Articles: emergency-department.
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Multicenter Study
MARRIED-cocaine score: validating a tool for detecting the risk of ED revisit in cocaine users.
According to a previous study, 17% of patients who attended an emergency department (ED) following cocaine use returned to the same ED over the next year for a problem related to drug use. This previous study proposed a scale (Multicenter Assessment of the Revisit Risk In the Emergency Department (MARRIED)-cocaine score) to quantify the risk of ED revisit. The aim of the present study was to validate this scale by analysing a new set of patients attending for cocaine use in nine Spanish EDs. ⋯ The MARRIED-cocaine score has a moderate discriminative capacity to predict revisit among patients who attend the ED for cocaine drug-related emergencies, and allows classification of patients according to the risk of ED revisit.
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Child abuse & neglect · Mar 2016
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyComparing policies for children of parents attending hospital emergency departments after intimate partner violence, substance abuse or suicide attempt.
To improve identification of child maltreatment, a new policy ('Hague protocol') was implemented in hospitals in The Netherlands, stating that adults attending the hospital emergency department after intimate partner violence, substance abuse or a suicide attempt should be asked whether they care for children. If so, these children are referred to the Reporting Center for Child Abuse and Neglect (RCCAN), for assessment and referrals to support services. An adapted, hospital-based version of this protocol ('Amsterdam protocol') was implemented in another region. ⋯ We found that the RCCAN identified more maltreatment than pediatric staff (98% versus at least 51%), but referrals to services were similar (82% versus 80% of the total sample) and parents were positive about both interventions. Physical examination revealed signs of maltreatment in 5%. We conclude that, despite the differences, both procedures can serve as suitable methods to identify and refer children at risk for maltreatment.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Comparison of management and outcomes of ED patients with acute decompensated heart failure between the Canadian and United States' settings.
Introduction The objective of this study was to compare the emergency department (ED) management and rate of admission of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) between two hospitals in Canada and the United States and to compare the outcomes of these patients. ⋯ The U.S. and Canadian centres saw ADHF patients with similar characteristics. Although the U.S. site had almost double the admission rate, the outcomes were similar between the sites, which question the necessity of routine admission for patients with ADHF.
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Support Care Cancer · Mar 2016
Multicenter StudyPresentation patterns and outcomes of patients with cancer accessing care in emergency departments in Victoria, Australia.
People with cancer attend emergency departments (EDs) for many reasons. Improved understanding of the specific needs of these patients may assist in optimizing health service delivery. ED presentation and hospital utilization characteristics were explored for people with cancer and compared with those patients without cancer. ⋯ ED presentations by people with cancer represent a more urgent, complex caseload frequently requiring hospital admission when compared to other presentations, suggesting that for optimal cancer care, close collaboration and integration of oncology, palliative care and emergency medicine providers are needed to improve pathways of care.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
The association between acute alcohol consumption and discharge against medical advice of injured patients in the ED.
A paucity of data exists on the prevalence and predictors of discharging injured patients against medical advice from emergency departments. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between acute alcohol use and being discharged against medical advice. ⋯ Patients with acute alcohol use before sustaining an injury are at increased risk of being discharged against medical advice from the emergency departments.