Articles: emergency-department.
-
Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Aug 2013
ReviewChildhood asthma: a guide for pediatric emergency medicine providers.
Pediatric asthma is a disease that is managed across outpatient physicians, hospitalists, critical care physicians, and emergency department (ED) physicians. Scoring systems may facilitate a rapid assessment of the child with asthma in the ED. ⋯ ED providers must also know the indications for noninvasive ventilation and intubation. Most patients can be treated and discharged from the ED after acute exacerbation, and should be given a plan for going home that provides educational material and emergency scenarios to help prevent future acute incidents.
-
Int J Health Policy Manag · Aug 2013
Reasons for Discharge against Medical Advice: A Case Study of Emergency Departments in Iran.
Incomplete hospitalization is the cause of disease relapse, readmission, and increase in medical costs. Discharge Against Medical Advice (DAMA) in emergency department (ED) is critical for hospitals. This paper aims to explore the underlying reasons behind DAMA in ED of four teaching hospitals in Kerman, Iran. ⋯ In comparison to studies conducted in other countries, the rate of DAMA is markedly higher in Iran. The results revealed that patients awareness of the consequences of their decisions is evidently inadequate. The study suggests a number of recommendations. These include, increasing patient awareness of the potential side effects of DAMA and creating the necessary culture for this, improving hospital facilities, and a more careful supervision of medical staff performance.
-
Records of patients discharged from the Emergency Department (ED) who return within 72 h and are admitted are often reviewed for potential quality issues. ⋯ Poor care on the initial visit or any poor outcome upon returning in 72-h return admissions is relatively rare in the ED. Reporting 72-h return admissions without chart review may not be a good way to measure clinical quality.
-
Australas Emerg Nurs J · Aug 2013
A critical discussion of the concept of recovery for mental health consumers in the Emergency Department.
The Emergency Department has increasingly become the initial point of contact for mental health crisis assessment and intervention, and is the interface between community and inpatient care. Questions regarding the appropriateness of the Emergency Department in providing a suitable environment for people who have a mental health issue abound with commentary regarding the confidence and competence of general Registered Nurses to provide mental health care. Emergency Departments are busy noisy places where rapid assessments and response is the norm and is counterintuitive to contemporary mental health care. ⋯ Furthermore, Emergency Department staff must be supported in acquiring the knowledge and skills required to care for and manage people with a mental health issue. This includes cognisance and understanding of the Recovery-oriented model of care which is the model of care considered best practice for this client group. This paper offers a critical discussion of the concept of recovery for mental health consumers in the Emergency Department.
-
Eur J Trauma Emerg S · Aug 2013
Epidemiology and management of trauma patients in a Greek multispecialty hospital in the absence of a dedicated trauma center.
In the absence of dedicated trauma centers, surgical emergency departments in hospitals assigned as trauma centers accept a huge load of trauma patients. In this audit, we aim to document and assess the epidemiologic data of trauma patients and their injuries in order to give a picture of the impact of trauma in the workload of a surgical department in the Greek healthcare system. ⋯ In the absence of level one trauma centers, in multispecialty urban hospitals, the coordination of trauma burdens the general surgery team. This has financial and administrative implications. The collection of important epidemiologic data from these hospitals is mandatory in order to develop national prevention measures against injuries.