What did the 2012 NICE quality standard for childhood meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia mean for emergency departments? This review connects safety-netting, monitoring, timely treatment, senior assessment and transfer arrangements with the practical task of auditing and improving local care.
Meningococcal Septicaemia – More than a Spot Check?: Read More
How quickly does oral dexamethasone improve mild to moderate croup? This 2012 journal club examines a small randomised trial, questioning the clinical importance of early score changes, patient selection and statistical methods, with further teaching on blinding and intention-to-treat analysis.
Croup: Riding the Dex Express Read More
If medical publishing changes, do we still need journal clubs? This short introduction argues that critical appraisal matters just as much for blogs and other online evidence, and points readers towards practical advice for making an emergency medicine journal club useful.
JC: Journals are dead: Long live the Journal Club Read More
A prescription only helps if the child can take the medicine. This 2012 discussion considers antibiotic taste, trying a first dose before discharge and a pilot study of mini-tablets, asking how formulation and acceptability influence adherence in paediatric practice.
Paediatric medications – Kiddy pills, syrup, compliance and cost Read More
What is the difference between levobupivacaine and bupivacaine, and does it matter for a child’s nerve block? This 2012 discussion explains stereoisomers, examines the evidence behind claims of reduced cardiac toxicity and questions how well adult and animal findings apply to small paediatric doses.
Chirocaine vs Bupivicaine – Through the Looking Glass Read More
Could the Glasgow-Blatchford score help identify patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding who can avoid admission? This 2012 introduction explains the score’s purpose and reviews a study that moved from validation to implementation, examining what happened when selected low-risk patients were managed as outpatients.
Glasgow Scores… Not just for coma any more! Read More
With London 2012 approaching, how should an emergency physician prepare to treat an Olympic athlete? Simon Carley explores pressures to compete, the limits of general emergency medicine expertise, medication restrictions and specialist referral, drawing on experience from the Commonwealth Games.
The Olympics and the ED physician Read More
Who with chest pain needs investigation for acute coronary syndrome? Rick Body’s 2012 discussion examines what symptoms and signs can—and cannot—tell us, challenges reliance on labels such as ‘atypical’, and explores the tension between avoiding missed diagnoses and reducing unnecessary admissions.
Acute Coronary Syndrome – Deciding Who To Investigate Read More
