Cardiology referrals before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a health service evaluation

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Chun Shing Kwok ◽  
Jessica Bennett ◽  
Sonia Curry ◽  
Debbie Jackson ◽  
Hayley Burke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Accident And Emergency ◽  
Cardiac Assessment ◽  
Accident And Emergency Department ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health Service Evaluation

Background/Aims The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented changes to healthcare services. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on referrals to cardiology services in a tertiary hospital. Methods Royal Stoke University Hospital has a cardiac assessment nurse team that provides rapid access to specialist cardiology opinion. All referrals are recorded on a database, which was used to determine how COVID-19 affected the number and types of referrals to cardiology during March–September 2019 and March–September 2020. Results A total of 12 447 referrals were made to the cardiac assessment nurse teams over the evaluation period. Compared to the average number of referrals across all months, there was a decline of 10.5%, 31.2% and 18.5% during March, April and May 2019 respectively. Comparing 2020 to 2019, there were more 999 calls (17.7% vs 15.7%) and accident and emergency referrals (46.5% vs 45.0%), and fewer interhospital referrals (16.0% vs 19.6%). In terms of advice provided for the 999 referrals, a greater number were advised to go to the accident and emergency department (10.5% vs 0%) and direct phone advice provided to those in other settings increased (11.7% vs 0.1%) in 2020. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a reduction in the number of overall referrals to cardiology, while also demonstrating a shift towards more advice to attend the accident and emergency department for assessment or direct phone advice being provided about management in the community.

scholarly journals Applying quality improvement principles to improve accident and emergency department overcrowding and flow in Rwanda: a case study

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Claude Byiringiro ◽  
Rex Wong ◽  
Caroline Davis ◽  
Jeffery Williams ◽  
Joseph Becker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Triage System ◽  
Accident And Emergency ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Accident And Emergency Department ◽  
The Impact

Few case studies exist related to hospital accident and emergency department (A&E) quality improvement efforts in lowerresourced settings. We sought to report the impact of quality improvement principles applied to A&E overcrowding and flow in the largest referral and teaching hospital in Rwanda. A pre- and post-intervention study was conducted. A linked set of strategies included reallocating room space based on patient/visitor demand and flow, redirecting traffic, establishing a patient triage system and installing white boards to facilitate communication. Two months post-implementation, the average number of patients boarding in the A&E hallways significantly decreased from 28 (pre-intervention) to zero (post-intervention), p < .001. Foot traffic per dayshift hour significantly decreased from 221 people to 160 people (28%, p < .001), and non-A&E related foot traffic decreased from 81.4% to 36.3% (45% decrease, p < .001). One hundred percent of the A&E patients have been formally triaged since the implementation of the newly established triage system. Our project used quality improvement principles to reduce the number of patients boarding in the hallways and to decrease unnecessary foot traffic in the A&E department with little investment from the hospital. Key success factors included a collaborative multidisciplinary project team, strong internal champions, data-driven analysis, evidence-based interventions, senior leadership support, and rapid application of initial implementation learnings. Results to date show the application of quality improvement principles can help hospitals in resource-limited settings improve quality of care at relatively low cost.

Critical Incident Analysis in An Accident and Emergency Department

2003 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 243-248
Author(s):  
Joanna Connor
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Critical Incidents ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Normal Field ◽  
Accident And Emergency ◽  
Accident And Emergency Department ◽  
Incident Analysis

The analysis of critical incidents is crucial to the provision of safe, high quality healthcare services to patients. It is essential to analyse the incident and make decisions about how future similar incidents should be dealt with. This article is a reflection on a critical incident involving a theatre practitioner working outside her normal field of responsibility which was used to change practice.

scholarly journals Emergency psychiatric referrals to a university hospital in Pakistan

1993 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 471-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hashim Reza ◽  
Sajid Mahmood Choudhry ◽  
Murad Moosa Khan
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Psychiatric Services ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
General Hospitals ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Accident And Emergency ◽  
Accident And Emergency Department

The role of the accident and emergency department in the care of psychiatric patients has been long recognised. Mindham et al (1973) reported that many psychiatric patients, at their first or subsequent contact, present themselves as emergencies, and therefore a suitable service must be provided for them. It is interesting that a large number of reports describe various aspects of one particular service in London, namely the Maudsley Emergency Clinic. Several recent reports describe emergency psychiatric services in different district general hospitals in the United Kingdom.

