Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
-
Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2024
Presence of alcohol and other drug use within youth mental health presentations to the emergency department: A single-site retrospective observational study.
Youth mental health is a growing issue, which can be worsened by alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. The present study aimed to characterise the association of AOD use in youth presenting to an ED with a mental health crisis. ⋯ In New Zealand, it is not legal to sell alcohol to persons under 18 years; however, this was the most commonly identified drug impacting on youth mental health presentations. There is a known association between alcohol use and adverse mental health symptoms; therefore, efforts to decrease access to alcohol in this age group must continue, and harm reduction interventions to reduce clinically significant overdoses recommended.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2024
Nine recommendations for the emergency department for patients presenting with low back pain based on management and post-discharge outcomes in an Australian, tertiary emergency department.
To ascertain and develop recommendations for analgesic management, discharge planning and further healthcare utilisation of adults presenting to an Australian tertiary ED with radicular or low back pain (LBP). ⋯ ED presentations for LBP were more often treated pharmacologically than non-pharmacologically, with opioids commonly prescribed and NSAIDs potentially under-utilised. Post-discharge, additional investigations/referrals, discharge analgesia reductions and maintenance of non-pharmacological management were common. Opioid initiation as a result of LBP presentations, signifies a potential 'gateway' towards unintentional long-term use. Key study findings form our nine recommendations to inform ED LBP pain management.
-
To assess Australian and New Zealand emergency clinicians' attitudes towards the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in emergency medicine. ⋯ Emergency clinicians interviewed were generally optimistic about the use of AI in emergency medicine, so long as it is used as a decision support tool and they maintain the ability to override its recommendations.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2024
Evaluating the use of clinical decision aids in an Australian emergency department: A cross-sectional survey.
To identify healthcare professionals' knowledge, self-reported use, and documentation of clinical decision aids (CDAs) in a large ED in Australia, to identify behavioural determinants influencing the use of CDAs, and healthcare professionals preferences for integrating CDAs into the electronic medical record (EMR) system. ⋯ CDAs are used variably by healthcare professionals and are inconsistently applied in the clinical encounter. Preferences of healthcare professionals need to be considered to allow the successful integration of CDAs into the EMR.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Apr 2024
Are emergency departments leader identity workspaces? A qualitative study of emergency physicians.
Emergency medicine is a discipline with complex leadership demands, which are experienced by junior and senior emergency physicians alike. In this environment, emergency physicians can struggle to work out what it means to be a leader and develop professional identities as leaders, necessitating a leader identity workspace. The aim of the present study is to explore whether emergency physicians view their work environment as leader identity workspaces. ⋯ Our results suggest that neither EDs nor hospitals more generally exhibit the properties of, or are experienced by emergency physicians, as leader identity workspaces.