Emergency Medicine

An introduction to planning sample size and understanding statistical power, linking effect size, precision and the risks of false positive and false negative results. Worked examples cover continuous outcomes, proportions and diagnostic accuracy studies, helping readers understand the assumptions behind calculations and ask better questions about research.

A personal playlist for the walk back to the car after a demanding emergency department shift. From difficult resuscitations to the relief of returning to family life, this companion to Car Park Five explores how music can mark the transition from work to the world outside.

Iain Beardsell and Rick Body explore high-sensitivity troponin testing in this 2014 podcast. They distinguish analytical from diagnostic sensitivity, explain assay precision and changes between samples, and discuss why results need interpretation alongside the clinical picture rather than being treated as a diagnosis on their own.

What does ‘high sensitivity’ actually mean when describing a troponin assay? This 2014 explainer and accompanying podcast unpack detection limits, precision and the distinction between analytical and diagnostic sensitivity, while exploring why more sensitive tests still require careful clinical interpretation.

An experienced emergency physician becomes a beginner again while training in prehospital care. Reflecting on uncertainty at a serious road collision, the author considers what new ED clinicians need from their senior colleagues: patience, support and an appreciation of how unfamiliar surroundings can unsettle even experienced doctors.

Iain Beardsell and Simon Carley discuss the patient presenting with headache in this 2014 induction podcast. The conversation covers the history that raises concern for serious causes, uncertainty around investigations, relief of pain and the value of talking decisions through with a senior colleague.