Articles: emergency-department.
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Observational Study
Comparison of Mailed vs. On-site Emergency Department Patient Satisfaction Surveys.
Patient satisfaction is one measure of the quality of emergency department (ED) care. The impact of survey delivery method on patient satisfaction in the ED remains unknown. ⋯ We found that patients who completed satisfaction surveys in the ED reported higher satisfaction than those who received mailed surveys. In addition, measuring patient satisfaction by self-administered on-site surveys at the time of discharge from the ED yields a significantly higher response rate than measuring satisfaction using mailed surveys.
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Toddler's fracture (TF) occurs in young children after minor trauma. Clinical diagnosis can be challenging and initial radiological evidence may be lacking. The aim of this study was to compare the management and outcomes of clinically diagnosed TF patients with and without initial radiological evidence. ⋯ There were no complications with management in or out of cast. The initial presumptive clinical diagnosis of TF may be as significant as that with radiological confirmation. Follow-up imaging is unlikely to affect management if the diagnosis remains clinically clear.
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We assessed the efficiency of point-of-care (POC) tests in the emergency department (ED) by comparing them with the international standard. We recorded the turnaround times (TATs) for processing laboratory biomarkers to assess laboratory efficiency from 17 EDs in national/regional hospitals. We also compared patient components between national and regional hospitals. ⋯ However, the POC panel is rarely used in the ED, which delayed the TAT level and affected laboratory efficiency. This finding indicates a severe problem in the administrative management of EDs. This issue should be addressed in the next version of the medical reform policy.
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The traditional intraoral manual reduction of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dislocations is time consuming, difficult, and at times ineffective, and commonly requires conscious sedation. ⋯ We describe a novel technique for the reduction of the acutely nontraumatic TMJ dislocation in the ED. It is simple, fast, safe, and effective.
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Syncope is one of the common presenting complaints in the pediatric emergency department. The evaluation may begin with consideration of the most common causes. ⋯ High suspicion of these disorders in the evaluation, and appropriate referral to a cardiologist may prevent sudden deaths in these patients. Here, we report 2 children with arrhythmogenic causes of syncope.