Emergency Medicine

Could an automated blood test make the original MACS chest pain rule practical to use? This 2015 research update explains validation with a new heart-type fatty acid binding protein assay, how the rule was recalibrated and why testing its effects in clinical practice was the next step.

Iain Beardsell talks with Mark Wilson about GoodSAM at the London Trauma Conference. Published in 2015, this podcast post builds on the app’s original aim of alerting nearby trained responders to emergencies, with links to its introduction and related prehospital teaching.

Why is ‘I don’t know’ so hard to say? Drawing on Think Like a Freak, this reflection explores intellectual humility, curiosity, reframing problems and seeking useful feedback, asking how ideas from outside medicine can help emergency clinicians recognise their limits and approach difficult decisions differently.

Rick Body and Kerstin de Wit introduce the drugs then known as novel oral anticoagulants in this 2015 podcast. The first part explores how they work, their place alongside older treatments, prescribing considerations and monitoring, capturing the questions surrounding their early adoption in emergency practice.

Which patients with blunt chest trauma are most likely to develop complications? This 2015 journal club examines the derivation and validation of a prognostic score, considering outcome definitions, reliability of recorded risk factors and the further evidence needed before a model should guide admission or discharge.

A 2015 induction guide and podcast on assessing early pregnancy problems in the emergency department. Natalie May discusses pain and bleeding, recognition of possible ectopic pregnancy, local referral pathways and the importance of explaining uncertainty with compassion when patients fear they may be miscarrying.