Emergencias
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of emergency medical center use of a protocol during telephone calls to give medical advice related to fever or gastroenteritis: a cluster randomized controlled trial.
To determine the efficacy of emergency medical center physicians' use of a protocol to guide their management of telephone consultations for fever and gastroenteritis. ⋯ Use of the protocol was associated with fewer unscheduled in-person visits for care and fewer hospital admissions. The protocol is safe and less costly than the centers' usual approaches to giving telephone advice.