Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2012
Health reform: is routinely collected electronic information fit for purpose?
Little has been reported about the completeness and accuracy of data in existing Australian clinical information systems. We examined the accuracy of the diagnoses of some chronic diseases in an ED information system (EDIS), a module of the NSW Health electronic medical record (EMR), and the consistency of the reports generated by the EMR. ⋯ Variations in information quality and consistency of the EDIS/EMR raise concerns about the 'fitness for purpose' of the information for care and planning, information sharing, research and quality assurance.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2012
Exposure of Iranian emergency medical technicians to workplace violence: a cross-sectional analysis.
Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in Iran experience concerning levels of workplace violence, although until now there has been no investigation of this phenomenon. The objectives of the present study were to describe the exposure of Iranian EMTs to workplace violence and to identify the importance of related factors from their viewpoint. ⋯ Iranian EMTs experience a considerable amount of workplace violence. The present study highlights the recommendation for formal training programmes and clearer protocols about how to manage workplace violence, especially verbal abuse in the Iranian prehospital setting.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2012
Demand for public hospital emergency department services in Australia: 2000-2001 to 2009-2010.
Hospital EDs are a significant and high-profile component of Australia's health-care system, which in recent years have experienced considerable crowding. This crowding is caused by the combination of increasing demand, throughput and output factors. The aim of the present article is to clarify trends in the use of public ED services across Australia with a view to providing an evidence basis for future policy analysis and discussion. ⋯ This growth in demand exceeds general population growth, and the variability between states both in utilization rates and overall trends defies immediate explanation. The growth in demand for ED services is a partial contributor to the crowding being experienced in EDs across Australia. There is a need for more detailed study, including qualitative analysis of patient motivations in order to identify the factors driving this growth in demand.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2012
Palliative care in the emergency department: an oxymoron or just good medicine?
In 2006, the American Board of Emergency Medicine co-sponsored hospice and palliative medicine as a recognized medical subspecialty. There is recognition of the need for these skills to be available in EDs in the USA. This article discusses the rationale for integrating a palliative approach in the ED. We need to engage our palliative care colleagues to increase clinical support to meet the needs of these vulnerable patients and to foster collaborative educational opportunities.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2012
Case ReportsAcute ST-elevation myocardial infarction in a 24-year-old woman with atheromatous coronary artery disease.
We report the case of a 24-year-old Torres Strait Islander woman who presented to a rural hospital ED with chest pain suspicious for myocardial ischaemia and was found to have an anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction. She was thrombolysed and transferred to a tertiary centre where subsequent angiography revealed atheromatous disease of the left anterior descending coronary artery. We believe this to be one of the youngest reported cases of myocardial infarction due to atheromatous coronary artery disease, and demonstrates important learning points regarding the demographics and risk factors of indigenous patients with chest pain.