Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
-
Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2019
Observational StudySub-optimal treatment of paediatric migraine in an emergency department: An observational study.
To describe treatment of children presenting to an Australian ED with a final ED diagnosis of migraine. ⋯ Treatment of migraine in children was not consistent with the available evidence regarding agents' relative effectiveness. The use of opiates is concerningly high.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2019
Daring to be wise: We are black boxes, and artificial intelligence will be the solution.
Emergency physicians seek wisdom through personal resilience, deliberate reasoning, clinical consensus and reflective practice. However, there is a limit to how useful psychological training, clinical guidelines and audit initiatives can be in the face of inherent human fallibility, increasing system complexity and escalating demand. Wisdom may be more easily attained through the careful design of new technology and this should be a priority for the emergency medicine community.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2019
Animal-vehicle collisions in Victoria, Australia: An under-recognised cause of road traffic crashes.
Non-fatal injuries sustained from animal-vehicle collisions are a globally under-recognised road safety issue, with limited data on these crash types. The present study aimed to quantify the number and causes of major trauma events resulting from animal-vehicle collisions. ⋯ Development of systematic recording methods of animal-vehicle collisions will improve reporting of these crash types to assist future studies in implementing effective countermeasures.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2019
Observational StudyEarly referral for endoscopy is the most appropriate management strategy in cases of food bolus obstruction.
To investigate the characteristics of patients presenting with oesophageal food bolus obstruction (FBO) who achieve early resolution of symptoms, and to assess the impact of medical therapies on the overall time course of FBO. ⋯ Time from symptom onset to presentation is the only predictor of early resolution from FBO, while medical therapy is ineffective in relieving obstruction and may delay definitive therapy. We recommend the use of an institutional management plan to facilitate early access to endoscopy in cases of FBO.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2019
Does ambulatory and fast track allocation reduce immersion in acute and resuscitation training, and impair career satisfaction and job longevity for emergency medicine registrars?
Although dedicated sections for non-acute care in the ED is recognised to improve patient flow and reduce ED congestion, there is anecdotal feedback that it detracts from work satisfaction and potentially career longevity and sustainability. Although allocation to fast track shifts reflects contemporary emergency medicine as practiced in Australasia, it may reduce registrar immersion on acute and resuscitation training.