Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2022
Observational StudyHigher quality of care in emergency departments with physiotherapy service models.
To investigate the quality of care provided by EDs with physiotherapy services compared to those without, using established musculoskeletal process and outcome quality indicators (QIs). ⋯ EDs with physiotherapists provide at least equivalent or higher quality of care for patients with musculoskeletal injuries than those EDs with limited access to physiotherapists. This may be because of their specialised training in musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment, as well as the impact of teaching and mentoring for other ED clinicians.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2022
Chlorhexidine skin cleaning to reduce clean-catch urine contamination in infants: A pilot study.
Clean-catch urine (CCU) samples are frequently contaminated. Our aim was to determine if cleaning with 0.1% chlorhexidine before CCU is a safe and feasible method to reduce contamination. ⋯ Cleaning with chlorhexidine solution before CCU is safe and feasible.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2022
Neonatal emergency transport teams and general emergency departments: Who will intubate the neonate?
Confidence treating critically ill infants presenting to general ED may be limited by inexperience, with procedures deferred until specialised transport teams arrive. ⋯ Referring ED physicians perform the majority of critical procedures where infants require inter-hospital transfer by neonatal emergency transport service.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2022
Observational StudyMapping haemodynamic changes with rapid sequence induction agents in the emergency department.
Patients intubated in the ED are at an increased risk of post-intubation hypotension. However, evidence regarding the most appropriate induction agent is lacking. The present study aims to describe and compare the haemodynamic effect of propofol, ketamine and thiopentone during rapid sequence induction. ⋯ Propofol was associated with post-intubation hypotension and it is recommended clinicians consider using the lowest effective dose to reduce this risk. Reflecting its perceived haemodynamic stability, patients who received ketamine were more likely to have a higher shock index; however, there was also an association with post-intubation hypotension.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2022
Gender equity in emergency medicine: Five years on, where are we headed?
The challenge of addressing gender inequality was highlighted in the 2016 Trainee Focus of Emergency Medicine Australasia. Despite increasing numbers of female medical graduates, including increasing female trainees in emergency medicine (EM), this has not yet translated to equal representation in formal leadership roles. Five years later, as the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) welcomes the second female college president, this article explores the gendered leadership gap in EM from an organisational and intersectional feminist perspective and recommends high-level strategies for change. ⋯ It has also achieved gender parity in provisional trainees and improved women's representation on the ACEM Board. However, broader organisational processes that ensure work-life integration, transparent leadership development pathways and equitable recruitment, promotion, retention and evaluation remain critical. Creating a local evidence-base to support diversity in leadership development remains a priority.