Emergency Room Visits Surge

Article

ATLANTA, Ga-Americans are rushing to their local emergency rooms more often, with ER visits jumping 14% in the last decade.

Hospitals had 35,000 more patients a day in the 1990s than the 1980s. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the country's aging population and growth explained the jump.

The most common reasons for a visit to the ER were stomach pain, chest pain, and fever. Adverse reaction sto drugs and complications from medical care added an additional 1.4 million visits in 1999, up 80% from 1992.

On average, patients waited 49 minutes to see a doctor in 1999, but individual results varied greatly depending on the hospital and situation.

Pain relief medication surpassed the previous cure all for children-antibiotics. Pain-relief became the most common drug given to children in the emergency room.

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Recent Videos
A veterinarian in a protective suit takes tests on animals on a farm.   (Adobe Stock 829620654 by Яна Ерік Татевосян)
David Angulo, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fungal Disease Expert
Neatly Stacked Hospital Linen, Clean Fabric in Turquoise, White, and Blue Hues. Created by AI.  (Adobe Stock 1103251410 by HQAsset)
Valerie Cadet, PhD, a virologist, immunologist, and vaccinologist at PCOM Georgia
Vector-borne Diseases  (Adobe Stock)
Cameron Memorial Community Hospital series with ICT (Image Credit: CMCH)
Infection Control Today's Infection Intel: Staying Ahead With Company Updates and Product Innovations.
Meet Jenny Hayes, MSN, RN, CIC, CAIP, CASSPT.
mpox   (Adobe Stock 924156809 by Andreas Prott)
Meet Alexander Sundermann, DrPH, CIC, FAPIC.
Related Content