Journal ClubEvidence-Based Medicine
How quickly does oral dexamethasone improve mild to moderate croup? This 2012 journal club examines a small randomised trial, questioning the clinical importance of early score changes, patient selection and statistical methods, with further teaching on blinding and intention-to-treat analysis.
Journal ClubEvidence-Based Medicine
If medical publishing changes, do we still need journal clubs? This short introduction argues that critical appraisal matters just as much for blogs and other online evidence, and points readers towards practical advice for making an emergency medicine journal club useful.
Does introducing a risk score genuinely reduce admissions and resource use? This 2012 follow-up appraisal of the Glasgow Blatchford Score examines selection bias, missing follow-up and the lack of a control group, explaining why a promising service evaluation can still leave important questions unanswered.
Could the Glasgow-Blatchford score help identify patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding who can avoid admission? This 2012 introduction explains the score's purpose and reviews a study that moved from validation to implementation, examining what happened when selected low-risk patients were managed as outpatients.
With London 2012 approaching, how should an emergency physician prepare to treat an Olympic athlete? Simon Carley explores pressures to compete, the limits of general emergency medicine expertise, medication restrictions and specialist referral, drawing on experience from the Commonwealth Games.
Could the ADAPT protocol identify chest-pain patients suitable for earlier discharge? This 2012 appraisal examines its combination of risk scoring and serial troponin testing, then questions symptom timing, external validation, assay choice and how many patients might actually avoid further investigation.
Practical perspectives on trauma care and team leadership.
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