Articles: emergency-services.
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To estimate (1) the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in emergency department (ED) patients, (2) the frequency of blood contact (BC) in ED workers (EDWs), (3) the efficacy of gloves in preventing BC, and (4) the risk of HIV infection in EDWs due to BC. ⋯ In both inner-city and suburban EDs, patient HIV seroprevalence varies with patient demographics and clinical presentation; the infection status of most HIV-positive patients is unknown to ED staff. The risk to an EDW of occupationally acquiring HIV infection varies by ED location and the nature and frequency of BC; this risk can be reduced by adherence to universal precautions.
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In the final analysis, implementing the ED funding model will not generate additional dollars for hospitals; rather the funding model will function as a tool for reallocating existing health care dollars. This function is particularly important as government funding for health care is subjected to increasing financial restraint. As such, the ED funding model will serve to further the Acute Care Funding Plan principles of fairness and equity, a recognition of the unique funding requirements for ambulatory care, and the need to develop cost-effective service delivery. Adherence to these principles is integral to maintaining the affordable, publicly administered national health care system Canadians have come to expect and cherish.
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 1993
Comparative StudyReferral, admission, and discharge patterns in a pediatric emergency department in Israel.
The pediatric emergency department (PED) is an important component of the medical services provided by a hospital. The purpose of the study was to describe the patterns of referrals, admissions, and discharges in a PED to determine to what extent the PED is used solely as an emergency unit, as opposed to being used as a part of a set of primary care facilities. Data were recorded from 1200 patient charts, out of 19,000 visits to a PED in Israel in 1988. ⋯ The rate of admissions was low (11%). This study shows that a large part of the PED work is actually primary care. Some of the demographic, cultural, and ethnic reasons for these patterns are reviewed.