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Biomedical subjects

Sue Daly

Publications and source records attributed to Sue Daly.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Short-stay units and observation medicine: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To conduct a systematic review of how short-stay observation units (SOUs) affect the efficiency of healthcare delivery and the quality of services provided. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Best Evidence and The Cochrane Library were searched for the period 1 January 1960 to 31 July 2000. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were eligible if published in English and rated at National Health and Medical Research Council evidence levels I, II-1, II-2, or II-3; 12 comparative studies published between 1985 and 1998 met these criteria. DATA EXTRACTION: Data pertaining to clinical outcomes, length of stay, re-presentation rates, emergency department efficiency and costs of care were extracted and evaluated independently. DATA SYNTHESIS: As there was considerable heterogeneity in the patient populations and outcomes, results were summarised rather than subjected to meta-analysis. CONCLUSION: SOUs have the potential to increase patient satisfaction, reduce length of stay, improve the efficiency of emergency departments and improve cost effectiveness. However, SOUs have commonly been implemented alongside new clinical protocols, and it is not possible to distinguish the relative benefits of each. As demand increases, providing effective and cost-efficient care will become increasingly important. SOUs may help organisations that are attempting to streamline patient care while maintaining their quality of service delivery.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed2003

Development and evaluation of intermediate care.

Intermediate care is being developed as part of the national strategy for older people in England and Wales to prevent their admission to hospital and facilitate early discharge. Evaluation of intermediate care is implicit within current policy directives. This project evaluated the client information across a number of intermediate care schemes within one National Health Service community trust for 3 months and disseminated the results to staff as part of a reflective workshop which also provided an opportunity for additional data collection. Rates of referral and acceptance on intermediate care were high for all the schemes except one, indicating reliable referral and inclusion criteria. Older people were the recipients of intermediate care with nearly half of them having experienced falls. A number of developments were identified by staff covering both current services and long-term strategy for intermediate care and indicating the importance of involving providers in the evaluation and development of services. Fall prevention initiatives and involvement of users and carers in the evaluation and development of intermediate care were also identified.

Aftercare↗