Articles: emergency-services.
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To evaluate whether the capillary refill test can correctly differentiate between hypovolemic and euvolemic emergency department patients. ⋯ Capillary refill does not appear to be a useful test for detecting mild-to-moderate hypovolemia in adults.
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QA is a logical, interesting, and rewarding process, from which many benefits can be derived if a positive approach is taken. The process is undoubtedly time-consuming, and staff involvement, and administrative commitment to providing required resources are critical to ensuring improvements in care.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jun 1991
Complaints and compliments in the pediatric emergency department.
We conducted an analysis of all communications received from patients or their families by the director of a pediatric emergency department over a three-year period, during which approximately 150,000 visits occurred. Communications were characterized as complaint or compliment and subclassified by type: waiting time, staff attitude, quality of medical care, and billing. ⋯ The problems that we identified might be addressed by providing families improved access to non-emergency department care sources, education regarding the role of an emergency department, and better explanation of billing procedures during the registration process. Additionally, our findings serve as a reminder that many parents appreciate the care given to their children, particularly for life-threatening emergencies.
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Four per cent of patients attend the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) present with chest pain. In this prospective study of 297 patients the value of chest radiography is assessed. ⋯ Twenty-nine per cent of CXRs were misinterpreted by Casualty Officers but resulted in the mismanagement of only six patients (3.3%). Potentially serious errors were averted by early CXR audit by a Radiologist.