Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2013
Characteristics of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander presentations to three Victorian emergency departments.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people have significant health disparity compared with other Australians. The present study examines the characteristics of ATSI patients presenting to three EDs of a single healthcare network to determine whether any healthcare disadvantages exist. ⋯ ATSI people living in Melbourne's south-east have social and health utilisation inequities, which might have an impact on their health status.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2013
Evaluation and outcomes of patients admitted to a tertiary medical assessment unit with acute chest pain of possible coronary origin.
The study aims to (i) profile clinical characteristics, risk estimates of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), use and yield of non-invasive cardiac testing, discharge diagnosis and 30-day outcomes among patients admitted with acute chest pain of possible coronary origin; and (ii) construct a risk stratification algorithm that informs management decisions. ⋯ In patients with indeterminate chest pain, clinical features and risk scores identify most with myocardial ischaemia. An algorithm is presented that might inform triaging, early discharge, choice of testing and need for telemetry.
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Training and the practice of emergency medicine are stressful endeavours, placing emergency medicine physicians at risk of burnout. Burnout syndrome is associated with negative outcomes for patients, institutions and the physician. The aim of this review is to summarise the available literature on burnout among emergency medicine physicians and provide recommendations for future work in this field. ⋯ Both work-related (hours of work, years of practice, professional development activities, non-clinical duties etc.) and non-work-related factors (age, sex, lifestyle factors etc.) are associated with burnout. Despite the heavy burnout rates among emergency medicine physicians, little work has been performed in this field. Factors responsible for burnout among various emergency medicine populations should be determined, and appropriate interventions designed to reduce burnout.