Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparison of high- and low-fidelity mannequins for clinical performance assessment.
A pilot study exploring the differences between high- and low-fidelity mannequins in the assessment of clinical performance. ⋯ There was no significant objective difference between the two mannequins.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2008
Multicenter StudyInterrater reliability of the Australasian Triage Scale for mental health patients.
To evaluate interrater reliability of the Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) for mental health patients in ED. ⋯ There is a need to develop and implement a validated, standardized national triage tool for mental health patients. The ATS per se is insufficient to ensure acceptable interrater reliability, particularly during busy periods in the ED, and between states. Given the influence the ATS has on key outcomes, it is imperative for this tool to be robust.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2008
Comparative StudyExternal injury documentation in major trauma victims is inadequate: grounds for routine photography in the emergency department?
There is no widely accepted measure of clinical documentation quality in the ED. The present study creates a measure for comparing the quality of clinical documentation of external injuries with autopsy reports. This is used to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of introducing routine photography to improve clinical documentation of injuries. ⋯ Clinical documentation of external injuries in major trauma is poor. This is presumably because of many factors, including time pressures and high-stress environments. A possible strategy to improve this documentation is routine photography, which should offer both clinical and legal benefits.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2008
Comparative StudyComparative review of the clinical use of intranasal fentanyl versus morphine in a paediatric emergency department.
Comparison of intranasal fentanyl (INF) and parenteral morphine in children in an ED. Primary objective was to compare time to analgesia from presentation, with secondary objectives to assess patient profiles, specifics of opiate analgesics used plus rate of i.v. access for analgesia alone. ⋯ Use of INF in our paediatric ED setting was associated with a significantly reduced time to analgesia for patients requiring immediate analgesia compared with parenteral morphine. Since the introduction of an INF protocol to our department in mid-2005, INF use has increased, with a corresponding decrease in the use of morphine and a reduction in i.v. access for analgesia.