Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2008
Comparative StudyPain score documentation and analgesia: a comparison of children and adults with appendicitis.
There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that administration of analgesia in paediatric ED is inadequate. The present study was designed to assess pain score documentation and provision of opioid analgesia to children and adults with confirmed appendicitis in a mixed Australian ED. ⋯ Documentation of pain scores and provision of i.v. morphine is generally poor. Children are less likely than adults to have a pain score documented, or receive i.v. morphine when presenting with appendicitis.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2008
Improving documentation of endotracheal intubation in an adult emergency department.
To evaluate the effect of an educational intervention and documentary pro forma on the adequacy of documentation of intubation in an adult ED. ⋯ Documentation improved slightly following the intervention, but was still unsatisfactory. We believe that to achieve an adequate level of documentation in the medical record for an episode of intubation, there needs to be a formal and structured mechanism, either via mandatory use of a specifically designed form and/or by participation in an organized data registry.
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To profile a helicopter emergency medical service in rural Australia. To assess patient injury severities and outcomes. To compare missions involving ambulance officers with physicians. To determine any time advantage of the aircraft over ground transfer. ⋯ We could not identify a significant survival benefit attributable to the addition of a doctor, although numbers for this comparison were small. Predicting missions where flight physicians might provide benefit remain imprecise and should be a priority area for prospective evaluation. We have demonstrated that in the absence of special circumstances, a helicopter response within 100 km from base does not improve time to definitive care.
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To describe epidemiology, symptomatology, resource use and complications in patients attending the ED following gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) ingestion. ⋯ This is the largest GHB-related case series to date. Attendance rate doubled during the study, and peaked at times of lowest staffing. Poly-substance ingestion is common. Attendances are of high acuity with decreased conscious state and airway threat. With close conservative management, most recover quickly without adverse sequelae.