Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2006
Comparative StudyEmergency nurse practitioner care and emergency department patient flow: case-control study.
The present study aimed to compare ED waiting times (for medical assessment and treatment), treatment times and length of stay (LOS) for patients managed by an emergency nurse practitioner candidate (ENPC) with patients managed via traditional ED care. ⋯ Patient flow outcomes for ENPC managed patients are comparable with those of patients managed via usual ED processes.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2006
Comparative StudyPresentation and management of aural foreign bodies in two Australian emergency departments.
To survey and compare the type and management of foreign bodies found in adult and paediatric ears presenting to an Australian otorhinolaryngology and a general ED. ⋯ Aural foreign bodies are a frequent presentation to the ED. Recognition of patients requiring early specialist referral is important. Adults present with a different profile of aural foreign objects to children and require different management. The use of cotton tips or cotton wool in the external ear canal and silicone ear plugs should be discouraged.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2006
Comparative StudyVariability in agreement between physicians and nurses when measuring the Glasgow Coma Scale in the emergency department limits its clinical usefulness.
To assess the interrater reliability of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) between nurses and senior doctors in the ED. ⋯ Although the level of agreement for GCS scores was generally high, a significant proportion of patients had GCS scores which differed by two or more points. This degree of disagreement indicates that clinical decisions should not be based solely on single GCS scores.
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Despite widespread use of methoxyflurane as an inhaled analgesic by ambulance services in Australia there are no published data as to its use pattern, efficacy and safety in the prehospital setting. We set out to characterize methoxyflurane use in children in the prehospital setting. ⋯ In the present paediatric case series methoxyflurane appears to be an efficacious analgesic with a low adverse events profile. In young children in particular it can briefly lead to deep sedation.