The diversity of emergency code telephone numbers in Australian hospitals: the feasibility of an Australian standard emergency code.

This study explored the diversity of emergency code telephone numbers currently in use in Australian hospitals and examined the feasibility of a standard emergency code telephone number for all Australian hospitals, based on the United Kingdom experience. An email and telephone convenience survey of Australian hospitals from six states and two territories was conducted. Of the 108 hospitals surveyed, seven did not use a telephone number system and used a button/pager system to call an emergency.

Assault-related admissions to hospital in Central Australia.

Objective: To determine the number of assault-related admissions to hospital in the Central Australia region of the Northern Territory over a six-year period.

Design And Setting: Retrospective analysis of all patients admitted to Alice Springs Hospital (ASH) and Tennant Creek Hospital (TCH) from July 1995 to June 2001, where the primary cause of injury was "assault".

Main Outcome Measures: Frequency of assault-related admission to hospital; demographic characteristics of the victims.