Why can a satisfying day of emergency procedures be a patient’s worst day? Simon Carley’s DFTB talk and accompanying reflection examine that tension, the motives behind interventions and the emotional support clinicians and learners need when a resuscitation becomes difficult or ends badly.
DFTB. The procedure paradox update. St Emlyn's Read More
A satisfying day in emergency medicine may be the worst day of a patient’s life. Simon Carley explores this tension, asking how enthusiasm for procedures and clinical challenges can coexist with empathy, thoughtful decisions and attention to what the patient needs.
The great day paradox. St.Emlyn’s Read More
How do privilege and prejudice shape access to emergency care? In this reflection on equality and global health, updated in 2023, Stevan Bruijns challenges his own assumptions and asks readers to consider whose experiences, research and opportunities are represented in medicine.
Equality and global health. What I learned from being a recovering racist… Read More
How can reflection become useful learning rather than a compulsory portfolio exercise? Natalie May explores planned and spontaneous reflection, patient follow-up, feedback and the biases that shape our accounts. Her article and accompanying podcast consider how educators can create safer, more meaningful opportunities to learn from practice.
How can emergency care reflect what matters to a patient before a crisis occurs? This 2017 introduction to ReSPECT explores personalised treatment planning, early conversations with patients and families, and why the discussion matters more than the form alone.
Have a bit of ReSPECT for end of life care. St.Emlyn’s Read More
Should clinicians unlock an unconscious patient’s phone to help identify them? This 2016 ethical and legal discussion explores the tension between useful clinical information, privacy and consent, using a hypothetical emergency department case to ask whether access is necessary and what remains uncertain.
Can you unlock your unconscious patient’s mobile phone with their thumb? St.Emlyn’s Read More
Who should be seen next when the emergency department cannot see everyone immediately? Rick Body uses hypothetical triage dilemmas to explore fairness, waiting time, clinical urgency and suffering, asking how fast-tracking, staffing decisions and performance targets affect the balance between individual patients and the wider department.
Ethical dilemmas in Emergency Medicine 4: The ethics of triage Read More
A 2014 induction guide and podcast on assessing breathlessness in the emergency department. The post introduces important causes, focused history-taking, the role of investigations and early senior support, with further learning resources for clinicians finding their feet in the ED.
An Introduction to the Breathless Patient in the ED Read More
