title: Quality of care using a multidisciplinary team in the emergency room.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bispebjerg Hospital has implemented a multidisciplinary team reception of critically ill and severely injured patients at the Emergency Department (ED), termed emergency call (EC) and trauma call (TC). The aim of this study was to describe the course, medical treatment and outcome for patients received by this multidisciplinary team and to evaluate the quality of acute medical treatment of these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective evaluation was made of all ECs and TCs registered during a six-month period. Information on sex, age, interventions at the ED, time spent at the ED and outcome measures (admission, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission and death) were obtained. The quality of the acute medical treatment during the ED stay and the first 48 hours of admission were evaluated by senior consultants from the departments receiving the patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 150 ECs and 47 TCs were included. The median time spent at the ED was 65 minutes for ECs and 95 minutes for TCs. In EC patients a median of eight interventions were performed at the ED, while a median of five interventions were performed in TC patients. A total of 137 EC patients were admitted to hospital including 32 patients admitted to the ICU. In all, 49 EC patients died during admission. Forty percent of TC patients were discharged to their homes. Only one trauma patient died and none were admitted to the ICU. The acute medical treatment was found to be satisfactory in 87% of EC patients and 96% of TC patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A multidisciplinary team reception ensures early initiation of diagnostic procedures and treatment, short ED stays and admission to relevant departments in critically ill and severely injured patients.
authors.affiliation: Department ofAnaesthesiology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Virum, Denmark. dortheafc@gmail.com
authors.forename: Dorthea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: Rikke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maaløe
authors.forename: Nanna Martin
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Søren Steemann
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Rudolph
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Perrild
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016638:Critical Illness; D003718:Denmark; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000592:standards*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult