Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2022
Overdose and take-home naloxone in emergency settings: A pilot study examining feasibility of delivering brief interventions addressing overdose prevention with 'take-home naloxone' in emergency departments.
Although most unintentional opioid deaths in Australia are attributed to pharmaceutical opioids, take-home naloxone (THN) programmes have to date predominantly targeted people using illicit opioids in drug treatment and harm reduction settings. We sought to examine the feasibility of delivering THN brief interventions (THN-BIs) with intranasal naloxone in EDs. ⋯ ED-based delivery of THN-BIs can reach a wide range of individuals at-risk of overdose. The present study supports the feasibility of THN interventions in EDs and underscores the importance of addressing implementation barriers including staff training.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2022
Observational StudyRetrospective study of the prevalence and characteristics of adverse drug events in adults who present to an Australian emergency department.
To determine the burden, on the ED, of harm from unintentional adverse drug events (ADEs) in the community. ⋯ There is a high burden on emergency care because of unintended medication harm in the community. Interventions to reduce such harm are likely to require a co-ordinated primary, acute and public healthcare response. The high proportion of presentations with potential ADEs indicates opportunity for harm mitigation in the ED.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2022
Diagnoses and trends in use of imaging for low back pain in four Australian emergency departments between 2012 and 2019.
We aimed to determine, in those who present to the ED with low back pain (LBP): (i) the prevalence of four key diagnostic categories, (ii) trends in lumbar imaging from 2015 to 2019 and (iii) the effect of a new model of care on lumbar imaging in the ED. ⋯ Most presentations to the ED for LBP are for non-specific LBP. Around 2% will have specific spinal pathology. Use of imaging in those diagnosed with non-specific LBP remains high and was unaffected by implementation of a state-wide model of care.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2022
Is headache during pregnancy a higher risk for serious secondary headache cause? A HEAD study report.
Pregnancy is defined as a 'red flag' in headache assessment. We aimed to describe the prevalence and causes of serious secondary headache in pregnant ED patients. ⋯ Inclusion of pregnancy as a 'red flag' in ED headache assessment is not supported by these data.