#FOAMed

Will expanding training places secure the emergency department workforce? This response to England’s 2017 workforce plan examines recruitment, new clinical roles and protected teaching time, while arguing that consultant wellbeing and sustainable careers need much greater attention.

Behind St Emlyn’s tongue-in-cheek mottos are practical ideas about working in emergency medicine: choosing our response to events, recognising our limits, staying calm and taking initiative. The team explains how these philosophies shape its clinical and educational work.

Who should receive thromboprophylaxis after lower-limb immobilisation? This RCEM 2017 update introduces the TiLLI project, reviews the uncertainty around risk prediction and outlines how evidence synthesis, expert consensus and economic modelling could inform more consistent decisions.

How can FOAMed support teaching at the bedside? This RCEM 2017 update offers practical starting points, from selecting blogs and podcasts to building a personal learning network and following a clinical conversation with a relevant resource link.

Marking UK emergency medicine’s 50th anniversary in 2017, Rick Body reflects on the growth of clinical research. He describes the importance of protected time, research infrastructure and collaboration, and argues for a culture in which research participation becomes routine.

Could oral rivaroxaban replace fondaparinux injections for superficial vein thrombosis? This 2017 appraisal of SURPRISE examines its non-inferiority design, composite outcomes, bleeding and generalisability, asking how convenience should be weighed against uncertainty about benefits and harms.