Articles: emergency-department.
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Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) account for substantial non-urgent ED attendances. Hence, we explored the reasons for such attendances using a mixed-methods approach. ⋯ Meeting individual needs of perceived illness severity or non-improvement was the topmost driver of ED visits for URTI, while contextual enabling factors such as convenience was the lowest. Patients' sociodemographic and clinical factors and visit expectations influence their motivations for ED attendances. Addressing these factors and expectations can alleviate the overutilisation of ED services.
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Physician empathy has been linked to increased patient satisfaction, improved patient outcomes and reduced provider burnout. Our objective was to test the effectiveness of an educational intervention to improve physician empathy and trust in the ED setting. ⋯ An educational intervention with the addition of text reminders designed to increase empathic behaviour was not associated with a change in patient-perceived empathy, but was associated with a modest improvement in trust in physicians.
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Observational Study
Predictors for mortality in patients admitted with suspected bacterial infections - A prospective long-term follow-up study.
The aim was to examine predictors for all-cause mortality in a long-term follow-up study of adult patients with infectious diseases of suspected bacterial origin. ⋯ More than one-third of a population of patients admitted to the emergency department with infectious diseases of suspected bacterial origin had died during a median follow up of 2.1 years. The study identified several independent predictors for mortality.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jun 2022
The Initial Approach to the Multisystem Pediatric Trauma Patient.
Trauma remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children and youth 1 to 19 years old in the United States. Providing timely care with a systematic approach is essential for emergently addressing life-threatening injuries and ongoing assessment. The primary survey is focused on identifying and managing life-threatening injuries. ⋯ Over the past decade, there have been important advances in the evidence supporting the management of multisystem trauma in the pediatric patient by the emergency medicine clinician. In addition, the emergence of diagnostics, such as point-of-care ultrasound, aids decision making in the evaluation and management of the pediatric trauma patient. The purpose of this article is to review the initial systematic diagnostic approach and the emergent management of multisystem injuries from blunt force trauma in children in the emergency department and provide insight into the aspects of care that are still evolving.