Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2024
Trends in reported GHB-related presentations to Sydney emergency departments between 2012 and 2021.
In overdose, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and its precursors can cause decreased levels of consciousness, coma and death. Here, we aim to describe reported exposure to GHB at four EDs in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. ⋯ Increases in recorded absolute number and severity of GHB-related presentations to Sydney EDs are a major public health concern. There may also be shifts in the demographics of those with GHB-related presentations. Renewed efforts are required to understand the drivers of these increases to optimally target harm reduction approaches.
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In order to tackle racism in healthcare, it must be rooted out, carefully and mindfully, by all those who work in the field. Of late, there is much talk to enact institutional change; however, I believe there is a paucity of commentary to encourage individual responsibility. Here I present a personal experience which I believe illustrates a frequent occurrence whereby racism is falsely identified in a person. ⋯ I call for a more personal call to action for each and every healthcare professional. I urge my colleagues to be mindful with the use of racist and to take a breath before presiding judgement. You might be surprised as to what you learn from other when they are given the chance.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2024
ReviewReview article: Telehealth in Emergency Medicine in Australasia: Advantages and barriers.
The COVID-19 pandemic catapulted Telehealth to the forefront of Emergency Medicine (EM) as an alternative way of assessing and managing patients. This challenged the traditional idea that EM can only be practised within brick-and-mortar EDs. Many Emergency Physicians may find the idea of practising Telehealth in Emergency Medicine (TEM) confronting, particularly in the absence of training and clear practice guidelines. The purpose of the present paper is to describe the current use of TEM in Australasia, and outline the advantages and barriers in adopting this practice domain.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2024
ReviewReview article: Abdominal pain and diabetes mellitus in the emergency department.
This manuscript seeks to describe diagnostic considerations in individuals with diabetes mellitus presenting to the ED with abdominal pain. It highlights the importance of early investigation with computerised tomography to differentiate aetiologies that compel early surgical intervention from those which may be treated conservatively.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2024
Refining ambulance clinical response models: The impact on ambulance response and emergency department presentations.
The ambulance service in Victoria, Australia implemented a revised clinical response model (CRM) in 2016 which was designed to increase the diversion of low-acuity Triple Zero (000) calls to secondary telephone triage and reduce emergency ambulance dispatches. The present study evaluates the influence of the revised CRM on emergency ambulance response times and ED presentations. ⋯ The revised CRM was associated with improved Code 1 response time performance. However, there was no improvement in response times for high acuity patients, and no change in the proportion of callers presenting to ED.