Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2023
ReviewReview article: Detaining patients against their will: Can duty of care be used to justify detention and restraint in emergency departments?
Every day in EDs, clinicians are faced with situations where they need to decide whether to detain a patient for assessment and treatment. For patients who meet the relevant criteria, provisions of mental health legislation can be used. ⋯ This article briefly explores this complex area of law, including the relevant legislation, common law principles and grey areas. It also proposes an approach to decision-making in this area.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2023
ReviewReview article: Scoping review of the characteristics and outcomes of adults presenting to the emergency department during heatwaves.
As a result of climate change heatwaves are expected to increase in frequency and intensity and will have detrimental impacts on human health globally. EDs are often the critical point of care for acute heat illnesses and other conditions associated with heat exposure. Existing literature has focused on heatwave-related hospitalisation and mortality. ⋯ Outcomes including hospitalisation and mortality rates after ED admissions showed positive associations with heatwaves. The heatwaves resulting from climate change will place increasing demands on EDs providing care for increasingly susceptible populations. Significant public heatwave planning across multiple sectors is required to reduce the risk of overwhelming EDs with these patients.