The New Zealand medical journal
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To analyse the clinical and operational indications for activating the Wellington Life Flight helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) against draft Ministry of Health (MOH) criteria. ⋯ Wellington HEMS offers advantage over the road ambulance when dispatched and utilised appropriately. The majority of missions satisfied the MOH activation criteria but time-saving issues became apparent. Changes to the Helicopter Dispatch Flowchart have been proposed as a result. Further studies are required to assess any improvement in HEMS response times as the service develops. This data provides a benchmark for audits of future operational and clinical performance.
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To measure emergency physicians' awareness, acceptance, access to and application of the Australasian Paracetamol Overdose Guidelines. ⋯ The application of poisons information guidelines by front-line medical staff is limited; innovative approaches to improve adherence to clinical management recommendations need to be considered.