Paediatric short stay unit in a community hospital: effective, efficient and popular.

Objectives: Short stay medicine is a cost-effective and efficient way to manage patients with suitable conditions. Paediatric acute illness and injury are amenable to short stay medicine. Before January 2004, when Maroondah Hospital recommenced inpatient care for children, 700 children were transferred annually to other hospitals.

Experience in adverse events detection in an emergency department: incidence and outcome of events.

Objectives: The study was performed to determine the incidence, outcome and preventability of adverse events (AE) in an ED.

Methods: The Quality in Australian Health Care Study methodology, modified to the ED, was utilized. Case histories of patients presenting to a tertiary hospital ED were screened for events.

Experience in adverse events detection in an emergency department: nature of events.

Objective: The study was performed to determine the nature of adverse events in an ED.

Methods: The methodology has been described in the accompanying paper. Two by two tables were analysed using the two-tailed Fisher's exact test.