Wellbeing

This introduction to St Emlyn’s 2018 wellbeing e-book brings together reflections on working in emergency and acute care. Edited by Simon Carley and Laura Howard, the collection draws on the team’s experiences of pressure, fatigue and balancing professional and personal lives, with self-care at its centre.

Day three of badEMfest 2018 connects prehospital and retrieval learning with the patient’s experience of care. Highlights include wilderness rescue, research priorities, end-of-life discussions, handwashing and chronic pain, alongside reflections on teamwork and what clinicians can learn from becoming patients themselves.

The second day of badEMfest 2018 combines practical emergency care with questions about leadership and humanity. This report covers paediatric problems, imaging in pregnancy, trauma resuscitation and South African emergency services, alongside feedback, staff support, sleep and kindness in clinical encounters.

Ashley Liebig reflects on caring for Noah Galloway after his injuries in Iraq and the friendship that followed. Their shared story explores what patients remember: our words, preparation, respect for privacy and everyday kindness, and how those experiences can shape both recovery and a clinician’s practice.

The opening day of badEMfest 2018 puts equality, advocacy and African-led solutions at the centre of emergency care. This report brings together discussions of traditional medicine, respectful transgender care, point-of-care ultrasound and resuscitation, asking how local context and unequal access shape what clinicians can achieve.

Rusty Carroll shares a personal account of post-traumatic stress in emergency care, describing its effects on work, relationships and everyday life. His reflection explores recognising distress, seeking help and the importance of family, colleagues and a workplace culture that supports staff through psychological injury.