Articles: emergency-medicine.
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A retrospective analysis of 118 prehospital missions involving vitally important therapy (anaesthesia or resuscitation with admission) was carried out. Primary mobilization of the emergency physician (EP) (i.e. before arrival of the rescue ambulance) was carried out by the alarm dispatch centre in only 36% of these missions. ⋯ The observations suggest that an improved assessment of possible involvement of an EP is necessary, both at the alarm central and the emergency site. Moreover, continued monitoring (quality control) of this delay is necessary.
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The quality of the treatment by emergency physicians of patients with abdominal complaints, who visited the emergency department (ED) of a city hospital (OLVG), Amsterdam, The Netherlands, was evaluated in a prospective observational study. During 6 months 1853 patients with abdominal complaints visited the emergency department of the OLVG hospital, 1221 patients (66%) without referral by a general practitioner (GP). Of these 1221 patients, 933 (76%) were treated by the emergency physician without consulting a specialist. ⋯ It is concluded that most patients with abdominal complaints visit the ED of this hospital without referral by their GP. Of these patients, the emergency physician can treat 76% without further specialist consultation. In seven patients (1.1%) the diagnosis was missed.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 1999
Response to child abuse in the pediatric emergency department: need for continued education.
Child abuse is a leading pediatric public health problem. Pediatric emergency physicians are on the front line to identify and respond to child abuse. The physician's response to suspected child abuse cases is influenced by educational content and experience. ⋯ Significant training gaps in postgraduate medical education on response to child abuse for the pediatric emergency subspecialist are identified, as well as perceived obstacles to effective response, which may have implications for designing future curricula.
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Editorial Comment Review
Changing clinical practice in geriatric emergency medicine.