Monitoring Emergency Health Care in Norway
Author Information
Author(s): Hansen Elisabeth Holm, Hunskaar Steinar
Primary Institution: National Centre for Emergency Primary Health Care
Hypothesis
Can a sentinel network effectively monitor emergency primary health care activity in Norway?
Conclusion
A sentinel network was established that effectively reflects national activities from casualty clinics in Norway.
Supporting Evidence
- The network recorded 23,346 contacts during a three-month pilot period.
- The sample represents 4.6% of the total Norwegian population.
- Data collection procedures were found to be satisfactory with little missing data.
Takeaway
The study created a system to track how many people use emergency health services in Norway, helping to improve care.
Methodology
A representative sample of municipalities was selected to establish a sentinel network for continuous data collection from out-of-hours services.
Potential Biases
Differences in priority assessment may vary between nurses and clinics.
Limitations
The study lacks comprehensive clinical data and may have under-reporting issues.
Participant Demographics
The sample included 18 municipalities with a total population of 212,921, representing various sizes and demographics.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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