International journal of emergency medicine
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The use and interpretation of electrocardiograms (ECGs) are widely accepted as an essential core skill in Emergency Medicine. It is imperative that emergency physicians are expert in ECG interpretation when they exit their training programme. ⋯ In this prospective cross-sectional study of Emergency Medicine residents and recently qualified emergency physicians, we found that there was improvement in the interpretation of ECGs with increased seniority. There exists, however, a low level of accuracy for many of the critical ECG diagnoses. The average score of 46.4% obtained in this study is lower than the scores obtained by other international studies from countries where Emergency Medicine is a well-established speciality.
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There is a critical and growing need for emergency physicians and emergency medicine resources worldwide. To meet this need, physicians must be trained to deliver time-sensitive interventions and life-saving emergency care. Currently, there is no internationally recognized, standard curriculum that defines the basic minimum standards for emergency medicine education. ⋯ It is not designed to be prescriptive, but to assist educators and emergency medicine leadership in advancing physician education in basic emergency medicine content. The content would be relevant, not just for communities with mature emergency medicine systems, but also for developing nations or for nations seeking to expand emergency medicine within current educational structures. We anticipate that there will be wide variability in how this curriculum is implemented and taught, reflecting the existing educational milieu, the resources available, and the goals of the institutions' educational leadership.
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Capnometry measures carbon dioxide in expired air and provides the clinician with a noninvasive measure of the systemic metabolism, circulation and ventilation. This study was carried out on patients with acute breathlessness to define the utility and role of capnometry in the emergency department. ⋯ This study shows that ETCO(2) can be used to predict the PaCO(2) level when the difference between the PaCO(2) and ETCO(2) is between 2 to 6 mmHg, especially in cases of pure acidosis and hypocapnia. Using ETCO(2) to predict PaCO(2) should be done with caution, especially in cases that involve pulmonary disorders and acid-base imbalance.
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Disaster medicine education is an enormous challenge, but indispensable for disaster preparedness. ⋯ The curriculum offers medical disaster education in a reasonable time frame, interdisciplinary format, and multi-experiential course. It can serve as a template for basic medical student disaster education. Because of its comprehensive but flexible structure, it should also be helpful for other health-care professional student disaster education programs.
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To quantify injuries in children that result from toppled televisions. ⋯ Falling TVs may cause significant morbidity and mortality in children particularly those younger than 3 years old. Head and facial injuries are the most common body region involved and traumatic brain injury is the major cause of death.