Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2013
Intern underperformance is detected more frequently in emergency medicine rotations.
To determine the frequency and nature of intern underperformance as documented on in-training assessment forms. ⋯ The prevalence of underperformance among interns is low, although higher than previously suggested. Emergency medicine detects relatively more interns in difficulty than other rotations.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2013
ReviewComparison of emergency medical services systems in the pan-Asian resuscitation outcomes study countries: Report from a literature review and survey.
Asia-Pacific countries have unique prehospital emergency care or emergency medical services (EMS) systems, which are different from European or Anglo-American models. We aimed to compare the EMS systems of eight Asia-Pacific countries/regions as part of the Pan Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study (PAROS), to provide a basis for future comparative studies across systems of care. ⋯ We found variation in the EMS systems across the eight Asia-Pacific countries/regions studied. The findings will inform the construction of a multinational Asia-Pacific research network for future comparative studies and could serve as a model for international research networks.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2013
Introduction of an N-acetylcysteine weight-based dosing chart reduces prescription errors in the treatment of paracetamol poisoning.
Under- or overdosing of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), when used to treat paracetamol toxicity, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This study evaluated the effect of a weight-based dosing chart (WBDC) introduced to decrease NAC prescription errors. ⋯ The introduction of a WBDC did not produce a clinically significant reduction in major NAC prescription error rates (as pre-defined in this study); however, there was a clear trend towards a reduction. The WBDC significantly reduced total and minor NAC prescription error rates.