Geelong Hospital Research Articles

Emergency department utilisation by the elderly

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the present utilisation of emergency services by the elderly in Geelong and to estimate the impact on these services of the projected increase in the elderly population.SettingThe Geelong Hospital is a 450 bed community teaching hospital incorporating paediatric and obstetric units. It serves a population of approximately 250,000 residents covering urban and rural areas.MethodsAnalysis of computerised emergency department attendance records was undertaken covering a two year period from 1 August 1992 until 31 July 1994. Comparison with Australian Bureau of Statistics data for the region was made. For the purpose of this study “elderly” refers to 65 years and over. This group was compared with the younger population of patients including children.ResultsOf all emergency department visits 16.8% are accounted for by the 65 and over age group (Confidence interval 16.4–17.2% p<0.01). This group makes up 13% of the catchment area population. Of elderly patients attending the emergency department 59% are admitted as opposed to 19.7% of the younger group (odds ratio 3.79 Confidence interval 3.64–3.96 p<0.05). Of elderly patients admitted, 5.3% were admitted to the coronary care unit and 1.2% to the intensive care unit. This compares with 1.1% (odds ratio 5.03 Confidence interval 4.49–5.64 p<0.05) and 0.6% respectively (odds ratio 2.01 Confidence interval 1.64–2.45 p<0.05) for the younger group. The elderly patient is five times more likely to arrive by ambulance than the younger patient.ConclusionsThe elderly population are more likely to use ambulance services, more likely to attend the emergency department, more likely to require admission and more likely to require admission to a critical care area than the younger population. As the number of people over 65 increases, the consequent increase in workload will need to be addressed.

PARAMEDIC HELICOPTER RETRIEVAL OF TRAUMA PATIENTS: REPLY

Australian and New Zealand Journal of SurgeryVolume 64, Issue 9 p. 641-642 PARAMEDIC HELICOPTER RETRIEVAL OF TRAUMA PATIENTS: REPLY P. Cameron, Corresponding Author P. Cameron The Geelong Hospital, Geelong, Victoria, Australia2 Director of Emergency Medicine, The Geelong Hospital, PO Box 281, Geelong, Vic. 3220, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this author P. Cameron, Corresponding Author P. Cameron The Geelong Hospital, Geelong, Victoria, Australia2 Director of Emergency Medicine, The Geelong Hospital, PO Box 281, Geelong, Vic. 3220, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this author First published: September 1994 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1445-2197.1994.tb02312.xCitations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume64, Issue9September 1994Pages 641-642 RelatedInformation

Social Construction: A paradigm shift for systemic therapy and training

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family TherapyVolume 15, Issue 1 p. 17-26 Social Construction: A paradigm shift for systemic therapy and training Peter Cantwell, Peter Cantwell Peter Cantwell and Sophie Holmes are coordinators of the two year training program at Williams Road Family Therapy Centre, 3 Williams Road, Windsor, Vic. 3181, Australia. Sophie Holmes is director of the Family Therapy Training Program located at the Geelong Hospital, Vic. 3220, Australia. Peter Cantwell is a co-founding faculty member of the Gestalt Institute of Melbourne and coordinator of live supervision for the third year Training Program, Gestalt Institute of Melbourne, 19A Williams St., Richmond, Vic. 3121, Australia. They are also in private practice: Peter Cantwell. La Verna, 39 Sackville St., Kew, Vic. 3101, Australia. Sophie Holmes. Williams Road Family Therapy Centre, 3 Williams Rd., Windsor, Vic. 3181, Australia.Search for more papers by this authorSophie Holmes, Sophie Holmes Peter Cantwell and Sophie Holmes are coordinators of the two year training program at Williams Road Family Therapy Centre, 3 Williams Road, Windsor, Vic. 3181, Australia. Sophie Holmes is director of the Family Therapy Training Program located at the Geelong Hospital, Vic. 3220, Australia. Peter Cantwell is a co-founding faculty member of the Gestalt Institute of Melbourne and coordinator of live supervision for the third year Training Program, Gestalt Institute of Melbourne, 19A Williams St., Richmond, Vic. 3121, Australia. They are also in private practice: Peter Cantwell. La Verna, 39 Sackville St., Kew, Vic. 3101, Australia. Sophie Holmes. Williams Road Family Therapy Centre, 3 Williams Rd., Windsor, Vic. 3181, Australia.Search for more papers by this author Peter Cantwell, Peter Cantwell Peter Cantwell and Sophie Holmes are coordinators of the two year training program at Williams Road Family Therapy Centre, 3 Williams Road, Windsor, Vic. 3181, Australia. Sophie Holmes is director of the Family Therapy Training Program located at the Geelong Hospital, Vic. 3220, Australia. Peter Cantwell is a co-founding faculty member of the Gestalt Institute of Melbourne and coordinator of live supervision for the third year Training Program, Gestalt Institute of Melbourne, 19A Williams St., Richmond, Vic. 3121, Australia. They are also in private practice: Peter Cantwell. La Verna, 39 Sackville St., Kew, Vic. 3101, Australia. Sophie Holmes. Williams Road Family Therapy Centre, 3 Williams Rd., Windsor, Vic. 3181, Australia.Search for more papers by this authorSophie Holmes, Sophie Holmes Peter Cantwell and Sophie Holmes are coordinators of the two year training program at Williams Road Family Therapy Centre, 3 Williams Road, Windsor, Vic. 3181, Australia. Sophie Holmes is director of the Family Therapy Training Program located at the Geelong Hospital, Vic. 3220, Australia. Peter Cantwell is a co-founding faculty member of the Gestalt Institute of Melbourne and coordinator of live supervision for the third year Training Program, Gestalt Institute of Melbourne, 19A Williams St., Richmond, Vic. 3121, Australia. They are also in private practice: Peter Cantwell. La Verna, 39 Sackville St., Kew, Vic. 3101, Australia. Sophie Holmes. Williams Road Family Therapy Centre, 3 Williams Rd., Windsor, Vic. 3181, Australia.Search for more papers by this author First published: March 1994 https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1467-8438.1994.tb00978.xCitations: 27 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume15, Issue1March 1994Pages 17-26 RelatedInformation

