Abstract des Autors

During one year emergency physicians registered acute knee-injuries on the basis of a protocol with directives. They collected information from 403 patients. Patients (n=187) referred to the out-patients clinic were diagnosed again by a specialist. A quarter of the acute knee-injuries seen in the emergency ward are serious injuries (cruciate ligament, meniscus, fracture). Emergency physicians referred 47% of all patients to the out-patients clinic and examined 57% with X-rays. It is concluded that 62% of the knee-injuries (78% light, 23% serious) are unnecessarily treated by a specialist. In 13% of the serious cases false-positive diagnoses of EH-doctors do not lead to a referral to the out-patients clinic. Referring back to the general practitioner would have been appropriate for almost half (49%) of the out-patients cases. Verf.-Referat