Articles: emergency-services.
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To determine whether the use of an urban pediatric emergency department (ED) to immunize pre-school-age children would result in an improvement in the percentage fully vaccinated by the end of the second year of life. ⋯ Routine vaccinations in the ED would significantly increase immunization percentages in children enrolled in two hospital-affiliated clinics. Close linkage and coordination between the ED and hospital-affiliated clinics may improve preventive health care in urban children who use EDs.
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Emergency department overcrowding may not be so much a result of inappropriate use of the emergency department as it is a problem of the unavailability and inaccessibility of primary care services in the community. The prevailing theory that people use the emergency department because they cannot afford care elsewhere does not hold true. The vast majority of patients surveyed as part of the Emergency Services Initiative had some type of coverage, primarily Medicare or Medicaid. ⋯ Changing staff behavior is often as challenging as changing patient behavior. Pre-project planning and communication about purpose, scope, and procedures are necessary if projects are to begin and continue smoothly. Ongoing evaluation is also key.
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Arch Pediat Adol Med · Jan 1994
A statewide evaluation of pediatric prehospital and hospital emergency services.
To evaluate the extent of pediatric emergency training and the availability of pediatric equipment and patient care protocols in the prehospital and hospital settings. ⋯ These survey data are inexpensive to obtain and demonstrate EMS system deficiencies. The survey information provides a baseline measurement that can lead to measurable, targeted changes in the state's EMS system for children.