Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2017
Evaluation of a targeted prescriber education intervention on emergency department discharge oxycodone prescribing.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on ED discharge opioid analgesic (OA) prescribing. ⋯ A brief, one-on-one educational intervention targeting ED OA prescribers was well received by clinicians and associated with improved quality of OA prescribing.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2017
Effects of a hospital-wide intervention on emergency department crowding and quality: A prospective study.
The objective of this study was to determine the impact of a management-supported, multimodal, hospital-wide intervention on ED crowding and quality measures. ⋯ This prospective study shows significant improvement in ED flow without compromise in quality measures from a hospital-wide intervention requiring minimal additional resources. Further research is required on sustainability and patient outcomes beyond the ED.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2017
Consistency of total body surface area assessment in severe burns: Implications for practice.
Paediatric burn injury is common and often serious. Injuries occur across New South Wales (NSW), with specialised treatment provided in a centralised burns unit. Early management prior to transfer is essential but variation is seen. ⋯ Our review demonstrated significant differences between the TBSA assessment of referring hospitals and the NSW Burns Unit. These inconsistencies may have resulted in children receiving treatment and transport not indicated based on accurate TBSA assessment. Potentially unnecessary transfers have implications for the displacement of children and families but also impact overall health costs and resource availability.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2017
Letter Case ReportsSimple and effective paediatric retrieval treatment.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2017
Pre-hospital and retrieval medicine: Clinical governance and workforce models.
Pre-hospital and retrieval medicine (PHARM) has developed significantly in the past decade. This perspective article proposes that PHARM should develop with a clear focus on contemporary health governance principles, and that its workforce and models of care adopt modern interdisciplinary approaches. Many of the older systems of managing clinical standards, and outdated cultural approaches to professional 'turf', workforce and scope of practice have little place in high-performance organisations. This paper calls us to attention with a recommendation that best and safest systems of care, structured to optimise patient outcomes and system performance should be our goal.