Articles: emergency-medical-services.
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To determine pediatrician preparedness to manage emergencies, a nationally representative random sample of 1000 non-hospital-based pediatricians was surveyed about (1) types of emergencies encountered and methods of transport to an emergency facility, (2) availability and use of equipment and medications in the office, and (3) determinants of pediatrician confidence in managing emergencies. The proportion of pediatricians who had encountered specific emergencies ranged from 86% for meningitis to 22% for cardiopulmonary arrest. The majority transported acutely ill children to an emergency department by ambulance. ⋯ Pediatrician confidence in managing the initial stabilization of emergencies ranged from 58% for seizures to 25% for epiglottitis. Confidence was related significantly to year residency was completed, Advanced Cardiac or Advanced Pediatric Life Support training, work setting, and the availability of equipment in the office. Continuing education regarding initial office management of and equipment for common emergencies should improve the pediatrician's confidence and competence in this area.
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Ugeskrift for laeger · Jul 1991
[Emergency prehospitalization treatment of cardiac arrest in the municipality of Copenhagen].
A retrospective study was performed concerning prehospital cardiac arrest. This revealed that 177 consecutive patients received advanced medical resuscitation by an anaesthesiologist at the site of the accident during the period 01.01.1988-31.12.1988. ⋯ After one year, 21 were still alive. Compared with the results of previous studies in Copenhagen, this study reveals that the overall survival rate may have improved and that cerebral function after cardiac arrest seems to have been improved by the introduction of prehospital medically staffed ambulances.
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Health care planners in Costa Rica, seeking to upgrade their emergency medical services, contracted with United States agencies for additional funding and established a national program for the development of an emergency medical service system. Three years later some of the problems and accomplishments of both the planning and early implementation phases have been identified and include the importance of a detailed assessment of current system components, resources, and priorities; the early implementation of an accurate data collection system; early planning for system self-sufficiency; the vital role of the lead agency with formal lines of authority; the careful development of local expertise and leadership. The continuing efforts in Costa Rica provide a valuable resource for other countries as they face their emergency health care needs.