Impact of a triage liaison physician on emergency department overcrowding and throughput: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Triage liaison physicians (TLPs) have been employed in overcrowded emergency departments (EDs); however, their effectiveness remains unclear.

Objectives: To evaluate the implementation of TLP shifts at an academic tertiary care adult ED using comprehensive outcome reporting.

Methods: A six-week TLP clinical research project was conducted between December 9, 2005, and February 9, 2006.

Analysis of prehospital transport of head-injured patients after consolidation of neurosurgery resources.

Objectives: Consolidation of neurosurgical (NS) services resulted in emergency medical services guidelines mandating transport of head-injured patients to the NS center if the Glasgow Coma Scale score is < 14 and prehospital index is > 3. This study determined what paramedic, system, or patient factors were associated with secondary head-injury transfer.

Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review from January 1996 to November 1998.