Anaesthetic opportunities in Australia staff anaesthetists / The Geelong Hospital

Anaesthetic opportunities in Australia staff anaesthetists / The Geelong Hospital

The outcome of patients after “collapse”

ABSTRACTObjective: There have been few studies examining patients with a triage diagnosis of collapse and none which has determined the outcome of these patients as a group. This study was undertaken to determine the frequency of the triage diagnosis of collapse, the differential diagnosis in these patients, and if any errors in diagnosis occurred.Design: Case notes over a six month period from the 1 October 1991 to the 31 March 1992 were retrospectively studied. Outcome was assessed at six months.Setting: The Emergency Department of the Geelong Hospital, a 450 bed teaching hospital serving a population of 250,000 in a large provincial centre in Victoria.Results: There were 17,588 attendances to the ED during the study period. One hundred and seventy four patients (1%) had a triage diagnosis of collapse, of whom 173 were included in the study. One hundred and seventy patients were followed up at six months. Faint was the commonest diagnosis (28%), and was usually benign. In particular, faint was the commonest diagnosis in patients over 75 years of age. For patients in whom the diagnosis of faint was made, it was correct in 98% of cases. There was a high overall mortality (9%), and a very high mortality in patients over 75 (24%). No patient less than 60 years of age died. Early deaths were generally due to major cerebrovascular accidents. Later deaths were mostly due to either untreated cardiac disease in very elderly or demented patients or metastatic cancer. The high death rate did not reflect misdiagnosis. It reflected the high morbidity and mortality of conditions which present with collapse, particularly in patients over 75 years of age. Misdiagnosis in these patients was uncommon (3%) and was generally related to three diagnostic areas, epilepsy, arrhythmias and gastrointestinal haemorrhage.Conclusion: Patients presenting with a triage diagnosis of collapse form a significant part of the emergency department workload. Faint is the commonest diagnosis and is usually benign. However, many conditions which present with collapse are associated with a high morbidity and mortality, particularly in patients over 75 years of age. Therefore care must be taken to exclude these more serious conditions, particularly epilepsy, arrhythmia and gastrointestinal haemorrhage, before a diagnosis of simple faint is made.

Care or self‐care? Self‐administration of medication in hospital

Summary One of the stated objectives of the Professorial Nursing Unit at The Geelong Hospital was to promote self‐care in all patients who were capable. This included self‐administration of medication. Two years later the implementation of the programme, although approved by the administration of the hospital and actively promoted by the nursing staff, had not occurred. The barriers to achieving the implementation of self‐medication have largely concerned the need for control by various groups within the hospital community. This case‐study traces the story to date.

Failed Suction Termination of Pregnancy: Case Reports and Review

This paper presents two case reports of failed suction termination of first trimester pregnancies which occurred at Geelong Hospital over a short period of time and thus drew our attention to this very difficult problem. The international experience with such failed terminations is then reviewed, with discussion of the recognized associations, prevention and management of such cases.

Hexachlorophene preparations and the newborn infant.

ABSTRACT.The various incidences of staphylococcal skin disease recorded in 43876 newborn infants nursed in the maternity wing of the Geelong Hospital between January 1959 and June 1979 are given. Of these infants, 39270 underwent routine skin cleansing or care with one or other of three differing hexachlorophene preparations. The benefits and possible risks, if any, of the topical use of such hexachlorophene preparations as prophylactic aids against staphylococcal cross infection in maternity hospitals are discussed, and compared with the various blood hexachlorophene concentrations which occurred in 1100 infants during their routine skin cleansing or care.

Developmental assessment of children who had one or more convulsive episodes.

