Can J Emerg Med
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Podcasts are increasingly being used for medical education. A deeper understanding of usage patterns would inform both producers and researchers of medical podcasts. We aimed to determine how and why podcasts are used by emergency medicine and critical care clinicians. ⋯ An international cohort of emergency clinicians use medical podcasts predominantly for learning. Their listening habits (rarely employing active learning strategies and frequently performing concurrent tasks) may not support this goal. Further exploration of the impact of these activities on learning from podcasts is warranted.
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Resource allocation planning for emergency medical services (EMS) systems determines appropriate resources including what paramedic qualification and how rapidly to respond to patients for optimal outcomes. The British Columbia Emergency Health Services implemented a revised response plan in 2013. ⋯ Comprehensive, evidence-informed reconstruction of a provincial EMS resource allocation plan is feasible. Despite change in crew level response and resource allocation, there was significant decrease in 24-hour mortality in this pan-provincial population-based cohort.
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Overcrowding in the emergency department (ED) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Studies have shown that consultation to decision time, defined as the time when a consultation has been accepted by a specialty service to the time when disposition decision is made, is one important contributor to the overall length of stay in the ED.The primary objective of this review is to evaluate the impact of workflow interventions on consultation to decision time and ED length of stay in patients referred to consultant services in teaching centres, and to identify barriers to reducing consultation to decision time. ⋯ The limited evidence suggests that audit and feedback in the form of SMS messaging, direct consultation to senior physicians, and standardization of the admission process may be the most effective and feasible interventions. Additional high-quality studies are required to explore sustainable interventions aimed at reducing consultation to decision time.