Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2020
Trend of emergency department presentations with a mental health diagnosis in Australia by diagnostic group, 2004-05 to 2016-17.
To examine trends of ED presentations with a mental health (MH) diagnosis in Australia and its jurisdictions by diagnostic group between 2004-05 and 2016-17. ⋯ Between 2004-05 and 2016-17, rates of ED presentations increased across most MH diagnostic groups, but particularly psychoactive substance use-related disorders. To reduce the need for MH crisis care in Australian EDs, strategies are required to reduce psychoactive substance use in the community, and policies may be needed to strengthen the capability of community MH services and primary care professionals to recognise, diagnose and treat earlier in the course of illness.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2020
Ambulance management of patients with penetrating truncal trauma and hypotension in Melbourne, Australia.
Penetrating truncal trauma with hypotension is uncommon in Australia. Current pre-hospital clinical practice guidelines based on overseas studies recommend expedited transport to definitive trauma care and that i.v. fluid should only be administered to maintain palpable blood pressure. ⋯ Penetrating truncal trauma with hypotension is rare in Melbourne, Australia with most patients having the injury caused by stabbing rather than shooting. Compared with outcomes reported in the USA and Europe, the mortality rate is low.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2020
Expectations and experiences of women presenting to emergency departments with early pregnancy bleeding.
To explore women's expectations and experiences when presenting to the ED with early pregnancy bleeding. ⋯ Early pregnancy bleeding is a distressing and anxiety-provoking experience for women attending the ED. Appropriate emotional support is critical to the holistic care for those seeking emergency care.
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EDs are noisy and the noise levels exceed regulatory recommendations. Noise distracts us during any task and can saturate our attentional demand and impair our thinking and decision-making. This is a systematic problem that is consistently ignored by accreditation bodies. ⋯ Noise is a patient safety issue, as excessive noise impairs good communication, which is essential for patient care. Good acoustic design and management is achievable, but needs to be explicitly assessed as a part of accreditation standards. This would promote wellness for both patients and staff.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2020
Multicenter Study Observational StudyImaging and admission practices in paediatric head injury across emergency departments in Australia and New Zealand: A PREDICT study.
Variation in the management of paediatric head injury has been identified worldwide. This prospective study describes imaging and admission practices of children presenting with head injury across 10 hospital EDs in Australia and New Zealand. ⋯ Across the 10 largely tertiary EDs included in this study, the overall CTB rate was low with no significant variation between sites when adjusted for ciTBIs.