Hospital-based Emergency Care At the Breaking Point

Today our emergency care system faces an epidemic of crowded emergency departments, patients boarding in hallways waiting to be admitted, and daily ambulance diversions. Hospital-Based Emergency Careaddresses the difficulty of balancing the roles of hospital-based emergency and trauma care, not simply urgent and lifesaving care, but also safety net care for uninsured patients, public health surveillance, disaster preparation, and adjunct care in the face of increasing patient volume and limited resources. This new book considers the multiple aspects to the emergency care system in the United States by exploring its strengths, limitations, and future challenges. The wide range of issues covered includes: The role and impact of the emergency department within the larger hospital and health care system. Patient flow and information technology. Workforce issues across multiple disciplines. Patient safety and the quality and efficiency of emergency care services. Basic, clinical, and health services research relevant to emergency care. Special challenges of emergency care in rural settings. Hospital-Based Emergency Careis one of three books in the Future of Emergency Careseries. This book will be of particular interest to emergency care providers, professional organizations, and policy makers looking to address the deficiencies in emergency care systems.Institute of Medicine of the National Academies is the author of 'Hospital-based Emergency Care At the Breaking Point', published 2007 under ISBN 9780309101738 and ISBN 0309101735.