What makes a career in emergency medicine feel fulfilling? Drawing on Maslow’s ideas, Simon Carley explores personal growth, the conditions needed to thrive at work and the satisfaction of helping others develop, while acknowledging the pressures that can undermine those ambitions.
Self-Actualisation and Transcendence in Emergency Medicine. St.Emlyn’s. #RCEMCPD16 Read More
As UK emergency medicine approached its fiftieth anniversary, Simon Carley used a midlife-crisis analogy to reflect on the specialty’s development. This 2016 essay considers professional identity, external pressures, career choices and the search for a satisfying working life, with a deliberately humorous edge.
UK Emergency Medicine’s midlife crisis. St.Emlyn’s. #RCEMCPD16 Read More
Does combining ketamine and propofol improve procedural sedation compared with propofol alone? This 2016 appraisal examines a systematic review’s complication findings, questioning how differences in patients, procedures and drug regimens—and limited information on sedation success—affect its relevance to emergency departments.
Is Ketofol the milk of human kindness for procedural sedation. 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
What changed when Sepsis-3 was introduced in 2016? This overview explains the shift towards organ dysfunction, the roles proposed for SOFA and qSOFA, and revised septic-shock definitions, while noting early concerns about applicability and performance across different clinical settings.
Holy Smokes! Batman, the SOFA and the Latest Sepsis Definitions Read More
A fictional Robocop trauma case provides the framework for this tour of NICE’s 2016 major-trauma guidance. The post follows care from scene to hospital, discusses areas of controversy and highlights unanswered research questions, with links to the full guidance and an accompanying infographic.
Robocop gets the NICE 2016 major trauma treatment. St.Emlyn’s Read More
Can medical-grade skin adhesive reduce peripheral cannula failure? This 2016 appraisal examines a randomised trial of cyanoacrylate alongside standard dressings, considering the reported benefit, lack of blinding, follow-up methods, costs and the patient experience of removing the cannula.
JC: Should we glue cannulas to patients? St.Emlyn’s Read More
This 2016 teaching update explores fascia iliaca blocks for hip-fracture pain, combining anatomy, landmark and ultrasound approaches with discussion of local-anaesthetic safety and the supporting evidence. Videos and an infographic accompany the authors’ reflections on introducing regional analgesia into emergency department practice.
A St.Emlyn’s fascia iliaca block update. Read More
