Essentials 1 In the absence of signs of life, pulse check should be limited to 10 seconds and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) commenced immediately if no detectable pulse or heart rate <60 beats per minute (bpm). It has been established that…
Essentials 1 Paediatric life support differs from adult life support in several aspects, but the basic principles remain the same: Ensure both the patient and rescuer are safe Call for help Initiate basic life support (BLS) measures at the earliest…
Essentials 1 Cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) can occur either as in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) or as an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), but prevention of both is the key to decreasing paediatric deaths. 2 CPA in children usually results from the development…
Essentials 1 Children with chronic medical conditions make up 10–20% of paediatric emergency department (ED) presentations. 2 These patients have a longer ED stay and have increased rates of hospital and intensive care unit admission. 3 Liaise with the medical…
Essentials 1 Gaining rapport with the child and the confidence of the parents is the key to assessing children. Never underestimate the power of distraction and entertainment. 2 A child needs to be approached according to chronological and developmental age.…
Essentials 1 Wellness is integral to performance and the ability to provide high-quality patient care. 2 Emergency physicians are at high risk of poor physical and mental health, including compassion fatigue and burnout. 3 Work-related distress is common. There is…
Essentials 1 Approximately 1 in 10 hospital patients experiences an adverse event, of which half may be attributed to clinical error and one-third results in significant harm or death. 2 Emergency medicine faces particular challenges to safe patient care due…
Essentials 1 Complaints occur in every emergency department. They can be considered useful feedback. 2 Good complaints management involves being open to complaints and seeing them as an opportunity for improvement. 3 The majority of complaints are at least partly…
Essentials 1 Postgraduate medical training in the United Kingdom has become increasingly regulated and controlled by the General Medical Council (GMC). 2 Changes to immigration rules have occurred in response to insufficient training opportunities for UK and European graduates. This…
Essentials 1 Specialist training in emergency medicine (EM) in Australia and New Zealand is the responsibility of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM). 2 Specialist international medical graduates require recognition from either the Australian Medical Council or the Medical…