Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2020
Repeated presentation of children and adolescents to the emergency department following self-harm: A retrospective audit of hospital data.
To examine re-presentation rates for self-harm in patients aged 0-18 years to the ED of a tertiary paediatric hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and associated patient, family and hospital presentation factors. ⋯ In this paediatric ED, almost one in four patients re-presented with self-harm within 12 months. Previous presentations and other factors were associated with risk of re-presenting, although no factor was strongly predictive. Future research might examine the generalisability of these findings across settings and explore strategies for prevention.
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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
Clinician-led design for optimising flow: Seizing the opportunity for a new-build Australian Emergency Department.
A new ED build creates a unique opportunity to improve the way we provide clinical care. Often, the focus is primarily on increasing clinical cubicle numbers but this may have a negligible, or even negative impact on care delivery. ⋯ This relationship between clinicians and architects should remain collaborative but requires re-alignment. Independent, expert ED-specific designers can empower and provide valuable support for clinician-led design teams in their interactions with architects.