Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2021
Multicultural presentation of chest pain at an emergency department in Australia.
To investigate differences in presenting patient characteristics, investigation, management and related outcomes between culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and non-CALD chest pain (CP) patients presenting to the ED. ⋯ Both CALD and non-CALD ED CP patients had similar test ordering, medication administration and clinical outcomes, but this was in the context of CALD patients being 10 years older together with a small study sample size. A larger cohort, matched for age, would provide further insights into potentially important differences.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2021
Advanced natural language processing technique to predict patient disposition based on emergency triage notes.
To demonstrate the potential of machine learning and capability of natural language processing (NLP) to predict disposition of patients based on triage notes in the ED. ⋯ Machine learning and NLP can be together applied to the ED triage note to predict patient disposition with a high level of accuracy. The algorithm can potentially assist ED clinicians in early identification of patients requiring admission by mitigating the cognitive load, thus optimises resource allocation in EDs.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2021
Providing emergency medical care without consent: How the 'emergency principle' in Australian law protects against claims of trespass.
In a medical emergency, the usual requirement to obtain consent before giving treatment does not apply. This exception to the general rule on consent to medical treatment is known as the 'emergency principle'. ⋯ For example, whether a practitioner would ever be obliged to seek consent from a substitute decision-maker before providing emergency treatment is not clearly or consistently explained. We suggest the law should be clarified.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2021
Assessment of the availability and utility of the paramedic record in the emergency department.
Clinical handover between pre-hospital ambulance service and the ED is important for patient safety and quality care. This study assessed the availability and utility of the paramedic record to ED clinicians in their patient assessment. ⋯ The information in the paramedic record was found to be useful to ED clinicians when it was available. Increasing the availability of the paramedic record for ED clinical assessment may be an opportunity to improve patient safety and flow.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2021
Emergency Department presentations in the Southern District of New Zealand during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
To assess changes in presentations to EDs during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in the Southern Region of New Zealand. ⋯ Within the SDHB, patient volumes reduced during levels 4 and 3 of our lockdown, with reduced low-acuity presentations. High-acuity patient numbers also declined. Trauma, mental health, alcohol-related, infectious respiratory and acute coronary syndrome presentations declined while cerebrovascular accident and appendicitis numbers showed little to no change.