Emergency Medicine

This archived update introduces the programme for the Teaching CoOp course held in Manchester on 10–12 October 2018. It brings together the course information and downloadable brochure prepared for delegates ahead of the event.

The 2018 PARAMEDIC-2 trial challenged assumptions about adrenaline in cardiac arrest. Simon Carley examines the distinction between improved survival and favourable neurological outcomes, the trial’s patient selection and the competing arguments about practice, stressing why the results need more than a simple yes-or-no interpretation.

Can short-term targets distract us from the purpose of healthcare? Craig Ferguson uses finite and infinite game theory to explore the tension between measurable performance and lasting quality, including how targets can distort priorities, consume resources and produce unintended consequences in emergency medicine.

Does tamsulosin help patients with renal colic pass their stone? Simon Carley reviews a 2018 randomised trial in adults with CT-confirmed stones under 9 mm, examining patient-reported passage, follow-up imaging and subgroup uncertainty. He considers why the findings challenged routine medical expulsive therapy in this ED population.

Heidi Edmundson describes bringing Forum Theatre into the emergency department to explore communication, power and staff wellbeing. By replaying difficult situations with audience members trying alternative responses, the project gave colleagues a way to examine everyday tensions together and consider how interactions might change.

Simon Carley shares highlights from the 2018 BASICS North West conference, spanning prehospital care, sepsis, stroke research and support for clinicians. The report ends with his torso trauma discussion, covering changing interventions, paediatric injuries, assessment of shock and the challenges of care across the patient journey.