From the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment: rural emergency medical services

Article Abstract:

The average US resident needs an ambulance at least twice in his or her lifetime. For the one-fourth of the population living in rural areas, such services may be unpredictable and unsatisfactory. Concerns over the access of rural dwellers to health care prompted the Senate Rural Health Caucus to ask the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) to evaluate emergency care in rural areas. The Rural Emergency Medical Services report was prepared. Emergency medical services (EMS) include personnel, vehicles, and all equipment and facilities necessary for delivering medical care outside of a hospital and during emergency in-hospital care. Some of the problems in rural areas include poor roads, outdated communications equipment, radio 'dead spots', shortages of personnel, and outdated medical equipment of all sorts. In addition, a low volume of calls can hinder maintenance of certain skills and discourage innovation. Death rates from unintentional injuries are two times higher in remote rural areas than in large cities, and the risk of dying from severe injury is much higher. More resources, and better planning and management could solve these problems; suggestions for federal resources include improved training of personnel, development of national guidelines or standards for EMS providers and EMS facilities, technical assistance, EMS-related research and demonstration projects, and incentives for states to intensify their EMS improvement efforts. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Finance, Emergency medical services, Rural health services, Rural areas

---

Abuse of pregnant women and adverse birth outcome: current knowledge and implications for practice

Article Abstract:

Pregnant women who are physically abused may have a higher risk of delivering an infant with a low birth weight than other women. Between seven and 11% of pregnant women may be physically abused. A research study found that infants whose mothers are physically abused during pregnancy tend to have a lower birth weight. Few research studies have examined abuse of pregnant women, and those that have may not be useful. Physical abuse may cause injuries or aggravate chronic illnesses that lead to decreased fetal growth or premature birth. Abused women suffer from emotional stress, have less prenatal care and poor nutrition, and are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. Physical abuse affects women both physically and psychologically, and many battered women are reluctant to tell others that they are being abused. Health care personnel should ask women whom they suspect of being abused specific questions when the partner is not present. Health care facilities should refer women who are being abused to battered women's services for protection and support.

Health aspects, Injuries, Fetus, Pregnant women, Abused women

---

Long-term follow-up of infants discharged from neonatal intensive care units

Article Abstract:

A review of 20 years' experience with neonatal intensive care for very-low-birth-weight infants proves that neonatal care saves lives and that an increasing proportion of babies survive free of moderate to severe handicap. However, data on the health status of these survivors largely reflect status in infancy, and does not follw the survivors into their school years. Despite findings that the mortality rate has decreased considerably in those 20 years, from 72 percent to 27 percent, there are concerns about the survivors' health and development following discharge. Studying the development of the children as they reach school age better indicates how they will devlop adult skills. Further study of the long-term outcomes of children of very-low-birth-weight will be required to assess the utility of neonatal intensive care inteventions for these individuals and to build experience that will allow health care professionals to counsel families on the health and educational needs of these children.

Evaluation, Complications and side effects, Birth weight, Low, Low birth weight, Neonatal intensive care

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Easing the pressure for hip fracture patients. Assessment of a limb in a cast. A protocol for care of skeletal pin sites
• Abstracts: The efficacy of an intraosseous injection system of delivering local anesthetic. Counteracting the bitter taste of local anesthetic
• Abstracts: Familial clustering of diabetic kidney disease: evidence for genetic susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy. Hodgkin's disease - environmental or genetic?
• Abstracts: A preliminary trial of the programmable implantable medication system of insulin delivery. A randomized trial of intensive insulin therapy in newly diagnosed insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
• Abstracts: Insulin resistance - a secret killer? Hyperinsulinemia as an independent risk factor for ischemic heart disease

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.