Wait times, frustration with primary care doctors driving the trend, study finds. Parents who take their kids to the emergency room for non-urgent care aren't doing it to abuse the system. Instead, they're doing so because they have concerns and questions about the care and attention they receive at primary care physicians' offices.

Study finds those tending Alzheimer's relatives at risk for hospital visits of their own. The stress of providing care for a loved one with Alzheimer's results in 25 percent of family caregivers having at least one emergency room or hospital visit every six months, says an Indiana University study.

Trauma treatment similar regardless of ethnicity, U.S. study finds. The care of trauma patients in the United States is roughly the same no matter what the patient's race or ethnicity, a new study finds.

Innovative approach could give heart attack victims, other patients more time, developers say.  U.S. government scientists say they have developed a technology that can rapidly send an icy slush directly into the body to cool and to protect specific organs during certain health emergencies.

2004 legislation appears responsible, but study finds reasons why are more complex. Mandatory vision screening for Florida drivers over the age of 80 may be associated with lower death rates from traffic crashes in this age group, a new study says.

There's not enough outreach and prevention, new report finds. Poor police training, a lack of educational materials, and meager data collection are hindering efforts to increase awareness about the dangers of drowsy driving in the United States and aggressively tackle the problem, a new report finds.

Study found some low-risk patients can wait for tests. No one doubts the need to rush to the hospital if someone is having a heart attack or even chest pains, but do doctors and nurses need to keep rushing once the person has been admitted?

More bystander CPR, faster patient-to-doctor time would boost survival rates, survey finds. Ninety percent of U.S. emergency physicians believe that resuscitation practices aren't very effective and support a number of strategies designed to improve resuscitation for people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest, according to a survey released Friday by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

Predictive model shows shots would also save $7 billion in related health-care costs. Vaccinating infants with what's known as the "7 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine" (PCV7) could save more than 357,000 lives

Lack of insurance could play a major role, study suggests. Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to die in U.S. emergency rooms after a trauma than white patients are, researchers report.

CDC report shows typical victims are males from Midwest, South. Parents need to talk their teens about the dangers of car surfing, in which people ride on the outside of a moving vehicle, a new government report shows.

Changing modes of transport have had little effect on unintentional injuries. Horses may have long given way to cars as people movers, but travel was as hazardous 500 years ago as it is today, U.K. researchers suggest.

Simple exercises, staying hydrated best ways to avoid deep vein thrombosis, therapists say. Acting U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Steven K. Galson recently released a "Call to Action" to reduce the number of cases of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in the United States.

Compression ultrasound similar to more expensive whole-leg color ultrasound, study finds. An older, simpler test to look for blood clots in the leg -- called deep vein thrombosis, or DVT -- is as effective as a newer, more expensive test, new research says.

But it's not an excuse to avoid voting for president, researcher says. Driving or walking to the polls on Election Day is a longstanding political tradition in the United States, but new research suggests it might be more dangerous than you think.

Fivefold difference in 10 North American sites.  From city to city, there is a more than fivefold difference in the odds that someone will survive sudden cardiac arrest, with the chances resting on whatever emergency response system is in place, a new study finds.

Reasons for slowed time to treatment remain unclear, experts say.  Poorer Americans, including those on Medicaid, are more likely to take much longer to get to the hospital when a heart attack strikes compared to more affluent people, a new study finds.

Whether it's raking leaves or climbing ladders for repairs, work safe. As you go about your autumn yard and housework, there are a number of steps you can take to prevent injuries, says the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Prior history of mental health problems, sedative use contribute to risk, study says. About 20 percent of intensive care unit survivors experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

tPA can be safely given beyond the current 3-hour limit, international researchers find. European researchers who showed that the clot-dissolving drug tPA could safely be used within three hours after a stroke now say the limit can be extended to four-and-a-half hours.

Users mostly seek preventive care or assistance with easy-to-treat illnesses, study says.  Typical clients of retail health clinics in the United States include patients who don't have regular health care providers and are seeking preventive care or help for easy-to-treat illnesses, says a study by the nonprofit RAND Corporation.

On holiday weekend, experts note vision problems, fatigue as deadly as bad road conditions, drunk driving. This Labor Day weekend, the Vision Council and National Sleep Foundation are warning people of the dangers of driving with poor vision or while drowsy.

