Articles: emergency-department.
-
Abstract Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people experience challenges when accessing health care from the emergency department (ED). The aim of this project was to identify the perceived barriers and enablers to accessing health care at one Victorian Emergency Department for the local ATSI community. ⋯ Three themes emerged organisational process, staff interactions and strategies for improvement. Information from this study will assist hospital and ED executives and practitioners to collaborate with the ATSI community in developing and implementing policy and practice changes that enable Aboriginal patients to be identified and receive culturally appropriate care.
-
Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2014
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyPrehospital risk factors of mortality and impaired consciousness after severe traumatic brain injury: an epidemiological study.
Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant health concern and a major burden for society. The period between trauma event and hospital admission in an emergency department (ED) could be a determinant for secondary brain injury and early survival. The aim was to investigate the relationship between prehospital factors associated with secondary brain injury (arterial hypotension, hypoxemia, hypothermia) and the outcomes of mortality and impaired consciousness of survivors at 14 days. ⋯ Mortality and impaired consciousness at 14 days do not have the same prehospital risk factors; prehospital hypotension and hypothermia is associated with mortality, and prehospital hypoxemia with impaired consciousness.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialThe use of a kiosk-model bilingual self-triage system in the pediatric emergency department.
Streamlining the triage process is the key in improving emergency department (ED) workflow. Our objective was to determine if parents of pediatric ED patients in, low-literacy, inner-city hospital, who used the audio-assisted bilingual (English/Spanish) self-triage kiosk, were able to enter their child's medical history data using a touch screen panel with greater speed and accuracy than routine nurse-initiated triage. ⋯ Kiosk triage enabled users to enter basic medical triage history data quickly and accurately in an ED setting with future potential for its wider use in improving ED workflow efficiency.
-
Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2014
Venoarterial extracorporeal life support in post-traumatic shock and cardiac arrest: lessons learned.
Venoarterial extracorporeal life support (VA-ECLS) is an effective support of acute hemodynamic collapse caused by miscellaneous diseases. However, using VA-ECLS for post-traumatic shock is controversial and may induce a disastrous hemorrhage. To investigate the feasibility of using VA-ECLS to treat post-traumatic shock or cardiac arrest (CA), a single-center experience of VA-ECLS in traumatology was reported. ⋯ Using VA-ECLS to treat post-traumatic shock/CA is challenging and requires multidisciplinary expertise.
-
Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2014
Comparative StudyNoninvasive continuous versus intermittent arterial pressure monitoring: evaluation of the vascular unloading technique (CNAP device) in the emergency department.
Monitoring cardiovascular function in acutely ill patients in the emergency department (ED) is of paramount importance. Arterial pressure (AP) is usually monitored using intermittent oscillometric measurements with an upper arm cuff. The vascular unloading technique (VUT) allows continuous noninvasive AP monitoring. In this study, we compare continuous AP measurements obtained by VUT with intermittent oscillometric AP measurements in ED patients. In addition, we aimed to investigate whether continuous noninvasive AP monitoring allows detection of relevant hypotensive episodes that might be missed with intermittent AP monitoring. ⋯ VUT using the CNAP system for noninvasive continuous AP measurement shows reasonable agreement with intermittent oscillometric measurements in acutely ill ED patients. Continuous AP monitoring allows immediate recognition of clinically relevant hypotensive episodes, which are missed or only belatedly recognized with intermittent AP measurement.