Emergency Medicine

How can mass-casualty training reflect the resources and challenges of its setting? Dr Rashid Aqeel describes simulation training in Karachi, Pakistan, exploring locally adapted scenarios, multidisciplinary preparation and what emergency teams in different health systems can learn from one another.

Can an intraosseous blood sample provide dependable laboratory results in a critically ill patient? This 2019 appraisal examines a systematic review, highlighting the small amount of relevant patient data and why correlation between samples does not necessarily establish agreement.

The May 2019 round-up revisits the St Emlyn’s blog with Iain Beardsell and Simon Carley. Linked articles cover peer review, virtual reality for paediatric procedures, prolonged care in the ED, paediatric seizures, atrial fibrillation and traumatic cardiac arrest.

Some clinical events stay with emergency physicians long after a shift ends. Laura Howard describes a qualitative interview study exploring those experiences, their effects on sleep and life outside work, and the questions they raise about preparation, support and recovery.

Professor Jason Smith joins the St Emlyn’s podcast to discuss traumatic cardiac arrest and the research behind closed chest compressions. The conversation considers different causes of arrest, uncertainty in the evidence and the importance of preparing resuscitation teams for these cases.

How can colleagues help each other improve after formal training ends? In this article supporting his SMACC 2019 talk, Simon Carley explores direct observation and feedback, focusing peer review on understanding clinical decisions and developing practice rather than judging outcomes alone.