W Indian Med J
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To determine the impact of trans-thoracic ultrasound (TTUS) in patients with chest trauma and potential cardiac injuries and to determine the outcome of patients with cardiac injury detected on TTUS. ⋯ This review demonstrates that cardiac injuries remain lethal, diagnosis is largely clinical and TTUS may be over-utilized, having little impact on clinical outcome of patients presenting with this injury.
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To compare the guidelines in the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) acute asthma management protocol with actual practice in the Accident and Emergency Department. ⋯ Acute asthma management still remains an area of medical practice that continues to have long-standing difficulties. Failure to assess and document the severity of asthma attacks along with the under-utilization of PEFR was noted.
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With rising patient volumes and increasingly complex cases, the specialty of emergency medicine faces a growing array of challenges. Efforts have been made to improve patient throughput, yet little attention has been directed to the increasing amount of primary care delivered in emergency departments (EDs) for chronic disease states such as hypertension and diabetes. ⋯ As a result, vulnerable patients are often forced to navigate exceedingly complex and fragmented systems of care with little guidance, which often leads to inadequate treatment and exposure to increased risk for development of potentially avoidable complications. As evidenced by our experience with hypertension in an under resourced community, there is a crucial need for emergency physicians to espouse their role as providers of healthcare across the acuity spectrum and lead the way in defining regionally relevant solutions to better manage patients with chronic medical problems.
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The study assessed compliance among health workers in the Emergency Room at the University Hospital of the West Indies with universal precautions. This was done by determining the knowledge, practices and perceptions of staff of universal precautions and by assessing compliance. Reported adherence with universal precautions was compared with observed practice. ⋯ The study revealed that compliance among staff in the Emergency Room with universal precautions was unsatisfactory. The need for education in this area was recognized.
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Pregnant female patients with vaginal bleeding in the first trimester are seen commonly in the Emergency Department (ED) at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), Kingston, Jamaica. The protocol for the management of these patients requires that they have a sonographic evaluation performed for the purpose of localizing the pregnancy where possible, to assist with determining the risk for an ectopic pregnancy. The ultrasound examinations are performed in the radiology department. ⋯ The majority of patients had sonographic findings that would have allowed safe and timely discharge from the Emergency Department had ultrasound been available at the point of care.