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Objectives: To establish the determinants of death in hospital for patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Australia., Design, Setting, Participants: Retrospective analysis of Australia New Zealand Trauma Registry (ANZTR) data. Cases were included if they presented to a participating hospital between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2020 and had an Abbreviated Injury Severity (AIS) score - head greater than 2., Main Outcome Measures: Death in hospital., Results: There were 16 350 patients. Their mean age was 51 years and 71% were male. After adjusting for measures of injury severity, there was an increased odds of in-hospital death for patients whose injury occurred outside daylight hours or first mode of transport was road ambulance, who were not transferred from another hospital, had an endotracheal tube placed prior to definitive hospital arrival or received their definitive hospital care outside Victoria., Conclusion: Among people presenting to a major trauma hospital in Australia following moderate to severe TBI, there were multiple factors independently associated with death in hospital. The potentially modifiable determinants of in-hospital death included out-of-hours access to emergency care, mode of transfer from the scene of the injury, prior facility care and pre-definitive hospital endotracheal intubation., (© 2025 The Author(s). Emergency Medicine Australasia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to quantify research outputs after completing a Coursework Pathway (CP)., Methods: Emergency medicine trainees who completed a CP during 2012-2022 were included. Research outputs were identified using Medline, EMBASE, Pubmed and Google Scholar., Results: Among 545 eligible candidates, 129 (23.7%) published at least one manuscript, with 319 publications over the study period. There was a significant increase in publications since course completion (IRR 1.13; 95%CI: 1.09-1.18)., Conclusions: A substantial proportion of trainees who completed the CP published subsequent research. This provides a measure for emergency clinicians undertaking research projects after completing the CP., (© 2024 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the Southeast Melbourne Virtual Emergency Department (SEMVED) on transfers from residential aged care facilities (RACFs) to traditional EDs., Methods: A cohort study of residents requesting transfer to the ED via ambulance within participating health networks' catchments from April to June 2022., Results: Two hundred thirty-eight VED consultations occurred with 79% (188/238) avoiding transfer. This represented an avoidance of 12% (188/1511) of all requests for transfer during operating hours., Conclusions: SEMVED prevented unnecessary transfers and enabled in-facility care. Integration into community outreach programmes could enhance care delivery. Patient safety outcomes were not formally assessed by our methodology., (© 2024 The Author(s). Emergency Medicine Australasia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Over 10 million ED visits occur each year across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Outside basic administrative data focused on time-based targets, there is minimal information about clinical performance, quality of care, patient outcomes, or equity in emergency care. The lack of a timely, accurate or clinically useful data collection represents a missed opportunity to improve the care we deliver each day. The present paper outlines a proposal for a National Acute Care Secure Health Data Environment, including design, possible applications, and the steps taken to date by the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine ED Epidemiology Network in collaboration with the College of Emergency Nursing Australasia. Optimal use of the existing information collected routinely during clinical care of emergency patients has the potential to enable data-driven quality improvement and research, leading to better care and better outcomes for millions of patients and families each year., (© 2024 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective This study aimed to describe and compare the proportion of patients classified as an emergency department (ED) mental health presentation under different definitions, including the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) definition. Methods This retrospective cohort study enrolled all patients that presented to the EDs of a multi-centre Victorian health service between 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2023. Varying definitions of a mental health presentation were applied to each ED attendance, applying the current AIHW definition (using selected diagnosis codes), broader diagnosis-based coding, the presenting complaint recorded at triage and whether the patient was seen by or referred to the emergency psychiatric service (EPS). The proportion of all ED presentations meeting each definition and any overlap between definitions were calculated. The agreement between each definition and the AIHW definition was evaluated using Kappa's coefficient. Results There were 813,078 presentations to ED of which 34,248 (4.2%) met the AIHW definition for a mental health presentation. Throughout the study, 45,376 (5.6%) patients were seen and/or referred to EPS, and 36,160 (4.4%) patients were allocated a mental health presenting complaint by triage staff. There was moderate interrater agreement between these definitions, with a kappa statistic (95% confidence interval) between the AIHW definition and a mental health presenting complaint recorded at triage of 0.58 (0.58-0.59) and between the AIHW definition and review by EPS of 0.58 (0.57-0.58). Conclusions The AIHW definition is a conservative measure of ED mental health presentations and may underestimate emergency psychiatry workload in Australian EDs.

