Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2007
Multicenter StudyImproving asthma discharge management in relation to emergency departments: The ADMIRE project.
The present paper describes the process, outcomes and lessons learned from a federally funded, multicentre action research project aimed at improving discharge practices for asthma patients who attend ED and are discharged home. Thirty-two ED participated and worked locally to improve discharge practices using previously published best-practice guidelines. Although they achieved some improvements, major barriers to best-practice discharge outside ED control were identified, including access to GP, hospital policies regarding supply of medications and access to appropriate asthma education. The ED developed some useful tools to assist with improving asthma management that have been compiled as a toolkit and are available online.
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Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialA double-blind, randomized trial of intravenous versus intramuscular antivenom for red-back spider envenoming.
To compare the efficacy of intravenous versus intramuscular antivenom (AV) in the treatment of Red-back spider (RBS) envenoming. ⋯ Red-back spider antivenom was initially effective by both i.m. and i.v. routes. The study generates the hypothesis that at 24 h, significantly more patients are pain-free with i.v. administration. Definitive recommendations on the optimal route of administration of RBS AV await the results of further studies.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2004
Multicenter StudyIncorrect instruction in the use of the Valsalva manoeuvre for paroxysmal supra-ventricular tachycardia is common.
Success rates for the Valsalva manoeuvre (VM) in treatment of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) vary with performance technique. This study aimed to assess whether ED doctors instruct their patients to perform the recommended VM technique (supine position for 15 s). ⋯ Few ED doctors correctly instruct their patients in the VM technique recommended for management of SVT. Hence, maximal vagal tone and SVT conversion rates may not be achieved in many cases. The use of the recommended VM technique is encouraged.