Articles: emergency-services.
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Multicenter Study
Interrater reliability of criteria used in assessing blunt head injury patients for intracranial injuries.
To determine the interrater reliability of potential predictor variables that may be used to construct a clinical decision rule for emergency computed tomography of the head in blunt head injury victims. ⋯ The clinicians in our study had a substantial level of agreement regarding most clinical criteria assessed in this large sample of patients with blunt head injury.
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To evaluate the incidence and the strategy of management of syncope admitted urgently to a general hospital. ⋯ Great inter-hospital and inter-department heterogeneity in the incidence and management of syncope was observed in general hospitals. As a consequence, we were unable to describe a uniform strategy for the management of syncope in everyday practice.
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Multicenter Study
Validation of the Ottawa Knee Rule in children: a multicenter study.
The main objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Ottawa Knee Rules when they were applied to children. The secondary objective was to determine post hoc whether use of the rules would reduce the number of knee radiographs ordered. ⋯ The Ottawa Knee Rules are valid in children and have the potential to decrease the use of radiography in children with knee injuries.
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Multicenter Study
Emergency department management of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the elderly: the Multicenter Airway Research Collaboration.
To determine adherence of emergency department (ED) management of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to current treatment guidelines. ⋯ Important differences exist between guideline recommendations and actual ED management of COPD exacerbations in older adults. Outcomes after ED treatment are poor and may be related to these shortcomings in quality of care. Better adherence to guideline recommendations when caring for elderly patients with COPD exacerbations may lead to improved clinical outcomes and better resource usage.
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Multicenter Study
Management of whiplash injuries presenting to accident and emergency departments in Wales.
To assess the use of soft collars for whiplash injuries presenting to Welsh accident and emergency departments and compare with recommended treatment as suggested by other literature. ⋯ The study recommends treatment protocols for whiplash injuries prescribing regular analgesia, early home exercises with the help of an advice sheet, and physiotherapy if symptoms persist.