Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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We sought to quantify knowledge and attitudes regarding automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among university students. We also aimed to determine awareness of the location of an actual AED on campus. ⋯ This study found that most students at an American university can identify CPR and AEDs, but do not understand their basic mechanisms of action or are willing to perform CPR or use AEDs unassisted. Recent CPR/AED training and 9-1-1 assistance increases comfort. The most common fear reported was incorrect CPR or AED use. Almost all students could not recall where an AED was located in a student centre.
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Computed tomography (CT) is becoming increasingly popular as a primary imaging modality in adult trauma patients. This study aims to examine the added value of thoracic CT (TCT) in the context of paediatric trauma. ⋯ This study indicates a need for a comprehensive guideline for imaging in paediatric trauma, where the use of TCT is limited to specific patients, especially in view of the health implications that CT poses and source of financial burden for the NHS.
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Redbridge Tackling Knife Crime Programme was an initiative run between Redbridge Safer Communities Partnership, a London-based police force and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospital Trust. It comprised of data collection resulting in the analysis of types of assault, locations, demographics of both assailant and victim and were police informed. Domestic violence (DV) was identified as a category of assault. The inspiration came from the 1996 'Cardiff-model'-the Violence Prevention Group shared ED assault data with its police force. The outcome led to enhanced effectiveness of the police in managing alcohol-related violence. The TKAP aim is it identify DV locations and patterns, otherwise unknown to police by improved intelligence gathered through ED data. As a result police deployment can reflect areas of need and allow police to compare their own figures allowing a more informed service for DV victims. ⋯ will be used to implement police enforcement activities and prevention work, hence improving safe-guarding.
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Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in childhood causes long term neurodisability and death, though early neurosurgical intervention may improve outcome. Primary transfer to a neurosurgical centre reduces the time from initial Emergency Department arrival to performance of time critical procedures. Paediatric trauma and neurosurgery services in England have recently undergone reconfiguration. To assist pre-hospital clinicians in determining the most suitable destination for an injured child a number of trauma triage tools have been developed. We aimed to assess the performance of these tools in identifying children with severe TBI. ⋯ None of the existing paediatric pre-hospital trauma triage tools perform adequately in identifying severe TBI. Given the incidence of severe TBI in this population, and the benefits of appropriate disposition, any such tools subsequently derived should pay particular attention to their performance in regard to severe TBI with particular focus on optimising under triage rates.
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No specific early warning score universally validated for use in all children presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) exists. POPS is a novel aggregate scoring system, designed for ED use. ⋯ POPS is a useful tool to predict the admission likelihood from the ED. POPS≥2 correctly predicts 50% of children who should be admitted and 85% of children who should be discharged. Multi-centre validation would help to refine POPS, increasing its sensitivity and specificity to admission likelihood, to improve the safety of discharge decisions and healthcare resource utilisation.