Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2013
Review Comparative StudyReview article: Paramedic education opportunities and challenges in Australia.
Paramedic education has been undergoing major development in Australia in the past 20 years, with many different educational programmes being developed across all Australian jurisdictions. This paper aims to review the current paramedic education programmes in Australia to identify the similarities and differences between the programmes, and the strengths and challenges in these programmes. A literature search was performed using six scientific databases to identify any systematic reviews, literature reviews or relevant articles on the topic. ⋯ Included in this review are a total of 28 articles, which are focused around five major issues in paramedic education: (i) principle on paramedic programmes and the involvement of industry partners; (ii) clinical placements; (iii) contemporary methods of education; (iv) needs for specific programmes within paramedic education; and (v) articles related to the accreditation process for paramedic programmes. Paramedic programmes across Australian universities vary with many different practices, especially relating to clinical placements in the field. The further advances of the paramedic education programmes should aim to respond to population change and industry development, which would enhance the paramedic profession across Australia.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2013
Comparative StudyWhole-body computed tomography in the initial assessment of trauma patients: is there optimal criteria for patient selection?
To describe the use of whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) at this Major Trauma Centre; to determine independent predictors of multi-region injury; and to evaluate the accuracy of the decision to perform WBCT in detecting multi-region injury. ⋯ The decision to perform WBCT scans in trauma should be at the discretion of the treating clinician. Applying a prediction rule would increase the number of WBCT scans performed without improving overall accuracy.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2013
Comparative StudyOutcomes in older patients requiring comprehensive allied health care prior to discharge from the emergency department.
There is increasing focus on use of multidisciplinary services within the ED to facilitate discharge of older patients that might otherwise require hospitalisation. The risks associated with this are not well established. We aimed to determine whether older patients requiring allied health-facilitated discharge from the ED were at increased risk of hospital readmission and death after discharge. ⋯ Facilitated discharge of selected older adults by a CCT is relatively safe in the short term. Such patients have an increased likelihood of hospitalisation in the year after discharge. The 1 year mortality rate even in a 'low-risk' discharged population is 10%.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2013
Observational StudyCommon laboratory tests predict imminent medical emergency team calls, intensive care unit admission or death in emergency department patients.
To estimate the ability of commonly measured laboratory variables to predict imminent (within the same or next calendar day) medical emergency team (MET) calls, ICU admission or death. ⋯ Commonly performed laboratory tests can help predict imminent MET calls, ICU admission or death in ED patients. Prospective investigations of the clinical utility of such predictions appear desirable.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2013
Feasibility and outcomes of screening for cardiovascular risk factors in the emergency department.
The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed and undertreated hypercholesterolaemia and hypertension (HT) among ED patients and to evaluate the effects of a formal referral back to the general practitioner (GP) for further management. ⋯ Substantial proportions of ED patients have undiagnosed and undertreated hypercholesterolaemia and/or HT. GP referral initiated interventions for many patients with hypercholesterolaemia, but fewer with HT. The ED has potential as a useful venue for the opportunistic screening of hypercholesterolaemia.