Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2009
How would Australian hospital staff react to an avian influenza admission, or an influenza pandemic?
To estimate the expected staff absentee rates and work attitudes in an Australian tertiary hospital workforce in two hypothetical scenarios: (i) a single admission of avian influenza; and (ii) multiple admissions of human pandemic influenza. ⋯ High absenteeism among hospital staff should be anticipated if patients are admitted with either avian or pandemic influenza, particularly if specific antiviral preventative measures are not immediately available. Measures to maximize the safety of staff and their families would be important incentives to attend work. Education on realistic level of risk from avian and pandemic influenza, as well as the effectiveness of basic infection control procedures and personal protective equipment, would be useful in improving willingness to work.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparison of high- and low-fidelity mannequins for clinical performance assessment.
A pilot study exploring the differences between high- and low-fidelity mannequins in the assessment of clinical performance. ⋯ There was no significant objective difference between the two mannequins.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2008
Multicenter StudyInterrater reliability of the Australasian Triage Scale for mental health patients.
To evaluate interrater reliability of the Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) for mental health patients in ED. ⋯ There is a need to develop and implement a validated, standardized national triage tool for mental health patients. The ATS per se is insufficient to ensure acceptable interrater reliability, particularly during busy periods in the ED, and between states. Given the influence the ATS has on key outcomes, it is imperative for this tool to be robust.