Articles: emergency-services.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2025
Prisoners in the emergency department: Lessons from a recent inquest.
The recent coronial finding in Victoria into the death of Joshua (Josh) Kerr highlights some of the challenges of treating patients who are in custody and under the supervision of custodial staff (prison officers or police) in the ED. Issues include ED clinicians' duty of care, roles and responsibilities of ED staff and custodial staff and the need for processes that facilitate collaboration and communication between ED clinicians and custodial staff.
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Pediatric emergency care · Feb 2025
Suicide Prevention and Telehealth in Children's Hospital Emergency Departments.
Suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents. Emergency department (ED) visits for mental health concerns are rising, and telehealth is increasingly used to provide emergency mental health care. We conducted a national survey to describe suicide prevention practices and tele-mental health care in children's hospital EDs. ⋯ Approximately half of children's hospital EDs use tele-mental health care, and hospitals with versus without tele-mental health care report similar rates of suicide prevention practice use. Opportunities exist to increase use of discharge safety practices.
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2025
Skeletal radiograph interpretation discrepancies in the emergency department setting: A retrospective chart review.
To determine the frequency and clinical consequences of discrepancies in skeletal radiograph interpretation between emergency and radiology doctors in an Australian ED. ⋯ The rate of clinically significant discrepancies in the interpretation of skeletal radiographs by emergency medicine doctors is low. This data support using the ED interpretation of radiographs to guide initial management as safe practice.
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The mortality, long-term morbidity, and exacerbated healthcare needs due to firearm injury in the U.S. are significant and growing. However, the relationship between exposure to a nonfatal firearm injury and long-term emergency department (ED) utilization is poorly understood. This study estimates the association between exposure to a nonfatal firearm injury and ED utilization in the subsequent year. ⋯ Nonfatal firearm-related injuries contribute to preventable harm, health inequity, and increased ED utilization.
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To analyze the possible association between a finding of plasma alkalosis in patients diagnosed with acute heart failure (AHF) in the emergency department (ED) and in-hospital mortality. ⋯ This retrospective analysis of cases in the EAHFE registry found no association between alkalosis and higher in-hospital mortality after AHF. Nor were significant associations found when we analyzed mortality related to probable metabolic vs respiratory alkalosis.