Articles: emergency-services.
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Annals of family medicine · May 2024
Observational StudyThe Impact of Primary Care Clinic and Family Physician Continuity on Patient Health Outcomes: A Retrospective Analysis From Alberta, Canada.
Continuity of care is broadly associated with better patient health outcomes. The relative contributions of continuity with an individual physician and with a practice, however, have not generally been distinguished. This retrospective observational study examined the impact of continuity of care for patients seen at their main clinic but by different family physicians. ⋯ The best health care outcomes (measured by ED visits and hospitalizations) are associated with consistently seeing one's own primary family physician or seeing a clinic partner when that physician is unavailable. The effect of partial clinic continuity appears complex and requires additional research. These results provide some reassurance for part-time and shared practices, and guidance for primary care workforce policy makers.
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This study investigates the association between Methamphetamine (MA) intoxication and suicidal ideation/behavior in patients presenting to emergency departments. Amidst rising MA use and co-use with opioids, this "twin epidemic" has manifested in increasing admissions for MA intoxication, often accompanied by psychiatric symptoms that can escalate to suicidal behaviors. ⋯ These results underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to address the complex interplay between MA use and suicidal risks in the emergency department setting, as well as broader public health strategies to combat the increasing prevalence of MA use.
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In this segment of the emergency department (ED) palliative care (PC) case series, we discuss a patient on hospice who presented to the ED for the management of acute symptoms and potential procedural intervention. Hospice patients frequently visit the ED and can challenge typical ED paradigms of care that often include resuscitative efforts and broad workups. ⋯ PC consultation was requested to help address the patient's symptoms and create a plan of care. The PC clinician played an important role in supporting aggressive symptom management, re-evaluating goals of care, addressing concerns about hospice, and facilitating changes in code status requested for a procedure.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2024
Feasibility of a Two-Step Palliative Screening Utilizing Existing Emergency Department Resources.
Although the Emergency Department (ED) offers a unique setting to provide early palliative care, staffing limitations curtail hospitals from establishing ED-palliative partnerships. ⋯ Our project demonstrated feasibility of a two-step ED-palliative protocol by increasing palliative care consultation without necessitating additional staff.