Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
-
Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2023
Mental health emergency presentations across the Barwon South West region in Victoria, Australia: An epidemiological investigation.
To examine mental health emergency presentations across the Barwon South West, Victoria, Australia - an area comprising a range of urban and rural localities. ⋯ Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders and mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use were the most frequent types of presentations recorded across the sample. RAHDaR represented a small but meaningful contribution to the data.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2023
Introduction of QScript real-time prescription monitoring system was associated with a fall in pregabalin poisoning presentations to a clinical toxicology unit.
To investigate the impact of QScript implementation on pregabalin-related poisoning presentations to the ED. ⋯ The introduction of QScript was associated with a reduction in pregabalin-related poisoning presentations.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2023
Characteristics of paediatric pre-hospital intubation by Intensive Care Paramedics.
Emergency intubation in children is an infrequent procedure both in the pre-hospital and hospital setting. The anatomical, physiological and situational challenges together with limited clinician exposure can make this a difficult procedure with high risk of adverse events. The aim of this collaborative study between a state-wide ambulance service and a tertiary children's hospital was to describe the characteristics of pre-hospital paediatric intubations by Intensive Care Paramedics. ⋯ Pre-hospital intubation in children is performed infrequently in an extremely unwell patient group. Continued high-level paramedic training is required to prevent adverse events and ensure patient safety.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2023
Emergency short stay area improves access and flow in a rural hospital.
Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital is a rural (MM3) 150-bed hospital in Nowra, New South Wales, whose ED has evolved to a FACEM-led model of care (MOC). It has never had an emergency short stay area (ESSA). The objective of the present study was to pilot an ESSA and determine whether this MOC would increase the operational performance of the ED. ⋯ The introduction of the ESSA significantly improved the ETP of admitted patients. Ongoing refinement of the ESSA admission processes, as well as the lifting of certain COVID-19 restrictions, could show even greater improvements in this and other areas. Ongoing research in this field is necessary, as well as a more detailed cost-benefit analysis.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2023
Evolving swabbing practices for COVID-19 in a New Zealand emergency department during the early stages of an emerging pandemic.
To review if tests for suspected COVID-19 were performed according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) case definitions, identify patterns associated with testing outside of the case definition, and discuss the potential impacts on hospital services. ⋯ There were associations found between testing outside of criteria and specific variables potentially perceived as high-risk. Poor alignment of testing with case definitions can impact hospital services through the (mis)use of limited laboratory testing capacity and implications for resource management. Improved communication and feedback between clinicians and policymakers may improve case definition implementation in a clinical setting.