Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2024
ReviewReview article: Telehealth in Emergency Medicine in Australasia: Advantages and barriers.
The COVID-19 pandemic catapulted Telehealth to the forefront of Emergency Medicine (EM) as an alternative way of assessing and managing patients. This challenged the traditional idea that EM can only be practised within brick-and-mortar EDs. Many Emergency Physicians may find the idea of practising Telehealth in Emergency Medicine (TEM) confronting, particularly in the absence of training and clear practice guidelines. The purpose of the present paper is to describe the current use of TEM in Australasia, and outline the advantages and barriers in adopting this practice domain.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2024
ReviewReview article: Abdominal pain and diabetes mellitus in the emergency department.
This manuscript seeks to describe diagnostic considerations in individuals with diabetes mellitus presenting to the ED with abdominal pain. It highlights the importance of early investigation with computerised tomography to differentiate aetiologies that compel early surgical intervention from those which may be treated conservatively.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2024
Multicenter StudyManagement of primary spontaneous pneumothorax: Did practice change after a landmark multicentre study?
To compare management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) before and after the completion of multicentre study which showed non-inferiority of conservative compared to interventional treatment for PSP. ⋯ Intervention for management of PSP is less frequent, suggesting adoption and implementation of best evidence.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2024
Observational StudyCellulitis in the Emergency Department: A prospective cohort study with patient-centred follow-up.
There is substantial practice variation in the management of cellulitis with limited prospective studies describing the course of cellulitis after diagnosis. We aimed to describe the demographics, clinical features (erythema, warmth, swelling and pain), patient-reported disease trajectory and medium-term follow-up for ED patients with cellulitis. ⋯ A clinical response of cellulitis features can be expected at day 3 with ongoing slower improvement over time. Over one third of patients had erythema or swelling at day 14. Patients are less likely than clinicians to deem their cellulitis cured at day 14. Future research should include parallel patient and clinician evaluation of cellulitis to help develop clearer definitions of treatment failure and cure.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2024
Clinical significance of an elevated on-admission beta-hydroxybutyrate in acutely ill adult patients without diabetes.
To determine the relationship between point-of-care β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentration and outcomes in adult patients without diabetes admitted through ED. ⋯ Routine BHB measurement in patients without diabetes does not add to clinical bedside assessment and use should be limited to when required to confirm a clinical impression.