Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
-
The aim of the study was to identify risk factors for mortality in patients brought to the emergency department (ED) after blunt traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ These predictors appear to be clinically relevant and may help improve ED triage of TBI patients in need of ICU care.
-
Emergency medical service (EMS) staff in the UK routinely transport all emergency responses to the nearest emergency department (ED). Proposed reforms in the ambulance service mean that EMS staff will transport patients not necessarily to the nearest hospital, but to one providing facilities that the patient is judged to require. No previous UK studies have evaluated how accurately EMS staff can predict which transported patients will require admission to hospital. ⋯ Staff in one UK ambulance service showed reasonable accuracy when predicting the likelihood of admission of patients they transport. They correctly identified most patients who would be able to leave. Further work is needed to support these findings and ensure that EMS staff safely triage patients to alternative destinations of care.