Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Randomized Controlled Trial
An initiative to provide emergency healthcare for older people in the community: the impact on carers.
The increase in the size and age of the UK older population has had a major effect on emergency services. Many older people will visit the emergency department but not necessarily require significant clinical intervention. The Paramedic Practitioner in Older People's Support (PPOPS) scheme was set up to provide community-based clinical assessment of older patients contacting the emergency services with minor acute conditions as an alternative approach to emergency department transfer. ⋯ The carers in the PPOPS group were more likely to report greater satisfaction with their impression of care and staff attitude and would prefer treatment at home for the patient than those in the emergency department group (p<0.001). A minor health event does impact on the life of a carer. However, community-based schemes, such as PPOPS, do not increase the burden on carers and have high levels of satisfaction among this important group of the community.
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Practice Guideline
Guidelines in Emergency Medicine Network (GEMNet): guideline for the management of tricyclic antidepressant overdose.
The Guidelines in Emergency Medicine Network (GEMNet) has been created to promote best medical practice in a range of conditions presenting to emergency departments (EDs) in the UK. This guideline presents a summary of the best available evidence to guide the management of adult patients who present to the ED following an overdose of tricyclic antidepressant agents (TCA). The document has been developed following discussion among emergency physicians to decide which topics would benefit from the development of clinical guidelines. ⋯ The document is summarised as a clinical decision support guideline that has been presented as an easy to follow algorithm. The intention is for each guideline to be updated and reviewed as further evidence becomes available. The formal revision date has been set at 5 years from publication, although the guideline is subject to continuous informal review.