Journal of accident & emergency medicine
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To benchmark current practice in the management of adult patients presenting with seizures to the accident and emergency (A&E) departments by performing a comparative interdepartmental audit. To assess the quality and degree of completeness of documentation in A&E records and to develop a proforma for the documentation of any case presenting with a seizure which would incorporate management guidelines for use by A&E doctors. ⋯ Wide interdepartmental variation exists in both the quality of information recorded in A&E records and in the management of patients. Deficiencies could be minimised and potential improvements in the quality of documentation might be achieved by the introduction of a structured proforma incorporating pre-defined management guidelines.
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To emphasise the value of computed tomography even in the absence of symptoms in a case of penetrating injury of the upper eyelid. ⋯ Computed tomography of orbit and brain is an important investigation, even in seemingly trivial eyelid injury, to reveal the full extent of the damage.
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To evaluate activities of a nurse led minor injuries unit based in a community hospital situated eight miles away from its sister district hospital in Crawley to demonstrate whether nurses can provide an alternative service. ⋯ With careful planning, adequate supervision, and support from multidisciplinary teams nurses can provide a worthwhile and effective service for a local community.
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(1) To establish the proportion of blood cultures that yield a positive microbiological culture. (2) To determine what proportion of blood cultures taken in the emergency department impact on patient management. (3) To develop guidelines for the appropriate ordering of blood cultures from patients in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Blood cultures taken in the ED rarely yield positive cultures. Only 1.6% of blood cultures taken in the ED impact on management of patients. Simple strategies could reduce the number of blood cultures ordered with little prospect of patient compromise.