Articles: emergency-services.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of attendance and emergency admission patterns at accident and emergency departments in and out of London.
To compare the sociodemographic characteristics, diagnoses, and mode of referral of people and emergency admissions between an accident and emergency department in inner London and one in a town outside London. ⋯ Differences in sociodemographic characteristics were more important than general practice referral patterns in determining the differences in people attending at accident and emergency departments inside and outside London. Many of these characteristics are likely to be found in other inner city populations. A strategy to improve acute care in inner London should take account of the needs of these sociodemographically different groups.
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1) To determine whether the frequencies of panic disorder (PD) and depression (DEP) in an emergency department (ED) population were comparable to those in other primary care groups; 2) to evaluate whether patients without the clinical diagnosis of acute cardiac ischemia (ACI) had higher frequencies of these disorders; and 3) to identify characteristic clinical findings in patients with PD or DEP. ⋯ This study suggests that approximately one in three patients presenting to the ED with acute pain has symptoms consistent with a psychiatric disorder. These disorders occur frequently in both those with and those without acute cardiac ischemia, and clinical variables may help identify these frequent ED utilizers.
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Clinical Trial
Compliance with emergency department referral: the effect of computerized discharge instructions.
To examine the effect of computerized discharge instructions on emergency department patient referral recommendations. ⋯ Computerized discharge instructions were associated with improved compliance with ED referral recommendations, based on historic and contemporary controls.
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Editorial Comparative Study
Clinton's health reform and emergency department volumes: a return visit.
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To evaluate an emergency department's "treat and transfer" policy during a two-month period of reduced inpatient capacity by determining the number and characteristics of transferred patients not admitted as planned to the receiving hospital. ⋯ Patients transferred from the public hospital ED resulted in admission to the receiving hospital in 92% of transfers. A history of IV drug use was the only characteristic found to be associated with discharge without admission to the accepting hospital.