The Australian and New Zealand journal of surgery
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Comparative Study
Australian disaster triage: a colour maze in the Tower of Babel.
The objective of this study was to review the systems of disaster triage used by Australian State and Territory ambulance services and compare their triage taxonomy, methodology and documentation with the Australian Council on Health Care Standard's (ACHCS) National Triage Scale, which is used in all Australian hospital emergency departments. ⋯ The multiplicity of triage systems used within Australia will result in avoidable confusion, thus hindering the medical response to an MCI, especially for incidents near State or Territory borders. There is little evidence to support the continued use of triage tags. Australia needs to develop a uniform system of patient triage as a national priority.
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Despite the evolution, expansion and popularity of emergency medicine as a medical specialty in the United Kingdom (UK), emergency departments are still primarily staffed by senior house officers (second and third year graduates), particularly at weekends and at night. ⋯ The present study discusses possible reasons for this and offers constructive solutions to the problem. Although the matters discussed in this study refer to UK medical practice, they may be of relevance and interest to Australasian practitioners. Is EMST in Australasia training the appropriate group of doctors?
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Trauma in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a major reason for acute hospital admission. The Early Management of Severe Trauma Course (EMST) of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons was introduced to PNG in 1993 to help in trauma education. ⋯ The introduction of EMST to PNG has proven to be a worthwhile endeavour and the program is now firmly established in PNG.