CJEM
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The aim for this study was to provide information about how community paramedicine home visit programs best "navigate" their role delivering preventative care to frequent 9-1-1 users by describing demographic and clinical characteristics of their patients and comparing them to existing community care populations. ⋯ ISRCTN 58273216.
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The emergency department (ED) is an at-risk area for medical error. We determined the characteristics of patients with unanticipated and anticipated death within 7 days of ED discharge and whether medical error contributed. ⋯ Though the frequency of related and unanticipated deaths and those due to medical error was low, clinicians should carefully consider the highlighted common patient, provider, and system themes to facilitate safe discharge from the ED.
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To characterize unidentified patients presenting to a single, urban emergency department (ED) in Canada. We report their demographics, ED course, post-ED discharge outcomes, and mode of identification. ⋯ Unidentified patients are a high-needs demographic that present mostly with substance misuse or trauma. Repeat ED attendance, sometimes as unidentified patients again, calls for initiatives that facilitate prompt identification, better discharge planning, and linkage to social supports.