Articles: emergency-department.
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Enferm. Infecc. Microbiol. Clin. · Apr 2014
Observational Study[Diagnostic and prognostic power of biomarkers to improve the management of community acquired pneumonia in the emergency department].
To analyse the usefulness and performance of several biomarkers [C-reactive protein (CRP), mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM), procalcitonin (PCT)] and lactate in predicting short- and medium-term mortality compared with the prognostic severity scales (PSS) usually employed for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and in assessing the aetiological suspicion of infection by Streptococcus pneumoniae and bacteraemia. ⋯ MR-proADM and lactate showed a similar or even better performance for 30-day intra-hospital mortality than PSI, CURB-65, STS and CAP severity criteria in patients diagnosed with CAP (P>.05). Furthermore, the MR-proADM capacity to predict 180-day mortality was higher than PSS and the rest of biomarkers (P>.05), and its AUC-ROC increased if it was used in combination with PSI, CURB65 and STS. The determination of PCT has a remarkable diagnostic performance to rule out bacteraemia and to orientate the aetiology towards a S.pneumoniae infection.
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We study how reimbursements to emergency departments (EDs) for outpatient visits may be affected by the insurance coverage expansion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as previously uninsured patients gain coverage either through the Medicaid expansion or through health insurance exchanges. ⋯ Assuming historical reimbursement patterns remain after Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act implementation, outpatient ED encounters could reimburse considerably more for both the previously uninsured patients who will obtain Medicaid insurance and for those who move into private insurance products through health insurance exchanges. Although our study does provide insight into the future, multiple factors will ultimately influence reimbursements after implementation of the act.
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Geriatric patients are more likely than younger patients to be admitted to the hospital when they present to the emergency department (ED). Identifying trends in geriatric short-stay admission may inform the development of interventions designed to improve acute care for the elderly. ⋯ For all elderly patients, short-stay admissions represented a growing proportion of total admissions, regardless of the definition of short stay. These trends were identified despite the NHDS exclusion of observation status hospitalizations. The increase in short-stay admissions was the most pronounced in the extreme elderly (age ≥ 85 years). Future research is needed to optimize treatment for geriatric patients presenting to the ED, some of whom, with brief observation and appropriate follow-up, may be better cared for without hospitalization.
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Although several studies have demonstrated that wait time is a key factor that drives high leave-without-being-seen (LWBS) rates, limited data on ideal wait times and impact on LWBS rates exist. ⋯ Achieving target LWBS rates requires analysis to understand the abandonment behavior and redesigning operations to achieve the target wait times.
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Observational Study
Effectiveness of Emergency Medicine Wards in reducing length of stay and overcrowding in emergency departments.
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an Emergency Medicine Ward (EMW) in reducing the length of stay (LOS) in the emergency department, length of hospitalization, emergency medical admission rate, and the hospital bed occupancy rate. ⋯ EMWs effectively reduce both the LOS during in-patient hospitalization and the avoidable medical admission rate.