Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Abuse of ambulance services is high, and there is concern among healthcare professionals that misuse of ambulances places stress on services, which may jeopardise patient care. This study aims to determine the proportion of people who correctly identify appropriate situations to call for an ambulance, and determine the characteristics of those most likely to call inappropriately. ⋯ The majority would call for an ambulance appropriately when a real emergency occurred, and most inappropriate classification occurs when an ambulance is not required.
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This paper investigates the literature regarding the impact of shift work on prehospital emergency providers. While the issue of shift work has been thoroughly investigated in other health disciplines, this is not the case for the paramedic discipline, particularly in the Australian context. ⋯ Shift work can affect health and well-being on a variety of levels, both physiologically and psychologically, affecting aspects of work and personal life. Further research is warranted to prevent the issues of patient safety, work-related fatigue and the cumulative effects of shift work.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Slow infusion metoclopramide does not affect the improvement rate of nausea while reducing akathisia and sedation incidence.
To compare the effects of metoclopramide infusion in emergency department (ED) patients complaining of nausea to determine the changes in its therapeutic effect and prevention of side effects such as akathisia and sedation. ⋯ Even though slowing the rate of infusion of metoclopramide does not affect the rate of improvement in nausea, it may be an effective strategy for reducing the incidence of akathisia and sedation in patients with nausea.