Articles: emergency-services.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jul 2024
Multicenter StudyService provision for Frailty in European Emergency Departments (FEED): a survey of operational characteristics.
The observational Frailty in European Emergency Departments (FEED) study found 40% of older people attending for care to be living with frailty. Older people with frailty have poorer outcomes from emergency care. Current best practice calls for early identification of frailty and holistic multidisciplinary assessment. This survey of FEED sites explores variations in frailty-attuned service definitions and provision. ⋯ This survey demonstrated variability in case definitions, screening practices, and frailty-attuned service provision. There is no unanimous definition for older age, and while the Clinical Frailty Scale was commonly used, this was rarely mandated or captured in electronic records. Frailty services were often unavailable overnight. Appreciation of the variation in frailty service models could inform operational configuration and workforce development.
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Psychiatric conditions are one of the leading non-battle injury diseases resulting in medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) from combat environments. The challenge of limited MEDEVAC capability necessitating prolonged field care in future large-scale combat operations must be addressed. Therefore, a robust program is needed to address frontline care of behavioral health (BH), maximizing service members returning to duty and minimizing MEDEVAC. This review summarizes the literature on the impacts of the Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing (EmPATH) Unit program as a solution to the challenges of treating behavioral health in future wars. ⋯ This is the first literature review to consider EmPATH units for psychiatric prolonged field care based on its advantages demonstrated in the civilian sector. Studies have yet to be done on EmPATH units' usefulness in the military, showing a knowledge gap in current evidence supporting its suitability. Thus, this review recommends further studies of EmPATH units in military settings, especially prolonged field care environments.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparing intravenous lidocaine and pethidine for pain management in emergency department patients with femoral bone fracture: a randomized controlled trial.
Intravenous lidocaine has shown promise as an effective analgesic in various clinical settings, but its utility for pain management in emergency departments, especially for bone fractures, remains relatively understudied. ⋯ The administration of intravenous lidocaine is beneficial for managing pain in femoral bone fractures, suggesting that lidocaine could be a potent alternative to opioids.