Articles: emergency-services.
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Multicenter Study
Children with bacterial meningitis presenting to the emergency department during the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine era.
The epidemiology of bacterial meningitis in children in the era of widespread heptavalent conjugate pneumococcal vaccination (PCV7) is unknown. ⋯ Although now a rare infectious disease in United States, bacterial meningitis still causes substantial morbidity in affected children. Despite the introduction of PCV7, S. pneumoniae remains the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in U.S. children, with approximately half of cases due to nonvaccine serotypes.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Incidence and causes of critical incidents in emergency departments: a comparison and root cause analysis.
To investigate the incidence of critical incidents in UK emergency departments (EDs) and to compare the root causes of such incidents between different EDs. ⋯ Critical incidents occur frequently in EDs. There are significant differences, as well as common themes, in the causes of these critical incidents between different EDs.
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The objective was to evaluate the prevalence of limited health literacy and its association with sociodemographic variables in emergency department (ED) patients. ⋯ In this sample, one-quarter of ED patients would be expected to have difficulty understanding health materials and following prescribed treatment regimens. Advanced age and low socioeconomic status were independently associated with limited health literacy. The ability of a significant subgroup of ED patients to understand health information, especially during illness or injury, requires further study.
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Multicenter Study
Terror Australis 2004: preparedness of Australian hospitals for disasters and incidents involving chemical, biological and radiological agents.
To assess the level of preparedness of Australian hospitals, as perceived by senior emergency department physicians, for chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) incidents, as well as the resources and training available to their departments. ⋯ This survey raises significant questions about the level of preparedness of Australian EDs for dealing with patients from both conventional and CBR incidents. Hospitals need to review their plans and functionality openly and objectively to ensure that their perceived preparedness is consistent with reality. In addition, they urgently require guidance as to reasonable expectations of their capacity. To that end, we recommend further development of national standards in hospital disaster planning and preparedness.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
An observational study of emergency department intern activities.
To describe how intern time is spent, and the frequency of activities performed by interns during emergency department (ED) rotations. ⋯ The ED exposes interns to a broad range of activities. With the anticipated increase in intern numbers, dilution of the emergency medicine experience may occur, and requirements for supervision may increase. Substitution of ED rotations may deprive interns of a valuable learning experience.