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Showing results for tags 'Emergency medicine'.
Found 373 results
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Content ArticleAt the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, demand on the NHS 111 system exceeded capacity and only around half of calls were answered during that time. This investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) aimed to support improvements in the delivery of NHS 111 and other telephone triage services during a national healthcare emergency. HSIB first identified a potential safety risk associated with NHS 111’s response to callers with Covid-19-related symptoms when concerns were raised through HSIB’s Citizens’ Partnership. The national investigation aimed to understand: the set-up, design and delivery of the Covid-19 telephone triage service accessed by the public by dialling 111 in response to the pandemic. the context and contributory factors influencing the pathway for patients calling NHS 111 with Covid-19-related symptoms. The investigation used four real patient safety incidents involving patients and their families who dialled NHS 111 for advice during the Covid-19 pandemic. All four patients in these reference events—Vincenzo, Ali, Patrick and Dr C—died of Covid-19 having been advised by NHS 111 to stay at home.
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Content ArticleThis QualityWatch report, ‘Focus on: Emergency hospital care for children and young people’, shows changes in patterns of use over time and provides the basis for discussion about the quality of care for children and young people. The report analyses Hospital Episode Statistics from 2006/07 to 2015/16, giving a picture of how children and young people used emergency care at NHS hospitals over the past 10 years, what conditions they needed care for, and what may be happening to care quality in some areas. It finds that some age groups saw significant rises in emergency admissions, and many children were hospitalised for conditions that could be treated in other settings. The report, therefore, also raises questions about where children and young people can access high quality treatment outside the hospital emergency care setting.
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EventWhat do we miss? What do we do about it? An exploration of safety themes and the impact of harm leading to litigation. Promoting an awareness and understanding of Emergency Department claims as well as the cost of claims, both financial and human, to patients and the staff involved. This free training conference is only aimed at Emergency Department (ED) clinical staff and safety, quality and governance leads. Key topics: Reducing claims in ED – What can we do? What do we miss, what do we do about it? Claims relating to nursing care Shared learning – spreading the word Understanding the patient pathway Further information and tickets
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Content ArticleThe objective of this US-based study, published in The Joint Commission Journal of Quality and Safety, was to present safety briefings as a method for discovering and addressing safety events in a paediatric emergency room, describe how professionals perceive them, and characterize the classification and evolution of the incidents identified.
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Content ArticleHuman factors affect paramedic practice and training. However, although there are frequent references to human factors in the literature, little evidence on this is available on those that influence student paramedic development. In this article, published by the Journal of Paramedic Practice, looks at a case study which highlighted certain human factors unique to the role, most notably how interactions between students and mentors can affect a student's practice. Following this, the awareness and effect of human factors within the student paramedic role were investigated.
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Content Article
NHS Pathways
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Care pathways
NHS Pathways is a clinical tool used for assessing, triaging and directing the public to urgent and emergency care services. -
Content ArticleNational audits, such as the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA), are a powerful tool. They allow us to see what is happening to our ‘real-life’ patients, to identify gaps in our local services, to see which hospitals are doing best and to share best practice. This learning informs guidelines and pathways such as ‘The High-Risk Surgical Patient’ and the forthcoming international enhanced recovery programmes for emergency laparotomy. The linking of good practice with a financial incentive, the Best Practice Tariff, has also acted as a carrot for hospitals to support funding for new models of care. Previously we have seen how audit, linked with guidelines and associated financial incentives, has improved outcomes in hip fracture and now it is encouraging to observe similar results in emergency laparotomy. In this blog, Dr Jugdeep Dhesi, Consultant Geriatrician and Deputy Director for the Centre of Perioperative Care, discusses NELA and older patients, and how we must deliver patient-centred rather than surgical-speciality based pathways and to ensure the best outcomes for all of our patients.
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Content Article
COVID-19: managing an obstetric emergency (November 2020)
PatientSafetyLearning Team posted an article in Maternity
The COVID-19 pandemic provides new challenges for the safety of people receiving and providing maternity care. This project, conducted in collaboration with the PROMPT Maternity Foundation and THIS.institute, involved a rapid-response consultation exercise to understand what good looks like for managing obstetric emergencies in women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. -
Content ArticleHealthcare organisations are designed to achieve consistent and reproducible outcomes when faced with planned, predictable or ‘routine’ emergencies. Unfortunately, the more robust the system, the less agile it is when faced with a novel clinical crisis. This is not surprising, as it is impossible to create emergency operating procedures for every new or unforeseen catastrophe. Similarly, many surgeons in positions of leadership have limited exposure to executive decision-making or clinical expertise outside their area of specialist training. It is not unreasonable therefore for surgical leaders and their organisations to feel overwhelmed by complex and evolving crises, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic. At such times, it is important to reflect on key strategies that can provide pragmatic, timely and cohesive means of restructuring the delivery of surgical care at an organisational level.
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Content ArticleWe all have to deal with pressure. Sometimes it's minor like "do I go left or right at the roundabout?". Sometimes it's the difference between life and death. But how can we manage and work with that pressure, rather than against it? Dr Stephen Hearns is a critical care doctor and search and rescue specialist in Scotland, who has spent his career understanding what pressure is and how he can try to handle it in stressful times. His new book 'Peak performance under pressure' goes into detail about the tools and techniques we can all use to manage stress when the going gets tough. In this podcast, produced by eeast (East of England Ambulance Service) General Broadcast, Stephen talks about why pressure is sometimes good for us, how to recognise stress in other and what to do when you're maxed out.
