Comorbidities, potentially dangerous and low therapeutic index medications: factors linked to emergency visits

Sources of Potentially Avoidable Emergency Department Visits.

Factors associated with emergency department visits due to acute asthma.

It is important to identify characteristics related to poor disease control and frequent visits to the emergency department (ED). The objective of the present study was to compare the characteristics of patients attending the adult ED for treatment of asthma exacerbation with those attending an asthma specialist clinic (AC) in the same hospital, and to determine the factors associated with freq...

Understanding Low-Acuity Visits to the Pediatric Emergency Department

BACKGROUND Canadian pediatric emergency department visits are increasing, with a disproportionate increase in low-acuity visits locally (33% of volume in 2008-09, 41% in 2011-12). We sought to understand: 1) presentation patterns and resource implications; 2) parents' perceptions and motivations; and 3) alternate health care options considered prior to presenting with low-acuity problems. MET...

Is this really an emergency? Reducing potentially preventable emergency department visits among nursing home residents.

Mrs Smith, a 92-year-old woman with moderately advanced Alzheimer disease is found in her NH room on the floor by a certified nursing assistant. The registered nurse is called and finds her vital signs to be normal, her mental status to be at her baseline, and no evidence of injury. Based on the NH’s policy, the nurse calls 911 and Mrs Smith is transported to the local hospital’s Emergency Depa...

Keeping your patient with heart failure safe: a review of potentially dangerous medications.

H eart failure (HF) is a significant health problem in the United States, with a prevalence of 5 million patients and 500000 new diagnoses each year. Heart failure is also a significant health care–dollar expenditure, with 5.4% of the health care budget contributing to its treatment. Furthermore, it is a disease of the elderly, affecting 6% to 10% of those older than 65 years. Since the elderly...