Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2023
Epidemiology, outcomes and predictors of mortality in patients transported by ambulance for dyspnoea: A population-based cohort study.
There are currently limited data to inform the management of patients transported by emergency medical services (EMS) with dyspnoea. We aimed to describe the incidence, aetiology and outcomes of patients transported by EMS for dyspnoea using a large population-based sample and to identify factors associated with 30-day mortality. ⋯ Dyspnoea is a common presentation with a broad range of causes and is associated with high rates of hospitalisation and death.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2023
Characteristics of First Nations patients who take their own leave from an inner-city emergency department, 2016-2020.
Using a strength-based framework, we aimed to describe and compare First Nations patients who completed care in an ED to those who took their own leave. ⋯ A lower triage category is a strong predictor of First Nations patients taking their own leave. It has been documented that First Nations patients are under-triaged. One proposed intervention in the metropolitan setting is to introduce practices which expediate the care of First Nations patients. Further qualitative studies with First Nations patients should be undertaken to determine successful approaches to create equitable access to emergency healthcare for this population.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2023
Multicultural emergency medicine epidemiology: A health economic analysis of patient visits.
There is growing evidence to suggest that culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) patients cost the health system more than non-CALD patients because of a higher burden of disease and increased resource consumption. The present study aimed to compare the ED resource utilisation of CALD and non-CALD patients at a tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia. ⋯ CALD status is not an independent influence on ED resource utilisation but other explanatory variables such as increased age and altered case-mix appear to have a much greater influence. There may, however, be other reasons to consider CALD loading such as equity in healthcare and to address poorer overall health outcomes for CALD patients.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2023
Observational StudyToxicology presentations to a tertiary unit in New South Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic first wave: A retrospective comparison study.
To compare presentation numbers, class of exposure, poison severity score (PSS) and drugs ingested by patients in a tertiary toxicology service during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to the corresponding time periods in 2018 and 2019. ⋯ There was a relative increase in toxicology presentations during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to an overall decrease in presentations to ED. Recreational drug use increased significantly during the pandemic compared to 2018.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2023
Does wearing a surgical mask influence face touching by healthcare workers? A retrospective cohort study.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCW) in our ED were advised against and actively discouraged from wearing masks when not seeing respiratory patients, as mask wearing was thought to increase the risk of droplet transmission by face touching. The primary objective of the present study was to determine whether HCW using face masks were more or less likely to touch their faces than those not wearing masks. ⋯ Mask wearing did not change face touching or the duration of face touches. However, significantly fewer mucosal touches were observed when wearing a mask, which may help to reduce nosocomial droplet transmission of viruses.