Isr Med Assoc J
-
Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Do parents understand emergency department discharge instructions? A survey analysis.
Understanding discharge instructions is crucial to optimal healing but may be compromised in the hectic environment of the emergency department. ⋯ Overall, parental understanding of ED discharge instructions is good. However, there remains a considerable number (about 20%) who fail to fully comprehend the diagnosis or treatment directives. This subset might benefit from the use of lay terminology by the staff, institution of a special discharge nurse, or use of diagnosis-specific information sheets.
-
Multicenter Study
The association between hospital department, medical treatment and outcome in acute myocardial infarction.
Although the preferred management of a patient presenting with an acute myocardial infarction is in a coronary care unit, data based on discharge diagnoses in Israel indicate that many of these patients are treated outside of such units. ⋯ A relatively high proportion of AMI patients were treated outside a CCU, with older and sicker patients being denied admission to a CCU. The process of evidence-based care by cardiologists was preferable to that of internists both during the hospital stay and at discharge. In Israel a significant proportion of all AMI admissions are initially treated outside a CCU. Emphasis on increasing awareness in internal medicine departments to evidence-based care of AMI is indicated.