Articles: emergency-services.
-
Multicenter Study
Minor head injury in the Republic of Ireland: evaluation of written information given at discharge from emergency departments.
Most patients presenting to the emergency department with minor head injuries are discharged with written information. Here the quality of minor head injury discharge leaflets in the Republic of Ireland is evaluated against a nationally accepted template. ⋯ No leaflet was available in audio-format or languages other than English. Information provided in minor head injury leaflets should be improved and standardised across Ireland.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2011
Multicenter StudyFactors associated with failure to successfully complete a procedure during emergency department sedation.
To determine factors associated with failure to successfully complete a procedure during sedation in the ED. ⋯ Procedures performed under sedation in the ED have a low failure rate. However, increased body weight and specific procedures, such as hip reduction, are associated with significantly higher failure rates. Special consideration should be given to these patient groups before undertaking sedation in the ED.
-
Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Examination of staphylococcal stethoscope contamination in the emergency department (pilot) study (EXSSCITED pilot study).
The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus-contaminated stethoscopes belonging to emergency department (ED) staff and to identify the proportion of these that were Staphylococcus aureus or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). ⋯ This study indicates that although stethoscope contamination rates in these EDs are high, the prevalence of S. aureus or MRSA on stethoscopes is low.
-
Multicenter Study
Pain assessments at triage with the Manchester triage system: a prospective observational study.
Pain is one of the six general discriminators of the Manchester triage system (MTS). The frequency of pain assessments conducted at triage with the MTS, and patient, nurse and triage characteristics associated with pain assessments were studied. Also, nurses' reasons for not assessing pain at triage were studied. ⋯ Pain assessments at triage are conducted infrequently because of insufficient education, conducting activities at triage that are not necessary for estimating urgency and a lack of clarity in the MTS guidelines. Changes in these areas are necessary to improve the reliability and validity of pain assessments and the MTS.
-
Multicenter Study
Characteristics of general practices associated with emergency admission rates to hospital: a cross-sectional study.
To identify characteristics of general practices associated with emergency hospital admission rates, and determine whether levels of performance and patient reports of access are associated with admission rates. ⋯ The patient characteristics of deprivation, age, ethnicity and gender are important predictors of admission rates. Larger practices and greater distance from a hospital have lower admission rates. Being able to consult a particular GP, an aspect of continuity, is associated with lower emergency admission rates.