Purpose: This study aimed to implement the Quality of Care (QoC) Assessment Tool from the National Spinal Cord/Column Injury Registry of Iran (NSCIR-IR) to map the current state of in-hospital QoC of individuals with Traumatic Spinal Column and Cord Injuries (TSCCI)., Methods: The QoC Assessment Tool, developed from a scoping review of the literature, was implemented in NSCIR-IR. We collected the required data from two primary sources. Questions regarding health system structures and care processes were completed by the registrar nurse reviewing the hospital records. Questions regarding patient outcomes were gathered through patient interviews., Results: We registered 2812 patients with TSCCI over six years from eight referral hospitals in NSCIR-IR. The median length of stay in the general hospital and intensive care unit was four and five days, respectively. During hospitalization 4.2% of patients developed pressure ulcers, 83.5% of patients reported satisfactory pain control and none had symptomatic urinary tract infections. 100%, 80%, and 90% of SCI registration centers had 24/7 access to CT scans, MRI scans, and operating rooms, respectively. Only 18.8% of patients who needed surgery underwent a surgical operation in the first 24 h after admission. In-hospital mortality rate for patients with SCI was 19.3%., Conclusion: Our study showed that the current in-hospital care of our patients with TSCCI is acceptable in terms of pain control, structure and length of stay and poor regarding in-hospital mortality rate and timeliness. We must continue to work on lowering rates of pressure sores, as well as delays in decompression surgery and fatalities., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: Virtual ED (VED) can potentially alleviate ED overcrowding which has been a public health challenge. The aim of the present study was to conduct a return-on-investment analysis of a VED programme developed in response to changing healthcare needs in Australia., Methods: An economic model was developed based on initial patient outcome data to assess the healthcare costs, potential costs saved and return on investment (ROI) from the VED. The VED programme operating as part of Alfred Health Emergency Services. The participants were the first 188 patients accessing the Alfred Health VED. VED is the delivery of emergency assessment and management of specific patients virtually via audio-visual teleconferencing. ROI ratios that compare cost savings with intervention costs., Results: The mean total operational cost of VED for 79 days for 188 patients was A$344 117 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] $296 800-$392 088). The VED led to a potential A$286 779 (95% UI $241 688-$330 568) healthcare cost saving from reductions in emergency visits and A$97 569 (95% UI $74 233-$123 117) cost saving in ambulance services. The ROI ratio was estimated at 1.12 (95% UI 0.96-1.32)., Conclusions: The VED was cost neutral in a conservatively modelled scenario but promising if any hospital admission could be saved. Ongoing research examining a larger cohort with community follow up is required to confirm this promising result., (© 2023 The Authors. Emergency Medicine Australasia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Background: Road traffic accidents are a major public health problem globally, causing millions of injuries, deaths and disabilities, and a huge loss of financial resources, especially in low- and middle-income countries., Aim: To determine the incidence of road traffic injuries and associated mortality from 1997 to 2020 in the Islamic Republic of Iran., Methods: This retrospective study used data from the Legal Medicine Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran to estimate the annual rates of road traffic injuries and associated mortality from 21 March 1997 to 20 March 2020. The data were analysed using STATA version 14 and the annual rates are reported per 100 000 population., Results: During the study period, 5 760 835 road traffic injuries and 472 193 deaths were recorded in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The mortality rate increased from 22.4 per 100 000 in 1997 to 40 per 100 000 in 2005 and decreased to 18.4 per 100 000 in 2020. The injury rate increased from 111.1 per 100 000 in 1997 to 394.9 per 100 000 in 2005. It decreased in 2006 and 2007 and increased from then until 2010, finally reaching 331.8 per 100 000 in 2020. The male to female ratio for road traffic mortality was 3.9 in 1997 and 4.6 in 2020. The case fatality rate was highest (20.1%) in 1997 and decreased to 5.6% in 2020., Conclusion: Continuous interventions are needed to reduce the burden of road traffic injuries and associated mortality in the Islamic Republic of Iran., (Copyright © Authors 2023; Licensee: World Health Organization. EMHJ is an open access journal. This paper is available under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).)

