Articles: emergency-services.
-
To determine whether routine performance of an ECG could have been safely avoided in a subset of emergency department patients admitted to a university hospital. ⋯ The admission ECG could have been avoided in an identifiable subset of ED patients admitted to the medical service of our hospital, with no adverse effect on patient outcome. This finding, if corroborated in other patient populations, suggests the potential for significant cost savings for the US health care system as a whole.
-
To ascertain the quality of electrocardiogram (ECG) use in a pediatric emergency department (PED). ⋯ We recommend education of pediatric residents in ECG interpretation and subsequent review by a pediatric cardiologist of each ECG performed in the PED.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Feb 1994
Comparative StudyAppropriate use of a pediatric emergency department: is the pediatrician called before the visit?
The objective of this study was to examine the appropriateness of utilization of an urban pediatric emergency department (ED) by children who had a pediatrician and factors relating to whether the pediatrician was called before an ED visit. This was done prospectively and randomly in an urban teaching hospital pediatric ED. One hundred and sixty-six patients, 18 years old and younger, who presented for nontraumatic conditions and had a pediatrician, classified as private or nonprivate, were enrolled. ⋯ Lack of access to their primary care providers was the more common reason among nonprivate patients (P < 0.05) for not calling their pediatricians. We conclude that appropriateness of pediatric ED visits is independent of type of physician. Nonprivate patients tend to consult their physician less often before ED visits because of access problems.
-
To determine the hospital characteristics associated with patients leaving emergency departments prior to physician evaluation. ⋯ More than 4% of patients who seek care at EDs in Los Angeles County leave without being seen by a physician. A greater proportion of patients leave without medical evaluation from EDs with long waiting times for ambulatory patients and from those that serve uninsured populations. These findings should be interpreted in light of existing data on the health consequences faced by patients who leave hospital EDs without treatment.
-
Time series analysis can provide accurate predictions of emergency department volume, length of stay, and acuity. ⋯ Time series analysis can provide powerful, accurate short-range forecasts of future ED volume. Simpler models performed best in this study. Time series forecasts of length of stay and patient acuity are not likely to contribute additional useful information for staffing and resource allocation decisions.