Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2013
ReviewA primer for clinical researchers in the emergency department: Part V: How to describe data and basic medical statistics.
In this series we address key topics for clinicians who conduct research as part of their work in the ED. In this section we will address important statistical concepts for clinical researchers and readers of clinical research publications. We use practical clinical examples of how to describe clinical data for presentation and publication, and explain key statistical concepts and tests clinical researchers will likely use for the majority of ED datasets.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2013
ReviewComparison of emergency medical services systems in the pan-Asian resuscitation outcomes study countries: Report from a literature review and survey.
Asia-Pacific countries have unique prehospital emergency care or emergency medical services (EMS) systems, which are different from European or Anglo-American models. We aimed to compare the EMS systems of eight Asia-Pacific countries/regions as part of the Pan Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study (PAROS), to provide a basis for future comparative studies across systems of care. ⋯ We found variation in the EMS systems across the eight Asia-Pacific countries/regions studied. The findings will inform the construction of a multinational Asia-Pacific research network for future comparative studies and could serve as a model for international research networks.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2013
ReviewReview article: Clinical impact of non-cardiologist-performed transthoracic echocardiography in emergency medicine, intensive care medicine and anaesthesia.
There is increased realisation of the emerging role of point-of-care transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) as 'ultrasound-assisted examination', given the low sensitivity of clinical examination for cardiovascular pathologies and the time-critical nature of these pathologies. There is evidence that point-of-care TTE provides higher accuracy in patient assessment and management, with potential prognostic impact by assessing the severity of cardiac dysfunction and response to treatment. ⋯ Recent reports have examined more advanced ultrasound devices and patients in the critical care settings of emergency medicine, intensive care and anaesthesia. The diagnostic capability of new portable devices is improving rapidly and outdating its predecessors, thereby improving confidence in echocardiography findings.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2013
Triggers for head computed tomography following paediatric head injury: Comparison of physicians' reported practice and clinical decision rules.
To compare head computed tomography (CT) triggers for paediatric head injury as reported by senior paediatric emergency physicians in Australia and New Zealand with triggers in published evidence-based clinical decision rules (CDRs). ⋯ High-quality, published CDRs exist for head CT use after paediatric head injury. Physician-reported CT triggers differ from CDR-recommended triggers. The major published head injury CDRs should be prospectively validated in the Australasian setting before incorporating them into local practice and CPGs.
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To compare access and utilisation of EDs in Queensland public hospitals between people who speak only English at home and those who speak another language at home. ⋯ This study showed that there was a significant association between lower utilisation of emergency care and speaking languages other than English at home. Further researches are needed using in-depth methodology to investigate if there are language barriers in accessing emergency care in Queensland.