Articles: emergency-services.
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Social science & medicine · Jan 1985
Hospital care utilization in a 17,000 population sample: 5-year follow-up.
The growing utilization of hospital care, especially of the services of Emergency Departments (ED), has been of great concern for many Western countries. The purpose of this study was to relate the amount of hospital care utilization to the frequency of ED visits. The study, based on a computerized medical information system, was carried out at Huddinge hospital which serves a suburban area of Stockholm, Sweden. ⋯ The difference increased gradually with increasing number of ED visits and was also evident in each age group. The mortality was also significantly increased for those with several ED visits. Higher migration in the latter group may besides indicate social instability.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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The resuscitation of the severely injured in the accident and emergency department--a medical audit.
An audit of the medical care of the severely injured was conducted in the Accident and Emergency Department of the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. Over a 6-month period the management of all patients admitted with an Injury Severity Score of 16 or over was critically assessed. ⋯ They were mainly related to the fact that 78 per cent of the patients arrived outside normal office hours when only inexperienced junior doctors staffed the department. The findings have drawn our attention to the need for both altering staffing arrangements and improving training in our department.
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Emerg Health Serv Rev · Jan 1985
The psychiatric emergency/crisis disposition and community networks.
Recent advances in techniques of rapid neuroleptization have enabled psychiatric emergency/crisis intervention staff to stabilize many acutely ill patients in a brief time period, frequently less than 24 hours. This has resulted in less need for hospital admissions and has challenged the mental health field to develop alternative disposition options. ⋯ Thus, a primary function of the unit is the advocacy for, and coordination of, dispositional services, including those provided by a variety of community resources. The unit serves as a networking center that plays a central role in facilitating dialogue between mental health and social assistance agencies, which in turn leads to better follow-up planning and care for the mentally ill while avoiding unnecessary hospitalization and institutionalization.