Objective: To describe the frequency of hospitalisation and in-hospital death following moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Australia, both overall and by patient demographic characteristics and the nature and severity of the injury., Design, Setting: Cross-sectional study; analysis of Australia New Zealand Trauma Registry data., Participants: People with moderate to severe TBI (Abbreviated Injury Score [head] greater than 2) who were admitted to or died in one of the twenty-three major Australian trauma services that contributed data to the ATR throughout the study period, 1 July 2015 - 30 June 2020., Major Outcome Measures: Primary outcome: number of hospitalisations with moderate to severe TBI; secondary outcome: number of deaths in hospital following moderate to severe TBI., Results: During 2015-20, 16 350 people were hospitalised with moderate to severe TBI (mean, 3270 per year), of whom 2437 died in hospital (14.9%; mean, 487 per year). The mean age at admission was 50.5 years (standard deviation [SD], 26.1 years), and 11 644 patients were male (71.2%); the mean age of people who died in hospital was 60.4 years (SD, 25.2 years), and 1686 deaths were of male patients (69.2%). The overall number of hospitalisations did not change during 2015-20 (per year: incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99-1.02) and death (IRR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.97-1.03)., Conclusion: Injury prevention and trauma care interventions for people with moderate to severe TBI in Australia reduced neither the incidence of the condition nor the associated in-hospital mortality during 2015-20. More effective care strategies are required to reduce the burden of TBI, particularly among younger men., (© 2023 The Authors. Medical Journal of Australia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of AMPCo Pty Ltd.)

Purpose: To systematically review the risk of permanent disability related to road traffic injuries (RTIs) and to determine the implications for future research regarding permanent impairment following road traffic crashes., Methods: We conducted this systematic review according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis statement. An extended search of the literature was carried out in 4 major electronic databases for scientific research papers published from January 1980 to February 2020. Two teams include 2 reviewers each, screened independently the titles/abstracts, and after that, reviewed the full text of the included studies. The quality of the studies was assessed using the strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. A third reviewer was assessed any discrepancy and all data of included studies were extracted. Finally, the data were systematically analyzed, and the related data were interpreted., Results: Five out of 16 studies were evaluated as high-quality according to the STROBE checklist. Fifteen studies ranked the initial injuries according to the abbreviated injury scale 2005. Five studies reported the total risk of permanent medical impairment following RTIs which varied from 2% to 23% for car occupants and 2.8% to 46% for cyclists. Seven studies reported the risk of permanent medical impairment of the different body regions. Eleven studies stated the most common body region to develop permanent impairment, of which 6 studies demonstrated that injuries of the cervical spine and neck were at the highest risk of becoming permanent injured., Conclusion: The finding of this review revealed the necessity of providing a globally validated method to evaluate permanent medical impairment following RTIs across the world. This would facilitate decision-making about traffic injuries and efficient management to reduce the financial and psychological burdens for individuals and communities., (Copyright © 2022 Chinese Medical Association. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Supported by the state government, three health networks partnered to initiate a virtual ED (VED), as part of a broader roll-out of emergency telehealth services in Victoria. The aim of the present study (Southeast Region Virtual Emergency Department-1 [SERVED-1]) was to report the initial 5-month experience and included all patients assessed through the service over the first 5 months (1 February 2022 to 30 June 2022)., Methods: VED consults occurred after referral from paramedics in the pre-hospital setting. Electronic medical records were retrospectively reviewed for demographic, presenting complaint and outcome data. The primary outcome was the count of VED consultations. The secondary outcome was the proportion of patients where physical ED attendance was avoided within 72 h. The proportion of physical ED attendances avoided sub-grouped by primary presenting complaints were reported., Results: There were 1748 patients who had a VED consultation, of which 1261 (72.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 70.0-74.2) patients had physical presentation to an ED avoided in the 72 h following the consult. There was a significant increase in consultations over the 5-month period (incidence rate ratio 1.27; 95% CI 1.23-1.31, P < 0.001) that was consistent in the three health services. The most common presenting complaints were COVID-19 and shortness of breath, and physical presentation was avoided most often among younger patients and those with COVID-19., Conclusions: Initial experience demonstrated a significant increase in adoption of the service and an overall avoidance of physical ED attendance by a majority of patients. These results support ongoing VED consultations, complemented by follow up and health economic evaluations., (© 2023 The Authors. Emergency Medicine Australasia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: