In Canada, about 1% of all emergency room (ER) visits in a given year are made by patients with a primary diagnosis of a non-traumatic, non-urgent and yet preventable condition, such as tooth decay. This percentage is typically dismissed as irrelevant. Using 2013-2014 British Columbia data on ER use from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, however, we argue that the 1% figure (and it...

A case-crossover study examined how PM2.5 from Asian Dust Storms (ADS) affects the number of emergency room (ER) admissions for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and respiratory diseases (RDs). Our data indicated that PM2.5 concentration from ADS was highly correlated with ER visits for CVDs and RDs. The odds ratios (OR) increased by 2.92 (95% CI: 1.22-5.08) and 1.86 (95% CI: 1.30-2.91) per 10 µg/...

Background Because primary care is the cornerstone of an effective health care system, many developed countries have striven to establish and strengthen their primary care systems. However, the primary care system in South Korea is not well established, and primary care research is still in its infancy. This study aimed to show the benefits of regular doctors as primary care providers in South ...

BACKGROUND Associations found in time-series studies on hospital emergency room (ER) visits due to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with single air pollutants show some lack of consistency. The respiratory effects of aeroallergens in the air pollution mix are not well established. Non-linear relationships of different airborne pollen types with certain respiratory disease...

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with persistent systemic inflammation. Anti-inflammatory therapies have been shown to decrease acute exacerbations of COPD. The antidiabetic medication metformin decreases oxidative stress and inflammation and may benefit patients with COPD. We aimed at investigating the effect of metformin on health care utilizations in pati...

UNLABELLED Asthma is the most frequent cause of chronic illness in childhood and emergency department visits. This study aims to determine the frequency of emergency room (ER) visits, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and nocturnal attacks among asthmatic children and to identify associated factors. Records of asthmatic children in the pediatric chest clinic, Ain Shams University during 1995...

BACKGROUND Asthma and COPD are major health problems and an extensive burden for the patient and the health care system. Patient education has been recommended, but the influence on knowledge and health outcomes is not fully examined. Our aims were to compare patient characteristics, education and knowledge in patients who had an emergency room (ER) visit, to explore factors related to disease ...

BACKGROUND Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) occur in combined sewer systems when sewage and stormwater runoff are released into water bodies, potentially contaminating water sources. CSOs are often caused by heavy precipitation and are expected to increase with increasing extreme precipitation associated with climate change. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess whether the associatio...

BACKGROUND Although previous studies have demonstrated the clinical benefits of dalfampridine extended release (D-ER) tablets in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), there are limited real-world data on D-ER utilization and associated outcomes in patients with MS. PURPOSE The objective of this study was to evaluate treatment patterns, budget impact, and health care resource utilization (HRU...