ArticleHealth science reports2018
Does X-ray imaging by GPC at emergency care access points in the Netherlands change patient flow and reduce ED crowding? A cohort study.
Article in Health science reports, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Primary care access to radiology: Characteristics of trauma patients referred to the emergency department.Journal of evaluation in clinical practice · 2023Observational
- Effects of access to radiology in out-of-hours primary care on patient satisfaction and length of stay.The European journal of general practice · 2021Observational
- Does X-ray imaging by GPC at emergency care access points in the Netherlands change patient flow and reduce ED crowding? A cohort study.Health science reports · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveOrganizing out-of-hours emergency care is a challenge in many countries. In the Netherlands, general practitioner cooperatives (GPCs) and emergency departments (EDs) are increasingly working together, creating one emergency care access point (ECAP). This has redirected the majority of patients with musculoskeletal problems from the ED to the GPC in out-of-hours care, due to the treatment of self-referrals by the general practitioner (GP). Only a minority of the GPs at ECAPs have the possibility to request X-rays, and expanding these facilities could reduce patient presentations to the ED even more. The aim of our study was to explore patient flow and possible reductions in ED referrals at an ECAP with X-ray facilities for GPs.
methodsThis retrospective cohort study examines all patients that visited an ECAP at a general city hospital in the Netherlands and had an X-ray imaging requested by the GPC between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014. General practitioner cooperatives could request X-rays between 5 pm and 10 pm on weekdays and between 8 am and 10 pm during weekends. Recorded data included sex, age, number and type of X-ray, X-ray abnormalities, referral to the ED, and treatment. The annual number of patients presenting to the GPC and ED in 2014 were gathered. Patient outcome was stated negative when the X-ray revealed no abnormality.
resultsA total of 2243 patients received 2663 X-ray examinations. The mean age was 31 years and 48% was male. A total of 1517 (68%) patients were treated at the GPC without an ED referral, a reduction of 4.5% of the annual ED patients.
conclusionsWith a majority (68%) of the patients examined and treated at the GPC, X-ray facilities at ECAPs will substantially reduce ED population, change patient flow, and have a positive effect on ED crowding. Implementing 24/7 X-ray facilities at all ECAPs will further enhance these effects.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.