Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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The SADPERSONS Scale is commonly used as a screening tool for suicide risk in those who have self-harmed. It is also used to determine psychiatric treatment needs in those presenting to emergency departments. To date, there have been relatively few studies exploring the utility of SADPERSONS in this context. ⋯ For the purposes of suicide prevention, a low false negative rate is essential. SADPERSONS failed to identify the majority of those either requiring psychiatric admission or community psychiatric aftercare, or to predict repetition of self-harm. The scale should not be used to screen self-harm patients presenting to general hospitals. Greater emphasis should be placed on clinical assessment which takes account of the individual and dynamic nature of risk assessment.
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The aim of this study was to explore women's attitudes to precordial electrode placement and 12-lead ECG acquisition in the emergency medical service setting. ⋯ The majority of participants preferred electrode placement on the breast and would consent to ECG acquisition irrespective of the gender of the operator. It is possible that paramedics are more concerned with the acceptability of acquiring an ECG than women are themselves.
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Review Meta Analysis
The impact of new prehospital practitioners on ambulance transportation to the emergency department: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the impact of new prehospital practitioners (NPPs), including emergency care practitioners (EmCPs), paramedic practitioners and extended care paramedics (ECPs), on ambulance transportation to the emergency department (ED). ⋯ The NPP schemes reduced transport to the ED; however, the appropriateness of the decision of the NPPs and the safety of patients were not well supported by the reported studies.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Prediction of unsuccessful treatment in patients with severe acute asthma.
Clinical assessment can be used to identify which patients with acute asthma are at risk of unsuccessful initial treatment. ⋯ PEFR, heart rate and other serious illnesses are the best predictors of unsuccessful treatment, but models based on these variables provide modest predictive value.