Articles: emergency-services.
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The objective of this study was to describe consultation and referral patterns from a military emergency department (ED). The design of the study consisted of a prospective analysis of consultations and referrals from Madigan Army Medical Center ED during April 1990, an Army Medical Center with multiple residencies, including emergency medicine (EM). Patient population included active and retired military personnel, their families, and civilian emergency medical system-transported patients. ⋯ ED patients frequently are referred to or result in consultations with non-EM physicians. Differences in consultation by level of training and the impact of consultation on consulting services both deserve further investigation. Review of EM resident use of consultation and referral may focus evaluation of ED care in teaching hospitals.
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Comparative Study
Critical care by emergency physicians in American and English hospitals.
The object of this study was to compare emergency physician critical care services in an American (A) and an English (E) Emergency Department (ED). A prospective case comparison trial was used. The study was carried out at two university affiliated community hospitals, one in the U. ⋯ Emergency physicians at E provided critical care services almost continuously during a short stay in the ED. Emergency physicians at A provided services intermittently with most services during an initial period of stabilization. Further study is necessary to identify what factors contribute to these different approaches to critical care in the ED.
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Comparative Study
The effect of a class IV hurricane on emergency department operations.
The objective of this study was to determine the impact on emergency department (ED) operations of Hurricane Hugo, a class IV hurricane that struck Charleston, South Carolina, on September 21, 1989. The study design was a retrospective record-based descriptive study and mail survey of the ED of a 300-bed regional medical center directly in the path of the storm. During the 3 weeks after the storm, ED patient volume increased 19% over that of the 3 weeks before the storm. ⋯ Sixty-two percent of physician offices were still closed 7 days after the storm. The direct effects of a class IV hurricane on ED operations included major alterations in the volume and types of patient visits. Because of the evacuation of approximately 40% of the coastal population and storm damage hindering travel, the increase in visit volume was less in magnitude but of longer duration has been reported in class III hurricanes.
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'Nurse Triage' refers to the formal process of early assessment of patients attending an accident and emergency (A&E) department by a trained nurse, to ensure that they receive appropriate attention, in a suitable location, with the requisite degree of urgency. The benefits claimed for nurse triage include better patient outcomes, through clinical management reaching those in greatest need of it first. ⋯ The results brought forth criticism from all quarters. In this paper the points made by the critics are considered, and an attempt to answer them is made.
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Sep 1993
Ethnicity as a risk factor for consultations in primary health care and out-patient care.
To determine the influence of ethnicity, defined as foreign-born people, on consultation rates, admissions and prescriptions in out-patient care and primary health care. ⋯ There were important differences in consultations between Swedes and foreign-born people. It seems important to study these differences further to find out if they were due to morbidity or cultural differences in order to be able to meet the demands and needs of different ethnic groups.