Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Ambulance ramping, the delay to transfer of a patient arriving at an ED by ambulance into an ED treatment space and handover of care to ED clinicians, is a problem in all Australian states and territories and New Zealand. It is a symptom of ED overcrowding and access block and has been associated with adverse health outcomes for some patient groups. The questions arise, who might be legally responsible for the care of patients who are ramped and does their physical location matter? The short answers are 'everyone' and 'no', however, whether there will be a breach of duty depends on the reasonableness of responses and resource allocation considerations.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2025
Historical ArticleAdvanced Paediatric Life Support: A 25-year journey in Australia.
Over twenty-five years ago the first Advanced Paediatric Life Support (APLS) course was held in Australia. Through the lens of quality culture in educational organisations, we can identify factors which have underpinned the evolution, sustainability and success of this course.
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The three-step programme to treat locum addiction locum dependency in rural EDs is a pervasive issue, leading to significant financial strain and impacting clinical care and staff morale. This article outlines a three-step programme to mitigate this dependency. ⋯ Step three emphasises the role of individual hospitals in effective recruitment, highlighting the benefits of rural living and the potential of NPs to provide departmental continuity and reduce turnover. These reforms, although independent, collectively aim to enhance the quality of care in rural EDs and optimise resource allocation.