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Content ArticleThis web page, from the Society for Endocrinology, contains useful information and guidance for patients and clinicians on the management of adrenal crisis. The information includes links to where organisations can order NHS Steroid Emergency cards. There is also a downloadable version for patients to download and print off immediately. Some patients are also uploading the pdf version as the lock screen on their mobile phones, to show health care professionals in a medical emergency. Follow the link below to find out more.
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Content ArticleCoroners have a statutory duty to issue a Prevention of Further Deaths report to any person or organisation where, in the opinion of the coroner, action should be taken to prevent future deaths. This is a coroner's report into the death of 35 year-old Mr Mitica Marin. It was found that the defibrillator was set to manual mode, which meant that staff were not automatically alerted to the fact that Mitica's heart had a shockable rhythm. This caused a delay to Mr Marin receiving CPR treatment.
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Content ArticleCoroners have a statutory duty to issue a Prevention of Further Deaths report to any person or organisation where, in the opinion of the coroner, action should be taken to prevent future deaths. This coroners report relates to the death of 15 year-old Najeeb Katende and the delay in defibrillation due to the equipment being set to manual mode and not detecting his shockable rhythm. The coroner found that the delay in defibrillating Najeeb significantly reduced his chances of survival.
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Content ArticleImplementation of high reliability principles in healthcare delivery is recognized as an effective strategy for reducing harm to patients and healthcare workers. With the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic upon us, our emergency departments (EDs) are facing an unprecedented safety threat. How does a high reliability ED function during a pandemic, and what are the most important strategies for keeping ourselves and our patients safe? Thull-Freedman et al. discuss this in a commentary in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine.
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Content Article
This is the US Military Health System
Claire Cox posted an article in Stories from the front line
Army, Navy and Air Force medical personnel care for Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and all who come in harm's way – on and off the battlefield. This video, in less than 4.5 minutes, provides a glimpse of the unique mission and benefits of military medicine. -
Content Article
Ambulance handover to emergency care standard V1.0
Claire Cox posted an article in Handover
Emergency care needs fast, effective sharing of information. When clinicians have access to the information they need, they can better ensure safe and high-quality care for patients. To facilitate this, the Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) has developed a standard for the information that is shared when care is transferred from ambulances to emergency departments. Once implemented, the standard for handover will improve continuity of care, as emergency care will have the information they need available to them on a timely basis. Whichever ambulance service brings the patient to the hospital, there will be a consistent set of information available to the emergency department. It means that patient safety will be improved, because emergency care professionals will know what medications have been administered, what diagnostic tests have been done, whether the patient has any allergies and other important information. Sharing clinical information with emergency care will also support professionals in arranging patient discharge and preventing unnecessary admissions. -
Content ArticleThis is a story of a patient in whom the emergency department missed the same diagnosis twice, four years apart. The first occasion (prior to his diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis) was understandable. The second was not. As a result of this case, the hospital have changed their x-ray policy for non-traumatic back pain. They also want to share key learning points (the majority of which were due to lack of awareness about a relatively rare condition and its complications) as widely as possible, to help others avoid the same errors. This reflective learning features guest educator, Mr Gareth Dwyer (the patient).
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Content ArticleIn January 2016, a high-profile local inquest examined the death of Jasmine Lapsley, a six year old child who sadly died after choking on a grape. One of Bangors post-ACCS Clinical Fellows (not involved with the case) attended the inquest with the intention of sharing any learning points at a CPD Day for Emergency Medical Service (EMS) colleagues we were due to hold six weeks later. Upon releasing the CPD Day programme, organisers realised some EMS colleagues were profoundly uncomfortable about this talk, stating concerns such as 'talking publicly about lessons learned might upset the bereaved family'. They decided to ask all delegates at the CPD day what they thought of the inclusion of this item on the conference programme before and after the talk. This poster shows the results.
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Content ArticleSam Goodhand is a Anaesthetic Registrar who I had the great pleasure in working with in Brighton University Hospitals NHS Trust. He produced these action/prompt cards for health professionals who attend and take part in RSI's. These are great to attach to your ID badge. This ensures you always have one at hand in those tricky situations.
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Content ArticleWinter 2017/18 saw an unprecedented demand for health and care support services. Emergency departments bore the brunt of this demand. This report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) calls for wider action for health and social care services to work together. A joint approach will help the whole health and care system to manage capacity as demand grows. The same approach can encourage early and effective planning - for all periods of peak demand.
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Content Article
Hitting the target, missing the point
Anonymous posted an article in Florence in the Machine
A thought-provoking blog about what it's like nursing in the emergency department (ED) when there are no beds.- Posted
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Content ArticleThis action plan was produced by the Ipswich & East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group and West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group following a treatment delay for a patient in intensive care.
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Content ArticleInformation for the Public pre-hospital emergency medicine (PHEM) feedback is a collaboration between the Princess Alexandra Hospital and the services who bring patients to them (ambulances and air ambulance teams) and provide pre-hospital care to those patients.
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Content ArticleIn this lecture from the PHEM (Pre Hospital Emergency Medicine) Feedback Showcase, Gordon Patterson (Patient Representative for Resuscitation Council UK and Patient Representative for PHEM Feedback) describes his experiences as a patient who experienced an out of hospital cardiac arrest 15 years ago. With him is Jonathan Dermott, the paramedic who was called to rescue him and provide resuscitative care, and who since has benefited from following up the case. He describes the life-changing consequences of his care both as a clinician and educator.
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Content Article
PHEM Feedback Showcase Lecture 1
Claire Cox posted an article in Motivating staff
This is the opening lecture of the 2019 PHEM (PreHospital Emergency Medicine) Feedback Showcase event. It opens with an address from Ms Jacqueline Kelly, Dean of the School of Health and Social Work at the University of Hertfordshire. It then gives an explanation of what PHEM Feedback is and how it came to exist.
