European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Cardiac arrest is associated with a poor outcome if cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is delayed. Nevertheless, CPR performance by laypersons in witnessed cardiac arrest is frequently poor. The present study evaluated the effect of a media campaign on CPR performance. ⋯ A simple and cost-efficient media campaign appears to enhance the performance of chest compressions. Ventilation performance and the rate of CPR performance were not increased by the campaign.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
ECG interpretation in Emergency Department residents: an update and e-learning as a resource to improve skills.
ECG interpretation is a pivotal skill to acquire during residency, especially for Emergency Department (ED) residents. Previous studies reported that ECG interpretation competency among residents was rather low. However, the optimal resource to improve ECG interpretation skills remains unclear. The aim of our study was to compare two teaching modalities to improve the ECG interpretation skills of ED residents: e-learning and lecture-based courses. ⋯ Our findings showed that the ECG interpretation was not optimal and that our e-learning program may be an effective tool for enhancing ECG interpretation skills among ED residents. A large European study should be carried out to evaluate ECG interpretation skills among ED residents before the implementation of ECG learning, including e-learning strategies, during ED residency.
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To investigate the demographic and service characteristics, motive for consultation, and disposition of adult frequent users (FUs) of the largest academic hospital in the Netherlands over a 5-year period. ⋯ Frequent use of the ED has been depicted as inappropriate use of these services. However, our study shows that FUs consist of a relatively small number of patients and that FUs suffer from chronic, and often, severe somatic illnesses that require specialized medical care.
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The aim of this study was to determine if emergency medicine specific triggers for completing an incident form could be agreed and if a common definition for contributory factors could be achieved. Such definitions could be used to improve safety within the emergency department (ED) and share learning across the specialty. ⋯ The process demonstrated agreement amongst emergency physicians in the UK and Ireland on the type of events that should be formally reported. The lists emerging from this process should not be viewed as exhaustive; rather they should be used to encourage the reporting of incidents and designing safer systems and processes within the ED.
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Until recently, traumatic cardiac arrest (tCA) was believed to be associated with high mortality and low survival rates. New data suggest better outcomes. The most common error in tCA management is failing to treat a tension pneumothorax (TP). In the prehospital setting, we prefer thoracostomies for decompressing a potential TP in tCA cases; however, interventions can only be recommended with adequate information on their results. Therefore, we reviewed the results of thoracostomies performed by our Helicopter Emergency Medical Service. ⋯ The outcomes of patients with tCA who underwent prehospital thoracostomy were poor in our group. The early identification of TP and strict algorithm adherence in tCA may improve outcomes. In the future, to reduce the risk of unnecessary thoracic interventions in tCA, ultrasound examination may be useful to identify TP before thoracic decompression.