Emergency Medicine

Can clinicians be both assertive and respectful? Natalie May challenges the gendered labels applied to women in emergency medicine, explores the harm of polarised assumptions and argues for mutual respect and a shared commitment to patient care when colleagues disagree.

Could a single dose of dexamethasone be an alternative to a course of prednisolone for children with an asthma exacerbation? This 2016 appraisal examines a non-inferiority trial, including patient selection and blinding concerns, and places its findings alongside earlier studies.

How should clinicians balance missed acute coronary syndrome against the harms of unnecessary investigation? In notes accompanying his UMECS 2016 talk, Rick Body explores the limits of symptoms and clinical judgement, acceptable risk and the importance of including patients in chest-pain decisions.

An introduction to FOAMed from Iain Beardsell’s AGN 2016 talk, with English and German transcripts. The post explores how blogs, podcasts and online discussion can support flexible, proactive learning, while stressing critical appraisal and their role alongside traditional teaching.

Why does a diagnosis seem to appear everywhere just after we learn about it? This exploration of the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon connects selective attention and confirmation bias with history-taking and investigation, asking clinicians to test alternative explanations and seek another perspective when needed.

When might withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment be considered in the emergency department? Using hypothetical cases and the 2008 UK code of practice, this 2016 discussion explores uncertain prognosis, reversible causes, patient wishes and the need for senior colleagues and families to be involved.