Articles: emergency-services.
-
Observational Study
Risk of falls is associated with 30-day mortality among older adults in the emergency department.
Falls in older adults correlate with heightened morbidity and mortality. Assessing fall risk in the emergency department (ED) not only aids in identifying candidates for prevention interventions but may also offer insights into overall mortality risk. We sought to examine the link between fall risk and 30-day mortality in older ED adults. ⋯ ED fall risk assessments are linked to 30-day mortality. Screening may facilitate the stratification of older adults at risk for health deterioration.
-
Background The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the widespread rollout of teleconsultations across primary care services in the UK. The media's depiction of remote consultations, especially regarding their safety, is not well-established. These insights are important: newspapers' coverage of healthcare-related news can influence public perception, national policy and clinicians' job satisfaction. ⋯ The media reported that the transition to a remote-first approach reduced the accessibility to primary care appointments for some groups (especially patients with lower digital literacy/access), and heightened the burden on other healthcare services: in particular, there were reports of patient care being compromised across NHS emergency departments (ED). Conclusions The media predominantly reported negative impacts of remote consultations on patient safety, particularly involving missed and/or delayed diagnoses. Our work highlights the importance of further exploration into the safety of remote consultations, and the impact of erroneous media reporting on policies and policymakers.