Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2015
Asia, Australia and New Zealand Dyspnoea in Emergency Departments (AANZDEM) study: Rationale, design and analysis.
Shortness of breath is a common reason for ED attendance. This international study aims to describe the epidemiology of dyspnoea presenting to EDs in the South East Asia-Pacific region, to compare disease patterns across regions, to understand how conditions are investigated and treated, and to assess quality of care. ⋯ This novel study will explore dyspnoea from the viewpoint of the patient's symptom (shortness of breath) rather than that of a single disease. The results will provide robust data about the epidemiology, investigation, treatment and disposition of this diverse patient group. The obtained data also have the potential to inform service planning and to quantify the proportion of patients with mixed cardiac and respiratory disease.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2015
Observational StudyInter-rater reliability and validity of the Ministry of Health of Turkey's mandatory emergency triage instrument.
In 2009, the Ministry of Health in Turkey mandated a three-level emergency triage scale coded with the colours red, yellow and green in descending order of acuity. This study was conducted to assess the reliability and validity of this mandatory emergency triage instrument in Turkey. ⋯ This study demonstrates substantial reliability of Turkey's Ministry of Health's mandatory three-level triage instrument. Significant association was also observed between the triage levels and the validity parameters measured in the study.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2015
Comparison of the finger counting method, the Broselow tape and common weight estimation formulae in Filipino children after Typhoon Haiyan.
We sought to evaluate commonly used paediatric weight estimation techniques in a sample of children in the Philippines. ⋯ The Broselow tape and the traditional APLS formula performed best in our sample. The finger counting method also outperformed newer weight estimation formulae. 'Updated' age-based formulae created recently in developed countries should not be used in disaster relief efforts in the Philippines. Caution should be used when applying these formulae to other developing countries and in disaster response.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2015
Impact of clinical pharmacists in the emergency department of an Australian public hospital: A before and after study.
To evaluate the impact of an ED pharmacy service on ED clinical staff and hospital pharmacist activity. ⋯ Pharmacy staff can rapidly become a vital component of clinical service provision in the ED, contributing to medication safety from the point of patient entry into the hospital and impacting ED clinicians and whole of hospital activity for pharmacists.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2015
Growth in Western Australian emergency department demand during 2007-2013 is due to people with urgent and complex care needs.
To determine the magnitude and characteristics of the increase in ED demand in Western Australia (WA) from 2007 to 2013. ⋯ Our study reveals a 4.6% annual increase in ED demand in WA in 2007-2013, mostly because of an increase in people with urgent and complex care needs, and not a shift (demand transfer) from primary care. This indicates that a system-wide integrated approach is required for demand management.