Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2017
In situ simulation in emergency medicine: Moving beyond the simulation lab.
In situ simulation (ISS), a point of care training strategy that occurs within the patient care environment involving actual healthcare team members, provides additional benefits to centre-based simulation. ISS can serve several roles within emergency medicine (EM): improves provider/team performance, identifies and mitigates threats to patient safety and improves systems and infrastructure. The effective use of ISS fosters inter-professional team training and a culture of safety essential for high performance EM teams and resilient systems. Using a case example, this article addresses the uses of ISS in EM, strategies for implementation and mitigation strategies for ED-specific challenges.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2017
Prehospital ketamine use by paramedics in the Australian Capital Territory: A 12 month retrospective analysis.
The aim of this study was to describe prehospital use of ketamine by ACT Ambulance Service, and frequency of endotracheal intubation. ⋯ Median dose for analgesia was comparable with other studies; dose for sedation was less than reported elsewhere. Intubation rate for patients receiving prehospital ketamine was 17%. Further study is recommended to assess the ED course of the non-intubated group of patients, and consideration should be given to non-weight-based methods of dose selection.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2017
Acute appendicitis in adults: Diagnostic accuracy of emergency doctors in a university hospital in Hong Kong.
The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of ED doctors with variable training levels in detecting acute appendicitis, without access to advanced imaging in admitted patients with acute abdominal pain in a university hospital of Hong Kong. ⋯ Diagnostic accuracy of emergency doctors with variable training levels and no access to advanced imaging in a Hong Kong hospital in detecting appendicitis in patients with acute abdominal pain is higher in male patients than in female patients, but lower than that achieved by CT scanning.
-
To determine the proportion of non-motorised road users involved in road traffic crashes that presents to hospital intoxicated. ⋯ Intoxication was common among non-motorised road users, and the proportion of intoxicated patients in this subgroup appears unchanged over time despite public awareness programmes. The true burden of intoxication in non-motorised road users remains unknown because of a lack of routine testing. Legislation directed at testing for intoxication of non-motorised users and introduction of penalties should be considered to improve safety of all road users.
-
Emergency care needs to be underpinned by the highest quality evidence. However, research involving critically ill patients in the emergency setting has unique ethical, logistical and regulatory issues. ⋯ Alternatives to informed consent are discussed. Human research ethics committees require a greater understanding of consent issues in emergency care research for Australia to remain competitive internationally.