Emergency Medicine

What might emergency physicians learn from Sir Alex Ferguson’s leadership? Written on his retirement in 2013, this reflection explores motivation, proportionate praise, honest feedback, relationships and learning from setbacks, drawing connections between leading a football team and improving an emergency department.

A report from Joe Lex’s visit to St Emlyn’s in April 2013 as its first visiting professor. The evening brought emergency physicians and students together to hear experiences from his career and reflect on the values and principles behind their work.

How often are peripheral intravenous cannulas placed in the emergency department actually used? This 2013 journal club reviews a Melbourne study, considers use after admission as well as in the ED, and asks how teams might reconsider routine cannulation and audit local practice.

Do changes in vital signs predict trauma outcomes better than a single set of observations? This 2013 journal club examines retrospective TARN data, considering shock index and changes in blood pressure, respiratory rate and heart rate, alongside study exclusions and the small number of deaths.

How should a senior doctor respond when a trainee knows something they do not? Remembering his colleague Luka, Simon Carley explores professional humility, authority gradients and learning from juniors, with practical ways to welcome challenge and share what it teaches us.

Published during Joe Lex’s visit to Manchester in April 2013, this short post directs readers to his earlier Forty Years on the Frontline talks. It offers a way to hear his perspective for colleagues who could not attend the evening.