BACKGROUND Many older people presenting to Acute Medical Units (AMU) are discharged after only a short stay (< 72 hours), yet many re-present to hospital or die within 1 year. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment may improve patient outcomes for this group. METHOD PARTICIPANTS Patients aged > 70 years and scoring positive on a risk screening tool ('Identification of Seniors At Risk') who are...

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common causes of acute abdomen. It may occur from the time of infancy to old age, but the peak age of incidence is in the second and third decades of life. The diagnosis is based on a careful history and physical examination. In patients who have atypical clinical and laboratory findings, US, CT, MRI, a scoring system and laparoscopy can be used. Laparoscop...

Variability in lengths of acute hospital stay and rates of day case surgery is shown to be a continuing pattern which occurs both between and within countries. A model of the determinants of health service activity is presented and the contribution of different factors to the observed variations is assessed. Differences in methods of funding health services are identified as a major determinant...

U^JJ BY CONNIE S. MARCH Ms. March is chief executive officer, Provena Senior Services, Mokena, III. question that has been asked frequently is, "Do we have a margin because we have a mission or do we have a mission because we have a margin?" If mission is the driving force, how do we get a margin? Those are good questions for reflection. We care for older adults in one of the most poorly Medica...

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence, morbidity, and mortality associated with fractures of the sternum. DESIGN A retrospective review of the medical records of all patients treated in an emergency department with the radiologic diagnosis of sternal fracture during a 6 1/2 year period between January 1, 1985 and June 30, 1991. SETTING A level II trauma center in the eastern suburbs of Melbo...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Demand for unplanned hospital services is rising, and children are frequent users, especially where access to primary care is poor. In England, universal health care coverage entitles parents to see a general practitioner (GP) for first-contact care. However, access to GP appointments is variable, and few patients can see their own regular GP out of hours (OOH). The goa...

AIMS Acute abdominal pain accounts for 5-10% of all emergency department visits. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is critical to ensure optimal outcomes. In the last decade, increased use of CT scans and the introduction of surgical short stay units has changed the way this group of patients is managed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of these changes on patient management. METH...

OBJECTIVE To describe recovery of gait after total hip arthroplasty (THA) based on the assessment of spatiotemporal gait parameters determined with an ambulatory system. DESIGN A 6-month inception cohort study. SETTING Inpatient and outpatient setting in an academic hospital. PARTICIPANTS Sixty-three patients participating in a short-stay program for THA. INTERVENTION Primary unilateral...

Statistics are presented on the utilization of non-Federal short-stay hospitals based on data abstracted in the National Hospital Discharge Suwey from a national sample of hospital records of discharged inpatients. The number of discharges, discharge rates, and average length of stay are shown for the classes and categories of first-listed diagnoses, by demographic characteristics of inpatients...

During 1980 3.8 million women with deliveries were discharged from short-stay non-Federal hospitals in the United States. These women made up a sizable portion--9.9 percent--of all the discharges (excluding newborn infants) during that year. Women with deliveries remained hospitalized an average of 3.8 days and used 14.2 million days of inpatient hospital care. This was only 5.2 percent of the ...