To develop a comprehensive assessment tool to evaluate the Quality of Care (QoC) in managing individuals with traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCI)., Method: At first, the concepts of QoC for TSCI were identified by conducting a qualitative interview along with re-evaluation of the results of a published scoping review (conceptualization). After operationalization of indicators, they were valued by using the expert panel method. Afterward, the content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR) were calculated and served as cut-offs for indicator selection. Then specific questions were developed for each indicator and classified into three categories: pre-hospital, in-hospital, and post-hospital. Data availability of the National Spinal Cord Injury Registry of Iran (NSCIR-IR) was subsequently used to design questions that represent indicators in an assessment tool format. The comprehensiveness of the tool was evaluated using a 4-item Likert scale by the expert panel., Result: Twelve experts participated in conceptualization and 11 experts participated in operationalization phase. Overall, 94 concepts for QoC were identified from published scoping review (87 items) and qualitative interviews (7 items). The process of operationalization and indicator selection led to the development of 27 indicators with acceptable content validity. Finally, the assessment tool contained three pre-hospital, twelve in-hospital, nine post-hospital, and three mixed indicators. Ninety-one percent of experts evaluated the entire tool as comprehensive., Conclusion: Our study presents a health-related QoC tool that contains a comprehensive set of indicators to assess the QoC for individuals with TSCI. However, this tool should be used in various situations to establish construct validity further., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International Spinal Cord Society.)

Objective: Haemorrhagic shock is a life-threatening complication of trauma, but remains a preventable cause of death. Early recognition of retroperitoneal haemorrhage (RPH) is crucial in preventing deleterious outcomes including mortality. Injury to the 9-11th intercostal arteries (i.e. arteries of the lower thoracic region) are complicit in RPH. However, the associated injuries, implications and management of such bleeds remain poorly characterised., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of the medical records of patients diagnosed with RPH who presented to our level-1 trauma centre (2009-2019). We described the associated injuries, management and outcomes relating to RPH of the lower thoracic region (the 9-11th intercostal arteries) from this cohort to identify potential predictors and evaluate the impact of early identification and management of non-cavitary bleeds., Results: Haemorrhage of the lower intercostal arteries (LIA) into the retroperitoneal space is associated with an increased number of posterior lower rib fractures and pneumothorax/haemothorax. A higher proportion of patients in the LIA group required massive transfusion, angioembolisation or surgical ligation when compared to other causes of RPH., Conclusion: The present study highlights the importance of injury patterns, particularly posterior lower rib fractures, as predictors for early recognition and management of RPH in the prevention of deleterious patient outcomes. RPH secondary to bleeding of the LIA may require early and aggressive management of haemorrhage through massive transfusion, and angioembolisation or surgical ligation when compared to RPH because of other causes., (© 2022 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: The present study aims to describe presentations to the designated ED from the Victorian COVID-19 hotel quarantine program., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted between 7 December 2020 and 6 June 2021 at The Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre, a major adult quaternary referral teaching hospital. Participants included adult patients (>18 years old) who were quarantining as part of Victoria's COVID-19 quarantine program. The primary outcome was discharge destination from the ED (admission to hospital vs discharge from ED)., Results: Notably, 164 patients presented to The Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre during the study period. The mean (SD) age was 50.9, with most patients being male (n = 96 [58.5%]). Most patients were referred from a quarantine hotel (n = 83 [50%]). Thirty-four percent (n = 56) of ED presentations were admitted to hospital (31.5% to a ward, 2.5% to intensive care unit). Forty-six percent (n = 75) were discharged to the complex care hotel to be looked after by Alfred Health, with only 16% (n = 26) being discharged to a standard quarantine hotel. The most common presenting complaint categories were: cardiovascular (n = 33 [20%]), miscellaneous (n = 25 [25%]), gastrointestinal (n = 19 [11.5%]) and mental health (n = 18 [11%])., Conclusion: The study demonstrates that the number of ED presentations from quarantine was low (<1 presentation/day). COVID Quarantine Victoria and Alfred Health put significant resources into the program to allow most returned international travellers to be safely cared for within a hotel and thus reduce the burden on the public hospital system., (© 2022 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: The aim of the present study was to describe the burden of patients presenting to the ED with symptoms occurring after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study performed over a 4-month period across two EDs. Participants were eligible for inclusion if it was documented in the ED triage record that their ED attendance was associated with the receipt of a COVID-19 