sectional study to describe the epidemiology of case encounters to the pediatric emergency unit (PEU) at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya; and to explore injury prevention measures used in the population. ⋯ Chief complaints and diagnoses in the PEU population were congruent with communicable disease burdens seen globally. Measures for primary injury prevention were reported as rarely used in the sample studied. The epidemiology described by this study provides a framework for improving public health education and provider training in resource-limited settings.
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Annals of Saudi medicine · Jan 2022
Poisoning-related emergency department visits: the experience of a Saudi high-volume toxicology center.
Acute poisoning is a major contributing factor to mortality and morbidity. There is a lack of research on the epidemiology of acute poisoning risk factors in Saudi Arabia. ⋯ None.