BMJ

Are rapid diagnostic tests reliable for the detection of malaria in the emergency department?

A short systematic review assessed the diagnostic accuracy of malaria rapid diagnostic tests in febrile adults from malaria-endemic regions. A database search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane and Google ...
BMJ

Interventions to improve patient flow in emergency departments: an umbrella review

Objectives Patient flow and crowding are two major issues in ED service improvement. A substantial amount of literature exists on the interventions to improve patient flow and crowding, making it ...
BMJ

Blunt chest trauma in the elderly: an expert practice review

Correspondence to Dr Fraser Birse, Emergency Department, Southmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK; fraserbirse{at}gmail.com UK Trauma data collected by Trauma Audit and ...
BMJ

The Sonographic Ottawa Foot and Ankle Rules Study (the SOFAR Study)

Introduction Foot and ankle injuries are common in the Emergency Department (ED). Of those requiring radiographs in accordance with the Ottawa Foot and Ankle Rules, approximately 22% have a fracture.
BMJ

Knowledge of radiation exposure in common radiological investigations: a comparison between radiologists and non-radiologists

1 Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China 2 Trauma and Emergency Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, ...
BMJ

Accuracy of emergency medical dispatchers’ subjective ability to identify when higher dispatch levels are warranted over a Medical Priority Dispatch System automated protocol ...

Correspondence to: Jeff Clawson MD, International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, 139 East South Temple, Suite 200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111, USA; jeff.clawson{at}emergencydispatch.org Objectives: ...
BMJ

USING A CLINICAL PHARMACIST IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Objectives & Background UK urgent and emergency care (UEC) services are facing significant increased patient demand alongside a shortage of medical and nursing staff. From the early 2000's pharmacy ...
BMJ

Pre-hospital aspirin for suspected myocardial infarction and acute coronary syndromes: A headache for paramedics?

1 Pre-hospital Emergency Research Unit, University of Wales College of Medicine/Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, Cardiff, UK 2 Department of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Public Health, University ...
BMJ

Timing of lumbar puncture in suspected subarachnoid haemorrhage

A short cut review was carried out to establish how long after onset of headache a lumbar puncture should be carried out to rule out subarachnoid haemorrhage. Altogether 142 papers were found using ...
BMJ

Common femoral artery access in emergency medicine

Advanced vascular access skills are an essential component of all critical care specialty curricula. However, common femoral artery (CFA) cannulation and sheath insertion has thus far not been ...
BMJ

What is an ROC curve?

The paper by Body et al is concerned with the evaluation of decision aids, which can be used to identify potential acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in the ED. The authors previously developed the ...
BMJ

Care for older adults living with dementia in the emergency department: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of care partner roles and perspectives

Objective Care partners play a vital role in supporting persons living with dementia (PLWD) in using medical services. We conducted a meta-synthesis to explore care partner perspectives of ED care for ...