European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
A case management intervention targeted to reduce healthcare consumption for frequent Emergency Department visitors: results from an adaptive randomized trial.
A small group of frequent visitors to Emergency Departments accounts for a disproportionally large fraction of healthcare consumption including unplanned hospitalizations and overall healthcare costs. In response, several case and disease management programs aimed at reducing healthcare consumption in this group have been tested; however, results vary widely. ⋯ Our study provides evidence that a carefully designed telephone-based intervention with accurate and systematic patient selection and appropriate staff training in a centralized setup can lead to significant decreases in healthcare consumption and costs. Further, our results also show that the effects are sensitive to the delivery model chosen.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Intravenous dexamethasone in acute management of vestibular neuritis: a randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind trial.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of intravenous dexamethasone in relieving the symptoms and signs of vestibular neuritis in the emergency department setting. ⋯ The value of dexamethasone cannot be established, given the small sample and limitations of the present study. Some observations consistent with clinical improvement cannot exclude a true treatment effect, and further study is still warranted.