Observational studyEmergency medicine journal : EMJ2020
Community emergency medicine: taking the ED to the patient: a 12-month observational analysis of activity and impact of a physician response unit.
Observational study in Emergency medicine journal : EMJ, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Scoping review on alternative care options for patients calling the ambulance.BMC emergency medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Utilisation of a GP-staffed emergency response unit: an observational study from Norway.BJGP open · 2026Article
- Implementation of Telemedicine for Patients Referred to Emergency Medical Services.Epidemiologia (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Hybrid emergency care at the home for patients - A multiple case study.BMC emergency medicine · 2024Article
- We outside: Modeling equity-centered, antiracist, community-driven partnerships in resident education.AEM education and training · 2024Article
- How can quality be measured within a physician-led Community Emergency Medical service? A scoping review protocol.Systematic reviews · 2024Article
- [Pre-emptive emergency service-Preventive missions and promotion of health literacy at the intersections with emergency medical services].Die Anaesthesiologie · 2023Review
- The Alternative Pre-hospital Pathway team: reducing conveyances to the emergency department through patient centered Community Emergency Medicine.BMC emergency medicine · 2021Observational
- Designing and Governing Responsive Local Care Systems - Insights from a Scoping Review of Paramedics in Integrated Models of Care.International journal of integrated careArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesInternational and national health policies advocate greater integration of emergency and community care. The Physician Response Unit (PRU) responds to 999 calls 'taking the Emergency Department to the patient'. Operational since 2001, the service was reconfigured in September 2017. This article presents service activity data and implications for the local health economy from the first year since remodelling.
methodsA retrospective descriptive analysis of a prospectively maintained database was undertaken. Data collected included dispatch information, diagnostics and treatments undertaken, diagnosis and disposition. Treating clinical teams recorded judgments whether patients managed in the community would have been (1) conveyed to an emergency department (ED)and (2) admitted to hospital, in the absence of the PRU. Hospital Episode Statistics data and NHS referencing costs were used to estimate the monetary value of PRU activity.
results1924 patients were attended, averaging 5.3 per day. 1289 (67.0%) patients were managed in the community. Based on the opinion of the treating team, 945 (73.3%) would otherwise have been conveyed to hospital, and 126 (9.7%) would subsequently have been admitted. The service was estimated to deliver a reduction of 868 inpatient bed days and generate a net economic benefit of £530 107.
conclusionsThe PRU model provides community emergency medical care and early patient contact with a senior clinical decision-maker. It engages with community providers in order to manage 67.0% of patients in the community. We believe the PRU offers an effective model of community emergency medicine and helps to integrate local emergency and community providers.
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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.