Six Change Ideas that Significantly Minimize Alternate Level of Care (ALC) Days in Acute Care Hospitals.

A significant issue affecting the healthcare system across Ontario is the number of patients admitted to hospitals that are then subsequently being designated alternate level of care (ALC). In 2016, 14.5% of Ontario in-patient beds were occupied by ALC-designated patients.

Poisonous substances.

Management plans for children with ingestion problems who present to emergency departments often include toxicology screening tests to detect the presence of poisonous substances.

Trauma preparation.

Emergency care practitioners often use a standard approach to advanced trauma life support involving oxygenation, ventilation and circulation. After successful resuscitation however, the challenge of care during the recovery phase is carried out by critical care nurses (CCNs).

Ethics of triage.

As this article makes clear, triage can have adverse consequences for patients receiving emergency care, who can therefore challenge the ethical basis of such practice.

Myocardial infarction.

Heart attacks early in the day are more severe than those that occur later, study results have shown.