Journal of Paediatrics and Child HealthVolume 13, Issue 3 p. 182-186 Developmental Assessment of Children who had one or more Convulsive Episodes E. J. R. ROSSITER, Corresponding Author E. J. R. ROSSITER Paediatrician, Geelong Hospital. Research Fellow, Royal Children's Hospital Research Foundation.Dr. E. J. R. Rossiter, 60 Sydney Parade, Geelong, Victoria, 3220.Search for more papers by this authorR. HALLOWES, R. HALLOWES Research Assistant.Search for more papers by this authorR. D. PEARSON, R. D. PEARSON Lecturer in Mathematics, Gordon Institute of Technology, Geelong.Search for more papers by this author E. J. R. ROSSITER, Corresponding Author E. J. R. ROSSITER Paediatrician, Geelong Hospital. Research Fellow, Royal Children's Hospital Research Foundation.Dr. E. J. R. Rossiter, 60 Sydney Parade, Geelong, Victoria, 3220.Search for more papers by this authorR. HALLOWES, R. HALLOWES Research Assistant.Search for more papers by this authorR. D. PEARSON, R. D. PEARSON Lecturer in Mathematics, Gordon Institute of Technology, Geelong.Search for more papers by this author First published: September 1977 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.1977.tb01148.xCitations: 4 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume13, Issue3September 1977Pages 182-186 RelatedInformation

Fatal haemolytic streptococcal septicaemia following mass inoculation with influenza vaccine.

Medical Journal of AustraliaVolume 1, Issue 9 p. 405-411 Original Articles FATAL HÆMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCAL SEPTICAEMIA FOLLOWING MASS INOCULATION WITH INFLUENZA VACCINE V. D. Plueckhahn E.D., M.D., B.S., M.R.A.C.P., M.C.P.A., M.C.PATH., F.A.A.C.B.,, V. D. Plueckhahn E.D., M.D., B.S., M.R.A.C.P., M.C.P.A., M.C.PATH., F.A.A.C.B., Department of Pathology, The Geelong Hospital Director of PathologySearch for more papers by this authorJoan Banks M.SC., Joan Banks M.SC. Department of Pathology, The Geelong Hospital MicrobiologistSearch for more papers by this author V. D. Plueckhahn E.D., M.D., B.S., M.R.A.C.P., M.C.P.A., M.C.PATH., F.A.A.C.B.,, V. D. Plueckhahn E.D., M.D., B.S., M.R.A.C.P., M.C.P.A., M.C.PATH., F.A.A.C.B., Department of Pathology, The Geelong Hospital Director of PathologySearch for more papers by this authorJoan Banks M.SC., Joan Banks M.SC. Department of Pathology, The Geelong Hospital MicrobiologistSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 February 1970 https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1970.tb77962.xCitations: 9 Address for reprints: Dr. V. D. Plueckhahn, Department of Pathology, P.O. Box 281, Geelong, Vic. 3220 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume1, Issue9February 1970Pages 405-411 RelatedInformation

BREAST ABSCESS AND STAPHYLOCOCCAL DISEASE IN A MATERNITY HOSPITAL

Geelong is a rural industrial city of approximately 100,000 inhabitants. The city and surrounding district are well defined and depend on the Geelong and District Hospital for all maternity beds and more than 90% of general-hospital beds. This centralization of medical services greatly facilitated an almost complete follow-up investigation of mothers and babies for a period of six months after delivery. In addition, all medical practitioners in the area co-operated fully in this survey by making their private records available and completing ques

BREAST ABSCESS AND STAPHYLOCOCCAL DISEASE IN A MATERNITY HOSPITAL.

Geelong is a rural industrial city of approximately 100,000 inhabitants. The city and surrounding district are well defined and depend on the Geelong and District Hospital for all maternity beds and more than 90% of general-hospital beds. This centralization of medical services greatly facilitated an almost complete follow-up investigation of mothers and babies for a period of six months after delivery. In addition, all medical practitioners in the area co-operated fully in this survey by making their private records available and completing ques

ANTISEPSIS AND STAPHYLOCOCCAL DISEASE IN THE NEW‐BORN CHILD

Medical Journal of AustraliaVolume 2, Issue 13 p. 519-523 Original Article ANTISEPSIS AND STAPHYLOCOCCAL DISEASE IN THE NEW-BORN CHILD V. D. Plueckhahn M.D., M.R.A.C.P., M.C.P.A., V. D. Plueckhahn M.D., M.R.A.C.P., M.C.P.A. Department of Pathology, Geelong and District Hospital, Geelong, VictoriaSearch for more papers by this authorJoan Banks B.Sc., Joan Banks B.Sc. Department of Pathology, Geelong and District Hospital, Geelong, VictoriaSearch for more papers by this author V. D. Plueckhahn M.D., M.R.A.C.P., M.C.P.A., V. D. Plueckhahn M.D., M.R.A.C.P., M.C.P.A. Department of Pathology, Geelong and District Hospital, Geelong, VictoriaSearch for more papers by this authorJoan Banks B.Sc., Joan Banks B.Sc. Department of Pathology, Geelong and District Hospital, Geelong, VictoriaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 September 1963 https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1963.tb25155.xCitations: 15AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume2, Issue13September 1963Pages 519-523 RelatedInformation