Chest
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Quality of dying and death in two medical ICUs: perceptions of family and clinicians.
We compared perceptions of the quality of dying and death in the ICU across nurses, resident physicians, attending physicians, and family members. The aim was to obtain a surrogate assessment of the quality of the dying process and examine differences in the perceptions of different types of raters. ⋯ The perception of dying and death in the ICU varies considerably between nurses, attending physicians, resident physicians, and family members. Further studies are needed to explain these differences and determine the utility of the ICU QODD instrument for assessing and improving the quality of end-of-life care in the ICU.
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Multicenter Study
Asthma exacerbations in North American adults: who are the "frequent fliers" in the emergency department?
To characterize adult asthma patients according to frequency of emergency department (ED) visits in the past year. ⋯ High NEDV is associated with characteristics that may help with identification of "frequent fliers" in the ED. A better understanding of these characteristics may advance ongoing efforts to decrease asthma health-care disparities, including differential access to primary asthma care. National guidelines recommend specific ED treatments then referral to a PCP. Although longitudinal care is surely important, attempts to reduce frequent ED asthma visits may be better directed toward more specific preventive and educational needs.