Articles: emergency-department.
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Time between emergency department (ED) presentation and treatment onset is an important, but little-researched phase within the revascularization process for ischaemic heart disease (IHD). ⋯ Substantial undertriage of AMI occurred for both sexes, but was worse in women. Incorrect triage led to prolonged treatment times for AMI, with women's treatment delays longer than men's. When triaged correctly, both sexes were treated early for AMI, emphasising the need for all patients to be accurately triaged for this time-sensitive disease.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Apr 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialDoes beverage type and drinking context matter in an alcohol-related injury? Evidence from emergency department patients in Latin America.
Previous studies have already substantiated alcohol's causal role in injuries. Yet the role that alcoholic beverage preferences and the drinking context play in the risk for injury is still under-investigated. In this study, a cross-national comparison of the association between alcohol and injury focusing on beverage type preference and the drinking context is reported. ⋯ A similar beverage-specific association with alcohol-related injury was found across LAC countries, mainly attributed to beer consumption, and spirits drinkers seem to have a greater chance of becoming involved in injury events. Future prevention strategies should inform the public about harms from drinking associated with the context in which drinking takes place.
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In emergency departments (EDs), overcrowding, workload complexity, and cost containment represent current operational problems. In this retrospective observational study, we analyzed the effects of a professional quality management (QM) system on patient flow, diagnostic validity, and hospital costs. ⋯ The introduction of a professional QM system in EDs improves patient flow as well as quality of medical care and results in a significant reduction in hospital costs. Further analyses should evaluate the effects of QM on quality indicators in a prospective multicenter study. Validation of results has to be performed in a dynamic model for process simulation.
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Critically ill patients can be subject to prolonged stays in the emergency department following receipt of an order to admit to an intensive care unit. The purpose of this study was to explore patient and organizational influences on the duration of boarding times for intensive care bound patients. ⋯ The study results provide a profile that may assist clinicians in understanding the complex and site-specific interplay of variables contributing to boarding of critically ill patients.
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To classify older adults in the emergency department (ED) according to healthcare use and to examine associations between group membership and future ED visits and hospital admissions. ⋯ In older adults released from an ED, group membership was associated with future health services use. Classification of individuals using readily available previous visit data may improve targeting of interventions to improve outcomes.