Articles: emergency-services.
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J Public Health Med · Jun 1992
A study of 'inappropriate' attendances to a paediatric Accident and Emergency Department.
'Inappropriate' attendance to Accident and Emergency Departments (AEDs) has been shown in many studies to be a sizeable problem. However, only one previous study has investigated inappropriate attendance to these departments amongst children. In this paper we report an investigation of 'inappropriate' usage of a children's AED in Nottingham. ⋯ This proportion was highest amongst younger children, those from families of lower social class and those living closest to the hospital. 'Inappropriate' attendance was not found to relate to the availability of general practitioners. The reasons stated for choosing to attend the AED suggested that these attendances resulted from perceptions of the adult(s) accompanying the children to the department. In view of this finding, action is required to correct these perceptions, although it is recognized that this may be difficult to achieve.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jun 1992
Case ReportsInterfacing with police in the pediatric emergency department.
In summary, ED staff and local police departments should make a concerted effort to work together. The ED director should develop management protocols in conjunction with local police chiefs to plan strategies in advance. ⋯ It may also be helpful to arrange tours of the ED so that police know where to go when they are called to the ED. All of these efforts should foster better care of children in the ED and will reduce tensions between the dedicated groups who work with such children.
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Hosp Community Psychiatry · Jun 1992
Case ReportsA mobile crisis program: collaboration between emergency psychiatric services and police.
An emergency psychiatry-mobile crisis program was established in 1987 in Charleston, South Carolina, linking professionals from the mental health center, the university, and the local police department. The program has two goals: to provide emergency psychiatric services to persons in the community and to train psychiatric residents in crisis intervention. ⋯ The authors describe the development of the collaboration with police and important features of the program. Three cases illustrate how such collaboration can be of mutual benefit and can save lives.
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The results of this study indicate that emergency nurses experience work-related stress originating from a variety of sources. Although the study included a group of emergency nurses committed to achieving a high standard of patient care, many of the key stressors they confront hinder their sense of achievement. ⋯ Nurses were also stressed by continual confrontation with patients and families who exhibited crisis or problematic behavior. In addition to strategies dealing directly with these stressors, the creation of a workplace that fosters more support and recognition of nurses and promotes professional growth may also help to reduce the impact of work stress for emergency nurses.