Correspondence to Dr Jacqueline L Green; [email protected] Direct emergency medical services (EMS) transport of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) to a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)-capable hospital is emerging as an effective strategy to improve care and reduce costs. This approach has been shown to improve mortality, decrease time to reperfusion, and reduce o...

The study explored cultural beliefs and practices contributing to maternal deaths together with maternal deaths reviews as testimonial. Six maternal deaths were retrospectively observed in rural southwest Ethiopia. Four of the 6 deaths occurred due to direct obstetric causes. Substandard primary and referral care, not understanding the severity of the problem, and lack of transport were the maj...

OBJECTIVES In 2006, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) established an emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) referral facility linked to an ambulance referral system for the transfer of women with obstetric complications from peripheral maternity units in Kabezi district, rural Burundi. This study aimed to (i) describe the communication and ambulance service together with the cost; (ii) exam...

background: medical error is defined as an adverse event caused by medical management, which can be prevented. the aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of diagnosis of oral and maxillofacial diseases made by health care practitioners. methods: a descriptive cross sectional study was done between apr. 2009 and mar.2010. 372 patients with oral and maxillofacial lesions who had referr...

A survey of 59 stroke patients was undertaken between 3 and 6 months after the event to determine whether a weekly stroke round would improve the rate of referral for rehabilitation. Comparison with a previous survey at Groote Schuur Hospital showed a marked improvement (40% for physiotherapy and 10% for occupational therapy v. 76% and 50% respectively). A comparison of referral rates between y...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Creation of a strong referral transport network across the country is necessary for improving physical access to public sector health facilities. In this study we evaluated the referral transport services in Haryana, i.e. Haryana Swasthya Vaahan Sewa (HSVS), now known as National Ambulance Service (NAS), to assess the extent and pattern of utilization, and to ascertain i...

A functioning referral system is generally considered to be a necessary element of successful Safe Motherhood programmes. This paper draws on a scoping review of available literature to identify key requisites for successful maternity referral systems in developing countries, to highlight knowledge gaps, and to suggest items for a future research agenda. Key online social science, medical and h...