Primary care physicians, emergency

Many people who have experienced anaphylaxis in the community and are therefore at risk for recurrence have never received a prescription for an epinephrine autoinjector from an emergency department physician [38, 39] or from their primary care physician. Some of those who have received a prescription for an epinephrine autoinjector do not follow through and get it filled [40]. Even if they do get the epinephrine autoinjector dispensed, they may fail to carry it with them at all times [41]. Adherence to instructions to carry epinephrine can be improved with regular input from a healthcare professional [42] however, healthcare professionals need to master the complexities of epinephrine autoinjector use [43] before instructing others. People who have survived a mild anaphylaxis episode that was not treated at all, or was treated only with an antihistamine or an asthma puffer, sometimes fail to inject epinephrine because they erroneously assume that their subsequent reactions will also be mild [44]. 

The symptoms of a panic attack are so frightening that an unusually large number of those with panic disorder (in comparison to other psychiatric illnesses) seek treatment on their own accord. However, easily half of those who seek treatment do so in general medical settings such as hospital emergency rooms and the offices of primary care physicians. Easily mistaken for severe and even life-threatening medical conditions such as asthma attacks and heart attacks, panic disorder results in disproportionately higher health care utilization than other anxiety disorders. 

Emergency Preparedness and Response for the Primary Care Physician... 

Equipment is checked daily by a caregiver and monthly as well as annually by the supplier. In the event of equipment failure, several parties (supplier, primary care physician, home nurse station, or emergency hospital) are involved. The backup support systems are not well organized and local expertise is often scarce and poorly defined. 

There are over 7 million traumatic lacerations in addition to tens of millions of surgical incisions annually in the USA. All require closure by surgeons, emergency physicians, and primary care practitioners. These wounds and incisions have... 

In an era of escalating health care costs, "inputs" to the production of health care, such as pharmaceuticals, physician visits, laboratory/diagnostic services, and hospital care, are often viewed in isolation from each other as if one sector of the health care economy can be optimized independent of the others. When cost containment is the primary economic objective, a shortterm, risk-averse decision rubric emerges. 

OSHA recently stated in another letter of interpretation that the primary requirement addressed by these first aid standards is that an employer must ensure prompt first aid treatment for injured employees, either by providing for the availability of a trained first aid provider at the jobsite, or by ensuring that emergency treatment sen/ices are within reasonable proximity of the worksite. The employer must ensure that .. . adequate first aid is available in the critical minutes between the occurrence of an injury and the availability of physician or hospital care for the injured employee. ... 

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