Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2024
Prevalence of alcohol and other drug detections in non-transport injury events.
To measure the prevalence of alcohol and/or other drug (AOD) detections in suspected major trauma patients with non-transport injuries who presented to an adult major trauma centre. ⋯ AOD detections were common in trauma patients with non-transport injury causes. Population-level surveillance is needed to inform prevention strategies that address AOD use as a significant risk factor for serious injury.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2024
Changing culture: An intervention to improve blood culture quality in the emergency department.
Blood cultures (BCs) remain a key investigation in ED patients at risk of bacteraemia. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a multi-modal, nursing-led intervention to improve the quality of BCs in the ED, in terms of single culture, underfilling and contamination rates. ⋯ Significant improvements in BC quality are possible with nursing-based interventions in the ED.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2024
Determinants of fatigue in emergency department clinicians who wear personal protective equipment.
To determine the independent predictors for clinician fatigue and decline in cognitive function following a shift in the ED during early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Working afternoon shifts was associated with fatigue. There was no association between HRZ allocation and fatigue, but our study was limited by a low COVID workload and fluctuating PPE requirements in the non-HRZs. Workplace interventions that target the prevention of fatigue in ED clinicians working afternoon shifts should be prioritised.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2024
Assessing the utility of night-time presentations as a proxy for alcohol-related harm among young emergency department trauma patients.
To assess the usefulness of night-time presentations to measure alcohol-related harm (ARH) in young trauma patients, aged 12-24 years, attending Western Australian EDs. ⋯ Implementing targeted interventions during night hours could be beneficial in addressing ARH presentations. However, relying solely on the time of presentation as a proxy for ARH is unlikely to effectively identify ARH in young individuals. Instead, the present study emphasises the importance of implementing mandatory data collection strategies in EDs to ensure accurate measurement of ARH cases.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2024
Observational StudyImplementing a virtual emergency department to avoid unnecessary emergency department presentations.
EDs are necessary for urgent health concerns; however, many physical ED visits could be better treated in alternate settings. The present study aimed to describe the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a Virtual ED to reduce unnecessary physical ED presentations at a large tertiary health service in Australia. ⋯ The Virtual ED prevented 70% of community triaged patients from presenting to the physical ED, with good uptake from all referrers, supporting the use of virtual care pathways in emergency care management.