#FOAMed

Simon Carley and Rick Body discuss the use and misuse of p-values in research, and what that means when critically appraising a paper. This short podcast introduction also links to explanations of p-values, confidence intervals and the fragility index.

Kat Evans shares her perspective on emergency medicine in South Africa in this recording from St Emlyn’s Live 2018. The post offers video and audio versions of her presentation, with links to badEM and related accounts of working and learning in South African emergency departments.

What makes overseas healthcare volunteering responsible and useful? Drawing on an EUSEM panel, Stevan Bruijns examines preparation, ethical limits, local partnerships and sustainability. The discussion challenges good intentions alone and considers how clinicians can contribute to global emergency care from home as well as abroad.

Simon Carley brings together ten trauma papers and resources for the 2019 TraumaUK conference. The selection spans prehospital plasma, airway management, resuscitation, head injury, emergency laparotomy and paediatric splenic injury, ending with the Zero Point Survey and preparation before resuscitation begins.

What should emergency clinicians ask when an adult with congenital heart disease attends the ED? This 2019 introduction explores altered anatomy, previous repairs and acute presentations, emphasising patients’ knowledge, specialist-team involvement and resources for further learning rather than offering a comprehensive management guide.

What does a p-value tell us, and what does it leave unanswered? This critical appraisal podcast and accompanying written discussion explore statistical versus clinical significance, confidence intervals, effect sizes, multiple testing and the fragility index, encouraging readers to look beyond a single threshold.