Articles: emergency-services.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2025
Low-acuity emergency department presentation characteristics and their association with Medicare-subsidised general practitioner services across New South Wales: A data linkage study.
Identify clinical and demographic characteristics of low-acuity presentations (LAPs) to the ED and analyse correlations between population rates of LAPs to ED and rates of Medicare-subsidised general practitioner (GP) services across statistical areas. ⋯ A relationship between LAPs to ED and Medicare-subsidised GP episodes of care exists for non-metropolitan but not metropolitan areas.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2025
Children exposed to family and domestic violence perpetrated against their mother are at an increased risk of emergency department attendance in childhood.
To determine the association between family and domestic violence (FDV) exposure and ED attendance in Australian children. ⋯ Exposure to FDV is associated with an increased risk of ED attendance in childhood. The findings add to the limited literature providing further support that FDV exposure impacts children's health service utilisation and further supports that children's exposure to FDV as an area of public health concern. Attendance at the ED presents an opportunity for intervention.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2025
Somatic symptom and related disorders in a tertiary paediatric hospital: Characteristics of ED use prior to admission.
Somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRDs) are complex disorders that are commonly encountered in tertiary paediatric settings. Despite this, little is known about ED use prior to hospital admission. We aimed to describe the pattern of ED use in a cohort of children and adolescents who were subsequently admitted to hospital with SSRD and to identify factors associated with ED presentations. ⋯ Children and adolescents with SSRD who go on to have a hospital admission present frequently to EDs, especially in the setting of pain symptoms. Training of ED clinicians in diagnosing SSRD appears indicated, as is the development of local care pathways that may obviate the need for hospital admission in at least some patients.
-
Fentanyl use has been linked with an increasing number of opioid-related deaths. The emergency department (ED) is a critical contact point for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) to access basic healthcare. Little information is known about buprenorphine precipitated opioid withdrawal (BPOW). This study sought to examine the rates of BPOW in patients who used fentanyl and received buprenorphine in the ED. ⋯ We demonstrate that the prevalence of BPOW is low in a cohort of patients who use fentanyl. When precipitated withdrawal does occur, however, it can be severe and require intensive treatment, ICU admission, and prolonged hospital stay.
-
Observational Study
Effect of a best practice advisory activated "kit in hand" naloxone distribution program in the emergency department.
We implemented a "kit in hand" naloxone distribution program at emergency department (ED) discharge activated by electronic health record Best Practice Advisory (BPA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate naloxone kit distribution before and after implementation. ⋯ Implementation of a BPA-activated kit in hand naloxone distribution program increases the rate of successful naloxone distribution to patients presenting to the ED following unintentional opioid overdose, a subpopulation at very high risk for recurrence of overdose. Opportunities for program improvement were identified as there were instances where kits were intended to be distributed but barriers in the process existed.