Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2021
Unintended consequences: The impact of airway management modifications introduced in response to COVID-19 on intubations in a tertiary centre emergency department.
In response to COVID-19, we introduced and examined the effect of a raft of modifications to standard practice on adverse events and first-attempt success (FAS) associated with ED intubation. ⋯ This raft of modifications to ED intubation was associated with significant increase in hypoxia despite a very high FAS rate and more senior first laryngoscopist.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2021
Months of May: Mental health presentations and the impact of a psychiatric emergency care centre on an inner-city emergency department.
The impact of psychiatric emergency care centres (PECCs) on ED mental health (MH) presentations has not been presented. We aim to compare demographics, diagnosis and admission frequency of patients presenting to an inner-city ED with MH complaints, before and for several years after the opening of a PECC. ⋯ Between 2005 and 2017, MH presentations to ED became significantly more frequent. The opening of PECC reduced length of stay in ED and provided an admission trajectory for patients expressing suicidality, while retaining the pathway to the acute psychiatric ward for those patients presenting with psychosis.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2021
Emergency department crowding and mortality for patients presenting to emergency departments in New Zealand.
The association between ED crowding and mortality has been established internationally, but not in New Zealand. The aim was to determine which measures of crowding were associated with mortality for new patients presenting to New Zealand EDs. The primary outcome was mortality for patients within 7 days of arrival in the ED. ⋯ Access block had the strongest association with 7-day mortality. That ED occupancy and the number of arrivals were not associated with increased mortality suggests that system issues related to long ED stays may be most important in the link between ED crowding and mortality.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2021
Characteristics of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples attending Australian emergency departments.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients are overrepresented in Australian EDs. The present study aimed to assess their characteristics in utilising ED services at a national level. ⋯ This is the first national study looking at the characteristics of and reasons for presenting to Australian EDs for Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients. Our findings provide important insight into the potential factors affecting Indigenous patient care, and an impetus for ongoing research and advocacy work to improve the quality of emergency care provided to Indigenous Australians.