How did NICE’s 2012 DVT guidance balance diagnostic certainty with the services available? Simon Carley discusses Wells scoring, D-dimer testing and ultrasound, focusing on the distinction between proximal and calf thrombosis and the uncertainty surrounding repeat scanning and anticoagulation.
Deep Vein Thrombosis – New NICE guidance Read More
Why do trainees enjoy emergency medicine placements yet hesitate to choose the specialty? In this 2012 reflection, Simon Carley explores working conditions, disruptive rotas, career prospects and recognition of extra effort, asking what might persuade enthusiastic junior doctors to stay.
Emergency Medicine as a career? Yeah, but no…… Read More
Why can a cheap, straightforward treatment struggle for attention alongside more dramatic interventions? Reflecting on tranexamic acid after CRASH-2 in 2012, Simon Carley questions the appeal of expensive or technically demanding therapies and asks how clinicians can close the gap between evidence and routine practice.
Tranexamic acid needs a make over Read More
Why can a correct answer still lose marks in a critical-appraisal exam? In this 2012 guide to the former FCEM format, Simon Carley discusses reading the question, practising with papers, explaining statistics clearly and constructing an abstract whose objectives, results and conclusions fit together.
The Critical Appraisal FCEM exam Read More
A bite sustained abroad can raise questions that extend beyond wound care. This short 2012 introduction to a rabies review discusses specialist advice, access to vaccination and immunoglobulin, and why relevant exposure is not limited to overseas dog bites.
Rabies management in the ED Read More
