Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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A short cut review was carried out to establish whether leg crossing prevents transient loss of consciousness in patients known to have orthostatic hypotension. 9 papers presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these best papers are tabulated. It is concluded that leg crossing can help reduce the incidence of transient loss of consciousness in patients with orthostatic hypotension.
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To assess the safety and efficiency of triaging low urgent self-referred patients at the emergency department (ED) to a general practitioner (GP) based on the Manchester triage system (MTS). ⋯ Low urgent self-referrals, with the exception of extremity problems, were shown to be treated efficiently and safely by a GP. A selected group of more urgent patients also seem to be handled adequately by the GP. Triage of low urgent patients with extremity problems and reasons for nurses not following a predefined triage allocation scheme need further elaboration.
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Ninety percent of emergency incidents occur in developing countries, and this is only expected to get worse as these nations develop. As a result, governments in developing countries are establishing emergency care systems. However, there is currently no widely-usable, objective method to monitor or research the rapid growth of emergency care in the developing world. ⋯ By relying on the most basic universal parameters, simplest calculations and straightforward protocol, the TEWS methodology allows for widespread analysis of emergency care in the developing world. This could become essential in the establishment and growth of new emergency care systems worldwide.