Articles: emergency-services.
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Hospital disaster planning should encompass events that affect the safety of the hospital environment and address those measures that ensure the availability of necessary services. Although most of the emphasis has been placed on general disaster planning, there is little written about disasters occurring within a hospital. In recent years, several incidents at our medical center involving fire, flood, and power failure resulted in a reevaluation of our preparedness to handle such situations. These experiences prompted this discussion and literature review of internal disaster plan because it is likely that at some time an internal emergency may occur.
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 1994
ReviewEffective management of complaints in the emergency department.
Many of the causes of complaints can be reduced but not completely eliminated. Appropriate attention through education and quality management keeps the department's attention focused on increasing patient satisfaction.
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To determine the feasibility of a case-finding program for cognitive impairment in elderly emergency department patients, and to describe the prevalence of cognitive impairment in screened patients and identify factors associated with impairment. ⋯ Screening for cognitive impairment in elderly ED patients using the OMC Test is feasible. There is a high prevalence of cognitive impairment in elderly ED patients, and the prevalence increases with age. Identification of cognitive impairment is important in the assessment of elderly ED patients and may affect clinical evaluation, patients' understanding of medical information, and compliance with discharge instructions.
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 1994
Comparative StudyBurn injuries among children in an urban emergency department.
To determine the profile of burn injury among an ambulatory population, we conducted a retrospective chart review over a one-year period of all first visits by patients under age 18 receiving burn care in our emergency department. Of the 109 visits, contact burns were most numerous (43.1%) followed by scalds (33.9%), flame/explosion (11.0%), cigarettes (5.5%) and electrical (2.8%). For children under 11 years of age, contact burns caused over half of all burns. ⋯ Contact burns were more likely to be smaller and more localized when compared with other burns. The cause and causative agents of burns differ in frequency and relative importance depending on the patient population studied and the level of medical care being provided. Specific burn prevention strategies should be directed toward particular patterns of injury within defined patient groups.
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The objectives of this study were to determine reasons for leaving a pediatric emergency department before physician evaluation, any adverse outcomes of those leaving, and to assess whether the presence of an ombudsman altered the pattern. This was a prospective follow-up study of all patients who left the pediatric emergency department of the Children's Hospital of Michigan before physician evaluation between October 24, 1991 and January 30, 1992. Information was obtained from medical records and a telephone questionnaire with the parent or guardian one week later. ⋯ No deaths occurred. Hospitalization rates were significantly lower for patients who left compared with patients who stayed over the same period of time (7/419 vs 1931/16,990, P < 0.0001). The presence of an ombudsman was associated with an increase in walk-outs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)