PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - T D Wardle
TI  - Whither the acute medical patient?
AID  - 10.1136/emj.14.3.167
DP  - 1997 May 01
TA  - Journal of Accident & Emergency Medicine
PG  - 167--169
VI  - 14
IP  - 3
4099  - http://emj.bmj.com/content/14/3/167.short
4100  - http://emj.bmj.com/content/14/3/167.full
SO  - Arch Emerg Med1997 May 01; 14
AB  - The continual change in NHS structure demands reappraisal of both the services provided and the allocation of resources to ensure appropriate standards of care. Unfortunately this equation never seems to balance. Although the overall goal is to have an excellent standard of care, the necessary resources nearly always are lacking. As a consequence "we" often have to critically analyse and change clinical practice to achieve this goal. Nowhere in medicine is this point more pertinent than in the management of acute medical emergencies. This article examines not only how the changing face of medicine influences this situation but also possible solutions to the question who will manage these patients in the future.