Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2016
A retrospective audit of referral letter quality from general practice to an inner-city emergency department.
Our primary aim was to analyse the quality of letters from general practitioners (GPs) to the ED as defined by two checklists: the authors' own nine-item list and a template published in 2013 by the New South Wales Agency for Clinical Innovation. The secondary aim was to determine if referral quality was influenced by letter format (handwritten or computer-generated) or urgency of the patient's condition (defined by triage category). ⋯ Referral quality was influenced by letter format but not by urgency of the patient's condition. Omission of information from referral letters potentially risks patient safety. Handwritten referrals should be abandoned. Comprehensive electronic letter templates and regular updating of medications, comorbidities and allergies are encouraged.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2016
Pre-clinical medical students' perceptions of their patient safety skills in a simulated emergency department.
Patient safety has emerged as an important topic for inclusion in medical curricula. However, there is limited literature describing how medical students are taught, learn and self-assess patient safety skills. The present study aimed to seek pre-clinical medical students' perceptions of (i) their individual performance at a range of safety skills; and (ii) how they define patient safety in a simulated ED. ⋯ Students had a favourable opinion of their own safety skills. However, answers to free text question revealed misconceptions about the nature of patient safety despite significant teaching on this topic.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2016
Letter Case ReportsRemoval of an oesophageal foreign body in the emergency department.