Study finds reaction, brake response times were better than they had been before procedure. The ability to brake suddenly while driving is fully returned six weeks following bunion surgery, researchers say.

Text messaging may not seem an obvious safety concern. But the American College of Emergency Physicians warns that being distracted by text messaging at inappropriate times -- such as when crossing streets -- can result in serious injury or death.

Authors of new study say aim is to generate awareness of the problem. Older trauma patients are less likely to be transported to an official trauma center for immediate care than younger patients, a new study found.

Less than quarter of victims get to hospital quickly enough to limit damage, study shows. Most people who have strokes don't act quickly enough to get the clot-dissolving treatment that can limit brain damage, a new study finds.

As America grows older, that's an average of 4 a year per person, CDC report says. Americans made about 1.1 billion visits to physician offices and hospital outpatient and emergency departments in 2006, which works out to an average of four visits per person per year, according to statistics released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It builds a statistical model based on what is, in fact, a very unhurried world, study says. If you are not experienced at dodging flying or speeding objects, your best bet may be to just get out of the way, a new study says.

Going barefoot is one of the simple pleasures of summer, but some who doff their shoes and socks suffer injuries such as cuts and puncture wounds. In some cases, those injuries develop infections that require surgery. If you do go barefoot, check out these safety tips from the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

Using golf carts as an alternative means of transportation is becoming common in some parts of the United States, but it is also leading to an increasing number of injuries, say researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Injury Sciences.

The fun of jumping into a pool turns into trauma for about 6,500 adolescents a year who end up in emergency rooms for diving-related injuries. That's an average of one injury an hour, a 16-year study finds, with children aged 10 and 14 most likely to get hurt.

A significant percentage of small children going to emergency rooms with an "apparent life-threatening event" had ingested over-the-counter cold and cough medicines, researchers report, despite recent U.S. recommendations that these products not be used in children under 2.

Researchers have discovered a soaring increase in the number of fatal medication errors that occur in people's homes. The report incidentally follows the death earlier this year of Heath Ledger, the 28-year-old actor who died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in his apartment in New York City.

Online satellite imagery also provides crash data in public policy effort to boost safety. You can now find the deadliest road in your town or your route to work through an online interactive map program that aims to increase public awareness of the need to drive safely.

New research shows most don't understand what was done or what they now need to do. If you've made a sudden trip to the emergency room and are now heading home, take a moment to think about something besides all that poking and prodding: Are you sure you know what just happened and what comes next?

Only a quarter have emergency plan, less than half have educated staff, study finds. If an influenza pandemic swept through the United States, nursing homes might not be prepared to deal with patient overflow from hospitals, say researchers who looked at more than 400 nursing homes in Michigan and Nebraska to come to this conclusion.

Virtually silent engines remove key cue to safety; group seeks legislative help. Because they can be nearly silent, hybrid cars pose a serious threat of injury and death to blind and visually impaired people, says the American Council of the Blind, which is pushing the auto industry and government officials to develop ways to reduce this danger.

Stitches are used to close deep cuts in the skin. They need to be properly cared for to prevent significant scarring and infection. Here are suggestions on caring for stitches, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Emergency department 'teachable moments' remembered well by parents, youngsters, study finds. Pediatric trauma centers and emergency departments are good places to teach children how to curb risky behavior and reduce the threat of injury, according to researchers at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

Catheter procedure keeps heart tissue alive, benefits other organs, study finds. Compared to CPR alone, adding extracorporeal life support doubles survival in hospital patients with cardiac arrest, says a study by researchers at the National Taiwan University Hospital.

But the case isn't closed, American cardiologists say. Injecting the artery-constricting hormone vasopressin in addition to adrenaline did not improve survival among people who had sudden cardiac arrest in an European trial, but American cardiologists said the finding does not rule out use of that treatment in some cases.

Their bodies don't cool quickly, so caution should rise with temperatures. As the temperatures rise, older adults become more vulnerable to heat-related health issues because their bodies don't cool down as quickly as younger people.

Study finds raising drinking age, cracking down on fake IDs mean fewer fatalities on the road. Tougher laws on underage drinking have reduced the rate of drunk-driving deaths in the United States, a new analysis concludes.