Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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While the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) encourages all emergency physicians to be competent in at least the five core areas of emergency ultrasound (US), departmental training in most hospitals does woefully little to prepare most ACEM members to attain these competencies. While full day courses are a common method of mandatory and discretionary in-service training, that method has not been adopted for US training. We propose the development of full day courses for each of the five core competencies, taught by accredited US instructors and with emphasis on hands-on training. These courses alone will not produce fully competent US users but will provide a solid foundation for further training.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2020
Observational StudyEmergency Medicine Advanced Ultrasound Service: A new paradigm.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is now ubiquitous in emergency medicine. Increased accessibility does not, however, ensure expertise in its use. We present a unique model of an Emergency Medicine Advanced Ultrasound Service (EMAUS). In our model specialist emergency physicians with advanced ultrasound (US) qualifications (emergency sonologists), provide images and reports for the entire department. The service is considered an extension of the traditional radiology model. It is consultative, diagnostic and procedural, and includes full US examinations as well as POCUS examinations. ⋯ Globally POCUS has proliferated with varying expertise and data to support its use. The EMAUS provides a trusted and accountable service with the advantages of simultaneously integrating consultative US into the clinical context by an emergency physician. A diverse range of indications, scan types and pathology was recorded over the period demonstrating the utility of combining the roles of senior clinician, sonographer and radiologist and the benefits of advanced training and credentialing.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2020
ReviewEmergency Medicine's COVID Future: facing the triple challenge after flattening the curve.
After successfully avoiding the situations experienced by some countries, Australasian EDs now face a future in which the ongoing threat of COVID-19 is added to the traditional challenges in providing quality emergency care. The contribution of emergency medicine to the national containment strategy adds a new dimension to the demands placed on emergency medicine in Australia and similarly, to the elimination strategy employed in New Zealand. These demands will best be met by a considered, planned and resourced approach that will challenge traditional measures of 'ED efficiency'.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2020
What proportion of healthcare worker masks carry virus? A systematic review.
Concerns have been raised by healthcare organisations in New Zealand that routine mask use by healthcare workers (HCW) may increase the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through increased face touching. Routine mask use by frontline HCW was not recommended when seeing 'low risk' patients. The aim of this review was to determine the carriage of respiratory viruses on facemasks used by HCW. ⋯ Although limited, current evidence suggests that viral carriage on the outer surface of surgical masks worn by HCW treating patients with clinical respiratory illness is low and there was not strong evidence to support the assumption that mask use may increase the risk of viral transmission.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2020
Observational StudyFactors associated with emergency medical service delays in suspected ST-elevation myocardial infarction in Victoria, Australia: A retrospective study.
To assess the effect of patient and system characteristics on emergency medical service (EMS) delays prior to arrival at hospital in suspected ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). ⋯ A range of patient and system factors may influence EMS delays in STEMI. However, optimising dispatch prioritisation and widespread availability of prehospital 12-lead ECG could lead to substantial reduction in time to treatment.