Can J Emerg Med
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Concern about youth violence in Canada is growing. Because victims of violence are more likely to become future violent perpetrators, preventative interventions are often based out of inpatient units; however, the question of how often youth who have been injured due to violence are discharged from emergency departments (EDs), or whether there are opportunities for emergency healthcare workers to deliver violence prevention programs, is not known. The primary objectives of this study were to describe the frequency and patterns of violent injuries among youth, to determine how many injured youth are discharged directly from EDs and to estimate the proportion of injured youth who may benefit from ED-based intervention programs. ⋯ In Toronto, a large proportion (89.3%) of youth injured in violent incidents are discharged directly from EDs. There are opportunities to develop ED-based youth violence prevention initiatives.
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The San Francisco Syncope Rule (SFSR) aims to identify patients with syncope who are at risk for short-term serious adverse outcomes. It has been reported to have high sensitivity and the potential to decrease admission rates. The aim of this study was to validate the SFSR in the Australasian setting. ⋯ The SFSR demonstrated 90% sensitivity in this validation study. Strict application of the SFSR would have increased hospital admissions but would not have identified all adverse outcomes. In our setting, clinician judgement performed as well as the syncope rule, with a baseline admission rate of 36%.