Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2007
Comparative StudyEmergency department staff can effectively resuscitate in level C personal protective equipment.
ED staff are expected to perform resuscitation of trauma victims of chemical, biological and radiation incidents while wearing level C personal protective equipment (PPE). The present project assessed the subjective discomfort, physiological impact and performance of staff wearing PPE. ⋯ ED staff are able to perform resuscitation procedures in PPE without adverse physiological effects or impact on performance. Subjective concerns regarding task performance were not reflected in objective measurements. This might indicate that appropriate training and feedback could reduce the negative impression associated with activities undertaken while wearing PPE.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2007
Could bystander first-aid prevent trauma deaths at the scene of injury?
To identify potentially preventable prehospital deaths following traumatic cardiac arrest. ⋯ Five (4.5%) potentially preventable prehospital trauma deaths were identified. Three deaths potentially involved airway obstruction and two involved excessive bleeding. There is a case for increased awareness of the need for bystander first-aid at scene following major trauma.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2007
Rural hospital generalist and emergency medicine training in Papua New Guinea.
The present paper describes the role of the hospital generalist in rural Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the contribution of emergency medicine training to that practice. Generalist practice in Tinsley District Hospital in Western Highlands Province is described, with emphasis on emergency surgery and anaesthesia. The potential of the PNG emergency medicine training programme for preparing generalists is discussed. ⋯ The generalist in rural hospitals is required to perform a wide variety of medical tasks in isolated settings yet there is no active postgraduate training programme. The Master of Medicine, Emergency Medicine programme includes rotations through the major disciplines of surgery, anaesthesia, internal medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology. It has the potential to train doctors in PNG for a generalist role as graduates will learn the foundations of the required skills.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2007
Out of hours non-contrast head CT scan interpretation by senior emergency department medical staff.
To assess the accuracy of 'out of hours' (17.00-08.00 hours) non-contrast head computed tomography (NCHCT) scan interpretation by senior ED medical staff. ⋯ 'Out of hours' NCHCT scan interpretation by senior ED medical staff is only correct two-thirds of the time. Further education for all senior ED staff is indicated to improve our accuracy. The safety of NCHCT scan interpretation by senior ED medical staff needs further study.