Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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A short-cut review of the available medical literature was carried out to establish whether esmolol was an effective treatment for patients in cardiac arrest. After abstract review, two papers were found to answer this clinical question using the detailed search strategy. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. It is concluded that there is insufficient research addressing this question to know whether esmolol is a potential treatment for cardiac arrest.
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A voluntary State Government-led programme in Victoria, Australia 'Defibrillators for Sporting Clubs and Facilities Program' ran from 2015 to 2019, broadly aimed at increasing access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs), together with a greater number of community members trained for management of medical emergencies. This study aimed to understand whether participating sport clubs/facilities had successfully integrated an AED and medical planning with other club/facility safety practices, 12 months after delivery of the programme. ⋯ This study identified several challenges for community sport clubs/facilities in the implementation of an AED and medical planning programme, including where to store the AED, how to make its presence known to the community and how to integrate changes alongside other club/facility practices.
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A short-cut review of the available medical literature was carried out to establish the proportion of patients who self-report an allergy to penicillin have a true penicillin allergy. After abstract review, four papers were found to answer this clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. It is concluded that many adults who self-report a penicillin allergy are probably not allergic to penicillin antibiotics.
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Previous studies have shown that individuals overestimate the success of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while underestimating its morbidity. Although perceptions of CPR success affect medical care in the emergency department (ED), no ED-based studies have been done. ⋯ Consistent with prior studies, individuals overestimate the success rate of CPR. Healthcare experience does not appear to mitigate optimism about CPR, and individuals overwhelmingly want CPR for themselves. Though few had talked about CPR with a medical provider, most wanted to have informed decision-making conversations. Such discussions could help patients obtain a more realistic view of CPR outcomes.
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Telehealth or using technology for a remote medical encounter has become an efficient solution for safe patient care during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or COVID-19 pandemic. This medium allows patient immediate healthcare access without the need for an in-person visit. ⋯ JeffConnect, the acute care telehealth programme, was expanded to increase staffing from a standing staff of 37-187 doctors within 72 hours. Telehealth care clinicians primarily trained in emergency medicine, internal medicine and family medicine followed a patient decision pathway to risk stratify patients into three groups: home quarantine no testing, home quarantine with outpatient COVID-19 testing and referral for in-person evaluation in the ED, for symptomatic and potentially unstable patients.