#FOAMed

This is an amended version of a talk on metacognition I gave at the Royal North Shore Hospital Grand Round. The clinical scenario has changed but the content remains the same.

We all love the idea of a magic bullet for sepsis. Despite having had our fingers burnt here before (like this time, and this time and that time...), the search continues in earnest.

This week I am off to one of the most enjoyable conferences I can get to in the UK. The Trauma Care conference is usually held around the Midlands and brings together everyone involved in trauma care for 4 days of learning and fun.

Clinical scenario:

Identifying, treating and prognosticating patients who attend the Emergency Department with infective symptoms, is part of the bread and butter of an emergency physician’s practice. It’s important that we identify patients that will develop or are at risk of developing septic shock accurately and swiftly.

The topic of lower back pain of undifferentiated origin is one that is close to my heart for at least two reasons. The first one is professional, as daily we see and manage a significant number of patients with lower back pain presenting to the ED where I practice.