Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2019
Impact of emergency department occupancy on waiting times, rates of admission and representation, and length of stay when hospitalised: A data linkage study.
To assess the association between ED occupancy and relevant outcomes including ED waiting times, rates of admission and representation and length of stay when hospitalised. ⋯ Higher ED occupancy was associated with increased waiting times conditional on triage category and baseline occupancy. Collectively, the results show that NSW principal referral EDs are robust, and are currently capable of handling variation in occupancy by prioritising treatment for the most urgent patients.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2019
Paediatric acute care: Highlights from the Paediatric Acute Care-Advanced Paediatric Life Support Conference, Hobart, 2018.
The Paediatric Acute Care Conference (PACC) is an annual conference organised by APLS Australia to advance paediatric acute care topics for clinicians in pre-hospital medicine, EDs, acute paediatrics, intensive care and anaesthesia. The PACC 2018 was held in Hobart, Tasmania. We provide a summary of some of the presentations.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2019
Visual analog scale rating change cut-offs for detection of improvement in nausea severity.
To determine accuracy and best cut-point of measured and percentage visual analog scale (VAS) change for detection of symptom improvement. ⋯ Accuracy of VAS change for detection of symptom improvement is good to excellent. Use of this outcome measure in future ED antiemetic trials is supported.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2019
Patient-centred care through a broader lens: Supporting patient autonomy alongside moral deliberation.
Patient-centred care (PCC) is an essential component of high-quality healthcare and shared decision-making is its cornerstone. Yet, integrating the principles of PCC into healthcare practice is not always straightforward and shared decision-making can be complicated and ethically demanding. ⋯ The model encourages us to appreciate PCC through a broader lens and consider patient autonomy alongside other moral obligations such as justice and the equitable distribution of finite resources. The model can be used by healthcare providers, patients and caregivers to facilitate dialogue and moral deliberation regarding the merit of their preferences and values; in this way, individualised care can be delivered without compromising other important ethical obligations.