Articles: emergency-services.
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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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Comparative Study
How well do doctors resuscitate patients with haemorrhagic shock?
Patients with haemorrhagic shock of all degrees present to accident and emergency (A&E) departments regularly. This study examined 43 such patients who presented to one department over a 14-week period. The adequacy of their fluid replacement was judged in comparison with Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) recommendations according to the degree of shock they appeared to have on presentation. The study found that more training may be required on the appropriate recognition and treatment of haemorrhagic shock.
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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.
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A short-stay ward attached to the accident and emergency (A&E) department has opened recently. The development of this ward is described together with its operation over a 1-year period. Head injuries were the commonest reason for admission. Only 7% of children stayed longer than anticipated or were considered inappropriate admissions.