Also, we did not evaluate alternate forms of the predictor variables (e.g., squared, cubed or other non-linear forms) in this study, which may give better prediction of ED attendances. Conclusion Forecasting methods are useful in healthcare management. Accurate prediction of patient attendances will facilitate timely planning of staff deployment and allocation Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of resources within a department or a hospital. The hospital where the study was carried out is a regional hospital, with its catchment of patients geographically determined. The approach proposed and lessons learned from this experience may assist

other four regional hospitals and their emergency departments Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical to carry out their own analysis to aid planning and budgeting. Overall, it allows for a basis of macro-planning and allocation of budget by the Ministry of Health, which

up to now is based on an average aggregated incremental percentage annual growth. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Authors’ contributions SY designed the study, did the data analysis and wrote the first draft. BHH, ES and SYT conceived the study and made substantial contributions to the discussion of the results, and contributed to manuscript drafts. All authors have read and approved of the content of the final submitted Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical manuscript. All authors have access to all data in the study and they hold final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication. Pre-publication history The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-227X/9/1/prepub Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the Chairman, Medical Board of Tan Tock Seng hospital of Singapore

for granting the permission and for supporting the study. We also thank Dr. Joseph A. Molina from Health Services & Outcomes Research, for the useful suggestions and comments on the manuscript.
Unstable angina pectoris (UA) or acute myocardial infarction (AMI), i.e. acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is one of the main killers Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical in the western world. In Sweden (population 9.5 million), chest pain with possible ACS is one of the leading causes of emergency care, with an NF-��B inhibitor screening library estimated 180,000 patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) every year [1,2]. The treatment of ACS has improved dramatically over the last decades, but the diagnostic evaluation in the ED of patients of with suspected ACS has been almost unchanged. This evaluation thus remains difficult, especially in the face of an ageing patient population with diverse symptoms and frequent comorbidities. Since clear diagnostic findings to rule ACS in or out are often lacking, patient management in the ED is normally based on the level of suspicion of ACS, i.e. the physician’s assessment of the patient’s likelihood of ACS.