Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2020
Paediatric intubation in Australasian emergency departments: A report from the ANZEDAR.
To describe the epidemiology, clinical practice and outcomes of paediatric ED intubation in Australia and New Zealand. ⋯ Paediatric intubation in Australasian EDs is rare from a departmental and individual provider viewpoint. Success rates are similar to contemporary international registries. Complications are common and ongoing collaborative multicentre audit with resultant quality improvement is desirable to facilitate improved success and reduced complications.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2020
Clinical and ethical challenges for emergency departments during communicable disease outbreaks: can lessons from Ebola Virus Disease be applied to the COVID-19 pandemic?
EDs fulfil a frontline function during public health emergencies (PHEs) and will play a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic. This perspective article draws on qualitative data from a longitudinal, ethnographic study of an Australian tertiary ED to illustrate the clinical and ethical challenges faced by EDs during PHEs. ⋯ Given the narrow window of opportunity to prepare for a surge of COVID-19 presentations, there is an immediate need to reflect and learn from previous experiences. To maintain the confidence of ED clinicians, and minimise the risk of moral injury, hospital and public health authorities must urgently develop processes to support ethical healthcare delivery and ensure adequate resourcing of EDs.