Liz Crowe explores the question grieving people often ask: ‘Am I normal?’ Written to accompany her podcast with Iain Beardsell, this reflection describes the varied, unpredictable experience of loss and the importance of connection, gentleness towards yourself and seeking help when needed.
Understanding grief with Liz Crowe Read More
How can a discharge conversation help patients understand what is known, what remains uncertain and when to return? Natalie May outlines an approach to safety netting that combines empathy, clear explanations, expected recovery, warning signs and written advice, with attention to carers and communication with primary care.
#CommunicatED 1: Discharge & Safety Netting in ED Read More
Rich Carden uses Star Wars and Robert Cialdini’s principles of persuasion to explore everyday interactions in emergency medicine. The reflection connects reciprocity, consistency, social proof, liking, authority and scarcity with referrals, teamwork and diagnostic bias, encouraging awareness of psychological influences rather than manipulation of patients or colleagues.
Obi Wan’s Guide to Emergency Medicine. Rich Carden at St.Emlyn’s Read More
Could a follow-up phone call reduce return visits after a child leaves the emergency department? This 2014 appraisal examines a Canadian study in which callers collected concerns without answering them, questioning allocation methods, outcome measurement and whether reattendance alone can tell us that care was better or worse.
JC – Just Checking: Do Follow-Up Phone Calls Reduce Reattendance to PED? Read More
Iain Beardsell shares his SMACC Gold talk on chronic pain and the personal story behind it. His account follows the preparation, self-doubt and decision to include his family’s experience, showing how that experience shaped his desire to improve care for patients living with persistent pain.
Pain and Suffering in the ED – the talk and the inside story Read More
Distraction during a child’s procedure starts well before the procedure itself. Rick Body explores the child’s and parents’ perspectives, clinicians’ emotions, first impressions and preparation, showing how rapport and a personalised distraction plan fit into care in the paediatric emergency department.
Driving children to distraction: Techniques for the PED Read More
What did the 2013 review of the Liverpool Care Pathway mean for emergency care? This reflection argues for individualised end-of-life care, conversations with patients and families, and honest discussion of uncertainty, rather than losing sight of comfort and dignity as the paperwork changes.
Road to… Nowhere? ED Implications of the Liverpool Care Pathway Review Read More
Could unconscious preferences influence how we assess and treat patients? This reflection explores rapid judgements, evidence of unequal pain treatment and the idea of implicit association, inviting emergency clinicians to examine assumptions that may differ from their conscious commitment to fair care.
