Children feature more active cellular division and a smaller body area, which leads to a greater radiation dosage accumulation. We tried to reduce radiation hazards by reducing unnecessary radiological studies in a pediatric emergency department (PED) through the radiation reduction campaign.Our campaign involved a reduction from 2 (erect and supine) to 1 ordered abdominal plain radiograph (ere...

OBJECTIVE To determine the association between secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure and length of stay (LOS) and other exacerbation severity indicators in children hospitalized for asthma. METHODS We conducted a retrospective chart review at 2 children's hospitals. Patients aged 2 to 18 hospitalized for asthma in 2012 were included. Outcome variables included LOS, PICU, magnesium, and intravenous ...

BACKGROUND Although the use of a physician and nurse team at triage has been shown to improve emergency department (ED) throughput, the mechanism(s) by which these improvements occur is less clear. OBJECTIVES 1) To describe the effect of a Rapid Medical Assessment (RMA) team on ED length of stay (LOS) and rate of left without being seen (LWBS); 2) To estimate the effect of RMA on different gr...

Evaluation of hospital readmissions after total hip arthroplasty may help improve patient safety and cost reduction. This study investigates the rates and reasons for readmission as well as length of hospital stay (LOS) for 1802 total hip arthroplasty patients from 2002 to 2007. Data were abstracted from the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System. The overall 30-day rate of readmission was 6...

OBJECTIVES To determine disparities in rates, length of stay (LOS) and hospital costs of potentially preventable hospitalisations (PPH) for selected chronic conditions among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal South Australians (SA), then examine associations with area-level socioeconomic disadvantage and remoteness. SETTING Period prevalence study using linked, administrative public hospital recor...

Background and purpose - Fast-track protocols have been successfully implemented in many hospitals as they have been shown to result in shorter length of stay (LOS) without compromising results. We evaluated the effect of fast-track implementation on the use of institutional care and results after total hip replacement (THR). Patients and methods - 3,193 THRs performed in 4 hospitals between 20...

Objectives. Despite improvements in the management of sickle cell disease (SCD), many patients still experience disease-related complications requiring hospitalizations. The objectives of this study were to identify causes of hospitalization among these patients and factors associated with the length of hospital stay (LOS) and readmission. Methods. Data from 160 patients (<14 years old) with SC...

BACKGROUND Moderate-late preterm infants, 33-35 weeks' gestational age (wGA), are at increased risk for respiratory syncytial virus hospitalization (RSVH). The objective of this study is to quantify the burden of RSVH in moderate-late preterm infants. METHODS A pooled analysis was conducted on RSVH from 7 prospective, observational studies in the Northern Hemisphere from 2000 to 2014. Infants...

The aims of this study were to compare outcomes of appendectomy between acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and nonAIDS patients and laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) versus open appendectomy (OA) in AIDS patients. Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database, from 2006 to 2008, clinical data of patients with AIDS who underwent LA and OA were evaluated. A total of 800 patients with AIDS u...