Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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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.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2021
Where are children seen in Australian emergency departments? Implications for research efforts.
With most paediatric emergency research in Australia conducted at tertiary EDs, it is important to understand how presentations differ between those at tertiary paediatric EDs and all other EDs. ⋯ The present study identified key areas of difference in paediatric presentations between tertiary paediatric EDs and other EDs. It is vital to broaden paediatric ED research beyond tertiary paediatric centres, to ensure relevance and generalisability.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2021
Investigating the prevalence of intimate partner violence victimisation in women presenting to the emergency department in suicidal crisis.
To investigate the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and frequency of victimisation questioning by hospital staff in women presenting to EDs for suicide-related complaints and injuries. ⋯ Findings suggest a large proportion of women seeking support for suicide in the ED are affected by IPV, although few are asked about abuse experiences. Victimisation is associated with complex health issues and heightened mortality risk, which carry important implications for patient-care. Findings support routine ED screening and can be applied to stratify risk within IPV responses.
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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.