BACKGROUND To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies evaluating the influence of the unit of the first contact on the frequency and time of pharmacological treatment during an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event. OBJECTIVES The main objective was to investigate if the unit of first contact influenced the frequency and time of aspirin treatment in the Strategy of Registry of Acute Cor...

This thesis explores whether there were differences in the characteristics and outcomes of patients with non ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes admitted to specialist cardiac units compared to those patients admitted to acute cardiology wards. The study was undertaken using a secondary analysis of the PRAIS-UK dataset. This dataset included a total of 1046 patients who were admitted to a ran...

BACKGROUND Variation in intensive care unit (ICU) readmissions and in-hospital mortality after ICU discharge may indicate potential for improvement and could be explained by ICU discharge practices. Our objective was threefold: (1) describe variation in rates of ICU readmissions within 48 h and post-ICU in-hospital mortality, (2) describe ICU discharge practices in Dutch hospitals, and (3) stud...

INTRODUCTION Communication is one of the key principles in Family-Centered Care (FCC). Studies have shown some drawbacks in communication between families and nurses. Therefore, the present study aimed to recognize the obstacles against nurse-family communication in FCC in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). METHODS This qualitative study was conducted on 8 staff nurses in 2 NICUs affiliated...

Health care, an organized provision of medical care to individuals or a community, is one of the most important aspects of providing quality services to the needy individuals. Cost of healthcare depends on (a) Disease condition; (b) Coverage by insurance; (c) Medical service provider; and (d) Healthcare infrastructure. Patients in need of critical medical care and continuous monitoring by speci...

The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate clinical outcomes of the first year of life of premature infants discharged from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) based on mortality and readmission data, and the motor development of the children. The sample consisted of 170 children with gestational age under 37 weeks and who survived hospitalization in neonatal intensive ca...

Patients at a low probability of acute cardiac pathology constitute a considerable proportion in many coronary care units (CCUs), such that physicians should consider more effective alternatives than CCU admission "to rule out myocardial infarction." In this article, strategies to increase the efficiency of managing patients with acute chest pain are reviewed. Algorithms aiming to improve the d...

INTRODUCTION Mortality prediction scores are widely used in intensive care units (ICUs) and in research, but their predictive value deteriorates as scores age. Existing mortality prediction scores are imprecise and complex, which increases the risk of missing data and decreases the applicability bedside in daily clinical practice. We propose the development and validation of a new, simple and u...

The short-term survival rate for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for the period 1990–1995 was 80.8%. The attrition rate of NICU survivors prior to registration was higher than for the control population. The number of registered NICU survivors with more than one race start was less than the control population. Fifty-nine percent of thoroughbred and 44% of the standardbred foals that wer...

  Background : Patients admitted in coronary care units face various stressors. Ambiguity of future life conditions and unawareness of caring methods intensifies the patients’ anxiety and stress. This study was conducted to assess the effects of whole body massage on anxiety and vital signs of patients with acute coronary disorders.   Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 120 ...