Busy shifts can make eating and drinking feel like an afterthought. Drawing on personal experience, Janos Baombe considers meal preparation, breaks, snacks and hydration, encouraging clinicians to give their own basic needs more attention during the working day.
How is your eating hygiene at work? Read More
Does intubation during in-hospital cardiac arrest improve survival? This 2017 appraisal examines a large US registry study that found an association with poorer outcomes, then considers confounding, missing procedural information and why observational data cannot settle the airway decision.
JC: Intubate or not intubate? That is the question… Read More
Does diazepam add anything to naproxen for acute low back pain? This 2017 trial appraisal examines the lack of additional benefit in a selected group without radicular symptoms, alongside questions about blinding, follow-up and how well the results fit everyday ED patients.
JC: Turn it Down to 11 – Benzos for Back Pain Read More
Ambition, setbacks and fatigue can all affect a career in emergency medicine. This reflection explores realistic training goals, fear of failure, the move to consultant practice and life outside work, with attention to colleagues both within and outside formal training programmes.
Five risks for training in Emergency Medicine. St.Emlyn’s Read More
A report from EuSEM 2016 in Vienna, covering trauma, cardiac diagnostics, decision-making, education and clinician wellbeing. Alongside the clinical sessions, the post reflects on interactive debate, international connections and the value of meeting emergency medicine colleagues beyond the lecture hall.
What did you miss at #EuSEM16? St.Emlyn’s Read More
Small changes can make an emergency department visit feel less frightening for a child. Inspired by ICEM 2016, this reflection explores welcoming children, involving caregivers, using play, listening carefully and respecting dignity, with children’s rights at the centre of the encounter.
Making ED Visits Easier for Children Read More
Does combining ketamine and propofol improve procedural sedation compared with propofol alone? This 2016 appraisal examines a systematic review’s complication findings, questioning how differences in patients, procedures and drug regimens—and limited information on sedation success—affect its relevance to emergency departments.
Is Ketofol the milk of human kindness for procedural sedation. St.Emlyn’s Read More
A January 2016 introduction to the emerging Zika outbreak for UK emergency clinicians. The post discusses travel history, symptoms, alternative diagnoses and public-health support, alongside the concerns then developing around pregnancy and neurological complications. It records the outbreak’s early context rather than current travel advice.
Breaking news: Zika virus update. St.Emlyn’s. Read More
