A useful travel history goes beyond asking where someone has been. This guide explores itinerary, symptom timing, immunisations, prophylaxis and possible exposures, showing how the details can inform assessment of imported infection and conversations with infectious disease colleagues.
Taking a travel history in the ED by StEmlyns Read More
Drawing on the 2017 Manchester and London attacks, this post examines how hospitals alert and mobilise staff during a major incident. It discusses structured METHANE messages, coordinating responses and planning cover beyond the first wave, alongside the limitations of messaging groups.
How to declare a Major Incident. St.Emlyn’s Read More
Katherine Gridley reports from the inaugural Don’t Forget the Bubbles conference in Brisbane in 2017. Her review brings together paediatric evidence, simulation and difficult conversations, with reflections on compassion, clinician wellbeing and the perspectives of children and families.
Unforgettable: Don’t Forget the Bubbles 2017 (#DFTB17) with Kat Gridley & St.Emlyn’s Read More
Could troponin tell us more than whether a patient has had an infarction? This 2017 reflection explores increasingly sensitive assays, cardiovascular risk and personalised baseline measurements, while distinguishing exciting possibilities from clinical benefits that still needed to be demonstrated.
Troponin: more than a marker of infarction? Read More
Struggling to learn to surf offers a reminder of what being a novice feels like. Simon Carley reflects on how enthusiasm, achievable milestones and honest feedback can improve skills teaching, and why educators should occasionally become beginners again.
Skills, struggles and surfing: St.Emlyn’s Read More
How common is venous thromboembolism after major trauma, and who is most at risk? This 2017 systematic-review appraisal finds widely varying estimates and limited evidence, exploring why differences in populations and testing make simple conclusions difficult.
JC: The VTE and Major Trauma. St.Emlyn’s Read More
Self-care in retrieval medicine starts with ordinary needs: food, rest, sleep and time away from work. This sixth instalment of the Sydney HEMS reflections considers team morale, fitness and the culture of working while ill, drawing on a year of personal experience.
101 Reflective Lessons from a Year with Sydney HEMS. Part Six: Self Care Read More
Does apnoeic oxygenation help during emergency department intubation? This appraisal of the 2017 ENDAO trial questions whether average oxygen saturation captures the outcome that matters, examining exclusions, sample size and the uncertainty around patients most likely to desaturate.
JC: Apnoeic Oxygenation (again) Read More
