Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2019
ReviewManagement of abnormal observations in the emergency department: A review.
To assess utility and accuracy of general observation modified early warning score charts; and compare sensitivity and specificity of single- and multiple-parameter-based trigger scores on patient outcomes in the ED. ⋯ This study highlights serious deficiencies in documentation of abnormal parameters and emergency response. It has also shown poor accuracy of both single- and multiple-parameter-based trigger scores in predicting patient outcomes within the ED. However, single-parameter-based trigger scores are twice as sensitive as total Modified Early Warning Score for admission and reduces documentation error by 23%.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2019
Comparative StudyExtended-release quetiapine overdose is associated with delayed onset of toxicity compared to immediate-release quetiapine overdose.
There are currently no studies comparing toxicity after extended-release (XR) and immediate-release (IR) quetiapine overdose. To compare the time course of toxicity of XR and IR quetiapine overdose. ⋯ XR quetiapine overdoses without sedating co-ingestants were associated with a doubling of time to peak sedation and pulse, and had longer recovery from sedation. The absence of sedation or tachycardia 12 h post-overdose of XR quetiapine seems a reasonable timeframe to rule out significant poisoning.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2019
Multicenter Study Observational StudyAccuracy of clinician gestalt in diagnosing appendicitis in children presenting to the emergency department.
Abdominal pain is a common paediatric presentation to the ED. Accurate diagnosis of acute appendicitis is challenging, with the best-performing clinical scoring systems having sensitivities between 72% and 100%. The aim of this study is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of clinician gestalt according to seniority in diagnosing paediatric acute appendicitis in ED. ⋯ The diagnostic accuracy of ED clinician gestalt in paediatric appendicitis is comparable to current clinical scoring systems irrespective of seniority.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2019
Affecting emergency department oxycodone discharge prescribing: An educational intervention.
To describe the impact of an educational intervention for ED prescribers on discharge oxycodone prescribing both for the number of oxycodone prescriptions per 1000 discharged patients, and the number of tablets per prescription. Secondary outcomes included the quality of general practitioner communication. ⋯ An ED prescriber-targeted intervention reduced overall prescribing of oxycodone and improved communication at discharge. The prescribing intervention is one strategy that may be used by ED medical staff to improve patient safety and opioid stewardship in Australia.