Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Multicenter Study
The evolution of the emergency care practitioner role in England: experiences and impact.
The emergency care practitioner (ECP) is a generic practitioner who combines extended nursing and paramedic skills. The "new" role emerged out of changing workforce initiatives intended to improve staff career opportunities in the National Health Service and ensure that patients' health needs are assessed appropriately. ⋯ Indications are that the ECP schemes are moving forward in line with original objectives and could be having a significant impact on the emergency services workload.
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To evaluate the introduction of a focussed assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) scan into the early assessment of trauma patients in the UK. ⋯ FAST is a highly specific "rule in" technique and is useful in the initial assessment of trauma patients. Emergency physicians can perform FAST after a brief training period.
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A significant number of emergency department (ED) patients in Japan may be affected by mental health problems leading to attempted suicide. This retrospective descriptive study aimed to explore mental health service needs in a Japanese medical centre ED. ⋯ Approximately 38% (95% CI 35.8 to 39.9) of patients presenting to an ED could be affected by mental health problems.