Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Multicentre prospective observational study to evaluate healthcare impacts of e-scooters on emergency departments.
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Ambulance services need to identify and prioritise patients with sepsis for early hospital assessment. We aimed to determine the accuracy of early warning scores alongside paramedic diagnostic impression to identify sepsis that required urgent treatment. ⋯ No strategy is ideal but using NEWS2 alongside paramedic diagnostic impression of infection or sepsis could identify one-third to half of sepsis cases without prioritising unmanageable numbers. No other score provided clearly superior accuracy to NEWS2.
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In-hospital alcohol testing provides an opportunity to implement prevention strategies for patients with high risk of experiencing repeated alcohol-related injuries. However, barriers to alcohol testing in emergency settings can prevent patients from being tested. In this study, we aimed to understand potential biases in current data on the completion of blood alcohol tests for major trauma patients at hospitals in Victoria, Australia. ⋯ Biases in the collection of blood alcohol data likely impact the surveillance of alcohol-related injuries. Routine alcohol testing after major trauma is needed to accurately inform epidemiology and the subsequent implementation of strategies for reducing alcohol-related injuries.
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Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a spinal emergency that can be challenging to identify from among the many patients presenting to EDs with low back and/or radicular leg pain. This article presents a practical guide to the assessment and early management of patients with suspected CES as well as an up-to-date review of the most important studies in this area that should inform clinical practice in the ED.