Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
-
Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2013
Observational StudyCommon laboratory tests predict imminent medical emergency team calls, intensive care unit admission or death in emergency department patients.
To estimate the ability of commonly measured laboratory variables to predict imminent (within the same or next calendar day) medical emergency team (MET) calls, ICU admission or death. ⋯ Commonly performed laboratory tests can help predict imminent MET calls, ICU admission or death in ED patients. Prospective investigations of the clinical utility of such predictions appear desirable.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2013
Feasibility and outcomes of screening for cardiovascular risk factors in the emergency department.
The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed and undertreated hypercholesterolaemia and hypertension (HT) among ED patients and to evaluate the effects of a formal referral back to the general practitioner (GP) for further management. ⋯ Substantial proportions of ED patients have undiagnosed and undertreated hypercholesterolaemia and/or HT. GP referral initiated interventions for many patients with hypercholesterolaemia, but fewer with HT. The ED has potential as a useful venue for the opportunistic screening of hypercholesterolaemia.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2013
'Registrar in charge shifts': learning how to run a busy emergency department.
In Australasia, emergency registrars usually gain experience 'running' an ED overnight - without supervision. This paper describes the introduction of FACEM-supervised daytime 'registrar in charge' (RIC) shifts into a tertiary adult ED over a 6 month period. ⋯ RIC shifts are a feasible and acceptable method to teach running the floor in the ED. Further study should assess impact on patient outcomes.