Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Despite sustained high vaccination coverage and a national guideline by the Health Council (HC-guideline) on tetanus postexposure prophylaxis (T-PEP), tetanus sporadically occurs in the Netherlands. This study aims to assess the added value of a bedside test for tetanus immunity (Tetanos Quick Stick (TQS); Ingen BioSciences Group, France), in the context of routine T-PEP in two adult cohorts: those born before introduction of tetanus toxoid vaccination in the National Immunization Programme (NIP) in 1957 (pre-NIP-cohort; n=196) and those born after (NIP-cohort; n=405). ⋯ Use of the TQS would allow better targeting of T-PEP. Furthermore, stricter adherence to the HC-guideline can prevent overimmunisation and decrease the risk of tetanus.
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Policies addressing ED crowding have failed to incorporate the public's perspectives; engaging the public in such policies is needed. ⋯ These findings suggest that the general public may be open to flexible models of emergency care. The jury provided clear recommendations for direct public input to guide health policy to tackle ED crowding.
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Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) therapy is widely used for the management of acute respiratory failure. The objective of this study was to investigate the current use of NIV during interhospital retrievals in an Australian physician-led aeromedical service. ⋯ With careful patient selection, the use of interhospital NIV is feasible and appears to be safe in a retrieval system with care provided by a critical care physician.