Early social intervention in the emergency department.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the usefulness of an early medical social intervention conducted by a specially oriented medical social workers stationed in the Emergency Department.


METHODS
Prospective study during a 2-month reference period, in a 900-bed inner-city teaching hospital that has approximatively 30,000 emergency department visits annually, providing health care facilities for a metropolitan area with a population of 230,000.


RESULTS
Among 6,000 patients presenting to the emergency department during the study, 72 were found to require social intervention (1.2% of all emergency department visits, 6.85% of admissions to the hospital). Social intervention consisted of telephone calls (89%), correspondence by letters (26.5%), counsel and advice (23.5%), out-hospital intervention (14%) and resulted in: house-keeping help (34.5%) or transferal to nursing homes or nursing hospitals (28%) of elderly patients; aid to homeless and socially disadvantaged people, such as transferal to homing city shelters, clothing supply, etc., allowing extra hospital maintenance (23.5%); regularization of health insurance affiliation (10%); aid in various other social situations (22%).


CONCLUSIONS
An early medical social intervention in the emergency department resulted in alternatives to hospital admission for a high proportion of patients (82%).
Monsuez
J J
JJ
Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit, Hopital Saint-Louis, Paris, France.
Fergelot
H
H
Papon
B J
BJ
Le Gall
J R
JR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010297:Paris; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012947:Social Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors; D000078329:Workforce