Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
-
Currently, there is no internationally recognised, standard curriculum that defines the basic minimum standards for emergency medicine education. To address this, the International Federation for Emergency Medicine convened a committee of international experts in emergency medicine and international emergency medicine development to outline a global curriculum for medical students in emergency medicine. ⋯ The content is relevant not just for communities with mature emergency medicine systems, but also for developing nations or for nations seeking to expand emergency medicine within current educational structures. It is anticipated that there will be wide variability in how this curriculum is implemented and taught, reflecting the existing educational milieu, the resources available and the goals of the institutions' educational leadership.
-
Paediatric head injury is a common presentation to emergency departments (ED), and the 2007 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence head injury guidelines included a paediatric section to deal with this. This is based on the Children's Head Injury Algorithm for the Prediction of Important Clinical Events (CHALICE) head injury rule. To date, no studies have examined the impact of the guideline on ED resources. ⋯ The cost effect of an extra 21 CT scans per annum is estimated at £3570. This is offset against a potential cost saving on admissions of £10 450. The neoplasia risks of increased scanning are also discussed. Problems in this study were the preference for admission over scanning in children who qualified for scan under both guidelines and absent data from clinical records. Further work could include a prospective study of the guideline.
-
All emergency departments (EDs) should be adequately equipped and prepared to deal with unexpected neonatal deliveries and resuscitation. A study was undertaken to determine what neonatal resuscitation equipment is available in EDs in the UK and to formulate recommendations for improvement. ⋯ There is a good level of provision of neonatal resuscitation equipment in UK EDs, although certain areas need to be addressed. There is a particular need for improving the provision of warming and advanced airway equipment. The authors consider that it is not necessary to have a neonatal Resuscitaire in the ED provided other equipment is readily available. The findings of this survey prompt the recommendation that all EDs should review their neonatal resuscitation equipment in accordance with APLS guidance, and ensure that staff have immediate access to this equipment and are comfortable with its use.
-
The Australian healthcare system at all levels is under increasing pressure. The Australian paramedic discipline has seen a remarkable change in a number of areas including education, training, healthcare identity and clinical practice, particularly over the past three decades. Preparing future healthcare graduates for these expected changes therefore requires careful alignment of graduate attributes to core curriculum. ⋯ It is critical that empirically-based paramedic graduate attributes are developed and agreed upon by both the industry and teaching institutions. Until this occurs, the national standardisation, accreditation and benchmarking of Australian paramedic education programmes will not be possible.