Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2025
Supporting clinicians post exposure to potentially traumatic events: Emergency department peer support program evaluation.
Workers in EDs are regularly exposed to potentially traumatic events. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been exponential interest in peer support programs (PSPs) in a range of settings. We describe a PSP implemented in 2017 at University Hospital Geelong (UHG) ED together with results of a survey. ⋯ ED Doctors place high value on the PSP.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2025
Expert consensus on serratus anterior plane block education and credentialing: A modified-Delphi study.
The serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) is a regional anaesthesia technique with increasing use as an analgesic adjunct in patients with rib fractures. The present study aimed to generate consensus of the requirements of education, training and credentialing for the use of a 'single shot' SAPB in the management of rib fractures. ⋯ This series of expert statements provides consensus on the education, training and credentialling of the SAPB for the management of rib fractures. These serve as the minimum standard by which this procedure should be taught while providing clinicians with a syllabus for the development of training programmes.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2025
Prisoners in the emergency department: Lessons from a recent inquest.
The recent coronial finding in Victoria into the death of Joshua (Josh) Kerr highlights some of the challenges of treating patients who are in custody and under the supervision of custodial staff (prison officers or police) in the ED. Issues include ED clinicians' duty of care, roles and responsibilities of ED staff and custodial staff and the need for processes that facilitate collaboration and communication between ED clinicians and custodial staff.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2025
Skeletal radiograph interpretation discrepancies in the emergency department setting: A retrospective chart review.
To determine the frequency and clinical consequences of discrepancies in skeletal radiograph interpretation between emergency and radiology doctors in an Australian ED. ⋯ The rate of clinically significant discrepancies in the interpretation of skeletal radiographs by emergency medicine doctors is low. This data support using the ED interpretation of radiographs to guide initial management as safe practice.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2025
Observational StudyWhat they did next: Using follow-up phone calls to investigate health care access patterns of patients who take their own leave.
The purpose of the present study was to use telephone follow-up (TFU) to investigate the actions taken by patients after they took their own leave (TOL) from an ED, with a focus on priority groups who are at risk of experiencing health inequity. These included people experiencing homelessness (EH), people with a low socioeconomic status by index of relative socioeconomic disadvantage (IRSD) and First Nations people. The primary outcome was being seen by a general practitioner (GP) within 2 days of the TOL event. The utility of the TFU was also examined. ⋯ Patients EH were less likely to receive GP care within 2 days of TOL. Improving the access and acceptability of health care in these priority groups is important for achieving health equity.