Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2015
Survey of point of care ultrasound usage in emergency medicine by Vietnamese physicians.
Emergency medicine (EM) is rapidly developing as a specialty in Vietnam. Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) is currently taught as part of formal EM curriculums though limited literature exists to describe current POCUS usage in EDs in Vietnam. A survey was developed to understand current POCUS utilisation and guide future training efforts. ⋯ Regular access to ultrasound machines increases the frequency of POCUS usage in EDs in Vietnam. POCUS training was not as clearly associated with POCUS usage as those without formal training were equally likely to use POCUS as those with formal training. No single POCUS application stood out as strongly preferred by physicians in this survey.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2015
Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation protocol improves diagnosis and resuscitation recommendations for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Despite recent efforts, most people are not trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which has a major impact on survival following cardiac arrest (CA). We have set up a dispatcher-assisted CPR protocol at our call centre, based on international guidelines issued in 2010. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of this protocol on CA diagnosis and quantity of recommendations given by telephone dispatchers to untrained witnesses. ⋯ Implementation of a dispatcher-assisted CPR protocol was efficient in improving both CA diagnosis and CPR recommendations given to untrained witnesses for out-of-hospital CA with a very short time of dispatcher training. It is a simple and efficacious measure, at no additional cost and with the promises of improving prognosis following cardiac arrest in a centre not equipped with computerised dispatcher support programmes.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2015
Why do Queenslanders seek care in emergency departments? A population study.
The present study aims to identify the main reasons for which first time and multiple users seek medical care through Queensland EDs. ⋯ Patients who sought care for multiple times at EDs more often than first time users suffered from additional and chronic conditions. Their opinion of an ED as the most suitable place to address their current health problem was stronger than first time users. Any proposed demand management strategies need to address these beliefs together with the reasoning of patients to provide effective and appropriate care outside or within ED services.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2015
Effects of alternating hands during in-hospital one-handed chest compression: A randomised cross-over manikin trial.
We evaluated the decrease in chest compression depth during continuous one-handed chest compression (OHCC) in an in-hospital paediatric arrest setting, and whether switching hands could delay the decrease in chest compression depth. ⋯ Chest compression depth decreased significantly when continuous OHCC was performed without switching hands. Alternating hands every 30 s can delay the decrease in MCD and maintain deeper MCD for longer.