Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2021
Characteristics of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples attending Australian emergency departments.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients are overrepresented in Australian EDs. The present study aimed to assess their characteristics in utilising ED services at a national level. ⋯ This is the first national study looking at the characteristics of and reasons for presenting to Australian EDs for Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients. Our findings provide important insight into the potential factors affecting Indigenous patient care, and an impetus for ongoing research and advocacy work to improve the quality of emergency care provided to Indigenous Australians.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2021
Investigating the prevalence of intimate partner violence victimisation in women presenting to the emergency department in suicidal crisis.
To investigate the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and frequency of victimisation questioning by hospital staff in women presenting to EDs for suicide-related complaints and injuries. ⋯ Findings suggest a large proportion of women seeking support for suicide in the ED are affected by IPV, although few are asked about abuse experiences. Victimisation is associated with complex health issues and heightened mortality risk, which carry important implications for patient-care. Findings support routine ED screening and can be applied to stratify risk within IPV responses.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2021
Where are children seen in Australian emergency departments? Implications for research efforts.
With most paediatric emergency research in Australia conducted at tertiary EDs, it is important to understand how presentations differ between those at tertiary paediatric EDs and all other EDs. ⋯ The present study identified key areas of difference in paediatric presentations between tertiary paediatric EDs and other EDs. It is vital to broaden paediatric ED research beyond tertiary paediatric centres, to ensure relevance and generalisability.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2021
ReviewReview article: Paramedic pain management of femur fractures in the prehospital setting: A systematic review.
Femur shaft and neck of femur (NOF) fractures are often undertreated in the prehospital setting. These injuries can present unique clinical and logistical concerns in the prehospital setting. This systematic review aimed to investigate paramedic prehospital pain management of patients who had suffered NOF or femur fractures, and to investigate which interventions are effective. ⋯ Alternative analgesics such as auricular acupressure, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and fascia iliaca compartment block were found to be effective techniques that could be safely and competently employed by paramedics, reducing pain for patients with limited adverse events. NOF and femur shaft fractures are an undertreated injury in the prehospital setting. Traction splinting and IV analgesia remain the traditional methodologies of treatment for these injuries; however, there are alternatives such as TENS, auricular acupressure and fascia iliaca compartment block that appear to be emerging as safe and effective options for the prehospital setting.