Articles: emergency-department.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most common causes of injury-related morbidity and mortality. Access to neurosurgical services is critical to optimal outcomes through reduction of secondary injury. We sought to evaluate variations in access to neurosurgical care across a regional trauma system. ⋯ Considerable variation in delivery of initial care to TBI patients was identified. Factors such as age and injury characteristics were associated with TC access. Because early TC care in TBI confers survival benefits, the demonstrated variability necessitates improvements in access to care for patients with severe head injuries.
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J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract · Jan 2014
Retrospective study of drug-induced anaphylaxis treated in the emergency department or hospital: patient characteristics, management, and 1-year follow-up.
Drugs are a common cause of anaphylaxis, which is potentially life threatening. ⋯ Drugs are a common, yet under-recognized, cause of anaphylaxis. Only a small number of patients with DIA received epinephrine in the ED or had subsequent care with an allergist/immunologist. These findings are novel and identify areas for improvement in the care of individuals with DIA.
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Comparative Study
Emergency medical admissions, deaths at weekends and the public holiday effect. Cohort study.
To assess whether mortality of patients admitted on weekends and public holidays was higher in a district general hospital whose consultants are present more than 6 h per day on the acute medical unit with no other fixed clinical commitments. ⋯ Patients admitted as emergencies to medicine on public holidays had significantly higher mortality at 7 and 30 days compared with patients admitted on other days of the week.
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The Journal of urology · Jan 2014
Emergency department visits in the United States for upper urinary tract stones: trends in hospitalization and charges.
Using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) we examined trends in visits, hospitalization and charges for patients with upper urinary tract stones who presented to the emergency department in the United States. ⋯ Women showed significant annual increases in emergency department visits for upper urinary tract stones. While emergency department charges increased substantially, hospitalization rates remained stable. Greater use of computerized tomography and medical expulsive therapy could be the reasons for this observation, which warrants further study.
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Comparative Study
Influence of the Manchester Triage System on waiting time, treatment time, length of stay and patient satisfaction; a before and after study.
To compare waiting time, treatment time, length of stay (LOS), patient satisfaction and distribution of waiting times over levels of urgency before and after the implementation of the Manchester Triage system (MTS) at an emergency department (ED). ⋯ Implementing MTS on its own is not sufficient to improve efficiency and quality of EDs. More complex interventions including process redesigning that targets various groups of ED patients should be evaluated in the future by using rigorous research designs for quality improvement of EDs.