scholarly journals Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on urgent referrals to secondary care otolaryngology: a prospective case series

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
M S Osborne ◽  
E Bentley ◽  
A Farrow ◽  
J Chan ◽  
J Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Medical Setting ◽  
Accident And Emergency ◽  
Accident And Emergency Department ◽  
Prospective Case Series ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective As the novel coronavirus disease 2019 changed patient presentation, this study aimed to prospectively identify these changes in a single ENT centre. Design A seven-week prospective case series was conducted of urgently referred patients from primary care and accident and emergency department. Results There was a total of 133 referrals. Referral rates fell by 93 per cent over seven weeks, from a mean of 5.4 to 0.4 per day. Reductions were seen in referrals from both primary care (89 per cent) and the accident and emergency department (93 per cent). Presentations of otitis externa and epistaxis fell by 83 per cent, and presentations of glandular fever, tonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess fell by 67 per cent. Conclusion Coronavirus disease 2019 has greatly reduced the number of referrals into secondary care ENT. The cause for this reduction is likely to be due to patients’ increased perceived risk of the virus presence in a medical setting. The impact of this reduction is yet to be ascertained, but will likely result in a substantial increase in emergency pressures once the lockdown is lifted and the general public's perception of the coronavirus disease 2019 risk reduces.

scholarly journals Eye-related complaints presenting to the accident and emergency department in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 198
Author(s):  
DumebiHedwig Kayoma ◽  
CatherineUfumwen Ukponmwan ◽  
JulietNotiemhoria Ese-Onakewhor
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Accident And Emergency ◽  
Accident And Emergency Department

scholarly journals PROFILE OF MEDICOLEGAL CASES;

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (03) ◽  
pp. 366-369
Author(s):  
Mariam Arif ◽  
Syed Hamad Rasool ◽  
Syed Muhammad Hammad Ali
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Legal Cases ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Accident And Emergency ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Accident And Emergency Department ◽  
Male To Female

Introduction: The accident and emergency department is the backbone ofevery tertiary hospital because it is providing medical as well as legal services to the patients.Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the pattern of medicolegal cases attendingaccident and emergency department of Services hospital, Lahore. Study Design: Retrospectivestudy. Setting: Accident and Emergency Department of Services Hospital, Lahore. Period: 1stJanuary, 2014 to 31st December, 2014. Materials and Methods: Data of medicolegal caseswas collected regarding age, gender and type of injuries. It was collected on a pre-testedstructured proforma and statistically analyzed using SPSS version14. Results: Total number ofmedicolegal cases was 2166 with male to female ratio 5.1 : 1. Commonest age group affectedwas third decade (37.6%). Blunt weapon injuries (64.77%) were most common followed byfirearm injuries (9.3%) and sharp weapon injuries (8.8%) while the least common were burns(0.2%) and poisoning (0.55%).Sexual assault was predominant in females (63.8%). Conclusion:Documentation of medico-legal cases should be done with great care. Injury related morbidityand mortality can be reduced by improvement in health care facilities.

Deliberate self poisoning – Nottingham Forest Football Club and F.A. Cup defeat

1994 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark D Steels
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Final Stage ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Football Club ◽  
Accident And Emergency ◽  
Accident And Emergency Department ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Subsequent Failure ◽  
Final Defeat

AbstractObjective: To investigate the relationship between disappointment in a community and deliberate self poisoning. Method: The Accident and Emergency department records of Nottingham's University Hospital were scrutinised for cases of deliberate self poisoning presenting during the weekend of Nottingham Forest's F.A. Cup Final defeat in 1991 and the weekend of their subsequent failure at the quarter-final stage in 1992. Rates of deliberate self poisoning during these periods of intense expectation and disappointment in Nottingham were compared to the weekends either side of these important football matches. Results: Nottingham Forest's defeat in the F.A. Cup Final in 1991 and in the quarterfinals a year later was associated with a short-term excess of cases of deliberate self poisoning in Nottingham. This was statistically significant following the cup final (p<0.01) but not so after only reaching the last eight (p=0.057). Conclusion: The repeatability of these findings supports the hypothesis that a sudden disappointment experienced through an entire community may prove one stress too many for some vulnerable members of that community.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document