Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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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
Observational StudyWhat is the distribution of Aortic Dissection Detection Risk Score in an undifferentiated emergency department chest pain population?
To determine the distribution of Aortic Dissection Detection Risk Score (ADDRS) in undifferentiated chest pain patients. ⋯ Widespread use of the ADDRS and its investigation protocol cannot be supported.
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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
Epidemiology and clinical features of emergency department patients with suspected COVID-19: Results from the first month of the COVED Quality Improvement Project (COVED-2).
The aim of the present study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical features of ED patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19. ⋯ The volume of ED patients with suspected COVID-19 is increasing. Low numbers of positive cases precluded development of accurate predictive tools, but the COVED Project is fulfilling an important role in monitoring the burden of infection prevention and control requirements on the ED. The increasing number of patients meeting isolation criteria has the potential to impact on patient flow and may lead to ED overcrowding.