Emergency Medicine

Should injured children receive whole-body or selective CT? Natalie May examines a 2018 observational study of paediatric trauma, explaining propensity-score adjustment and what its mortality findings can—and cannot—tell us. The discussion challenges the assumption that adult imaging practice should automatically transfer to children.

The second day of badEMfest 2018 combines practical emergency care with questions about leadership and humanity. This report covers paediatric problems, imaging in pregnancy, trauma resuscitation and South African emergency services, alongside feedback, staff support, sleep and kindness in clinical encounters.

What information do we lose when a test result becomes simply ‘positive’ or ‘negative’? Using biomarkers and the T-MACS model, this reflection explores continuous measurements, diagnostic probability and shared decisions. It asks whether yes-or-no labels obscure distinctions that matter to an individual patient.

Ashley Liebig reflects on caring for Noah Galloway after his injuries in Iraq and the friendship that followed. Their shared story explores what patients remember: our words, preparation, respect for privacy and everyday kindness, and how those experiences can shape both recovery and a clinician’s practice.

What can early pupil responses tell us after cardiac arrest? This 2018 review examines a large French observational study, separating association with outcome from the ability to predict an individual patient’s recovery. It challenges decisions based on a single early finding and considers how prognosis is discussed.