vaccination. Data regarding the type of vaccine (Comirnaty or ChAdOx1) were subsequently extracted from their electronic medical record. Primary outcome was ED length of stay (LOS) and secondary outcomes included requests for imaging and ED disposition destination., Results: During the study period of 22 February 2021 to 21 June 2021, 632 patients were identified for inclusion in the present study, of which 543 (85.9%) had received the ChAdOx1 vaccination. The highest proportion of COVID-19 vaccine-related attendances occurred in June 2021 and accounted for 21 (8%) of 262 total daily ED attendances. Patients who had an ED presentation related to ChAdOx1 had a longer median ED LOS (253 vs 180 min, P < 0.001) compared to Comirnaty and a higher proportion had haematology tests and imaging requested in the ED. Most patients (n = 588, 88.8%) were discharged home from the ED., Conclusion: There was a notable proportion of ED attendances related to recent COVID-19 vaccination administration, many of which were associated with lengthy ED stays and had multiple investigations. In the majority of cases, the patients were able to be discharged home from the ED., (© 2022 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

There has been great interest regarding tele-emergency care (TEC) and its utility following the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen a roll out of multiple TEC services across Australia, operating in isolation, without coordination and under differing models of care, creating the potential for an uncoordinated, inefficient healthcare system. We outline a potential framework under which TEC services might function as part of the current system, defining potential strategies that may be used to appropriately coordinate the acute care of select patients outside of the ED as well as improve the efficiency of the physical ED itself., (© 2022 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Background: Severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs) remain a leading cause of death globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Early intervention is critical, considering the potential for rapid decompensation in patients with SARIs. We aimed to evaluate the impact of acute and emergency care interventions on improving clinical outcomes in patients >10 years old with SARIs in LMICs., Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Global Health, and Global Index Medicus databases to identify peer-reviewed studies containing SARI, LMICs, and emergency care interventions. Studies published prior to November 2020 focusing on patients >10 years old were included. A narrative synthesis was performed due to the heterogeneity of identified articles. Risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias 2 and Risk of Bias In Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions tools., Results: 20 223 studies were screened and 58 met the inclusion criteria. Thirty-four studies focused on coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19), 15 on pneumonia, seven on influenza, one study on severe acute respiratory syndrome, and one on undifferentiated SARI. Few COVID-19 studies found a benefit of the tested intervention on clinical status, mortality, or hospital length-of-stay. Little to no benefit was found for azithromycin, convalescent plasma, or zinc, and potential harm was found for hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine. There was mixed evidence for immunomodulators, traditional Chinese medicine, and corticosteroids among COVID-19 studies, with notable confounding due to a lack of consistency of control group treatments. Neuraminidase inhibitor antivirals for influenza had the highest quality of evidence for shortening symptom duration and decreasing disease severity., Conclusions: We found few interventions for SARIs in LMICs with have high-quality evidence for improving clinical outcomes. None of the included studies evaluated non-pharmacologic interventions or were conducted in low-income countries. Further studies evaluating the impact of antivirals, immunomodulators, corticosteroids, and non-pharmacologic interventions for SARIs in LMICs are urgently needed., Registration: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020216117., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests., (Copyright © 2022 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the largest contributor to death and disability in people who have experienced physical trauma. There are no national data on outcomes for people with moderate to severe TBI in Australia., Objectives: To determine the incidence and key determinants of outcomes for patients with moderate to severe TBI, both for Australia and for selected population subgroups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians., Methods and Analysis: The Australian Traumatic Brain Injury National Data (ATBIND) project will analyse Australia New Zealand Trauma Registry (ATR) data and National Coronial Information Service (NCIS) deaths data. The ATR documents the demographic characteristics, injury event description and severity, processes of care, and outcomes for people with major injury, including TBI, assessed and managed at the 27 major trauma services in Australia. We will include data for people with moderate to severe TBI (Abbreviated Injury Scale [AIS] (head) score higher than 2) who had Injury Severity Scores [ISS] higher than 12 or who died in hospital. People will also be included if they died before reaching a major trauma service and the coronial report details were consistent with moderate to severe TBI. The primary research outcome will be survival to discharge. Secondary outcomes will be hospital discharge destination, hospital length of stay, ventilator-free days, and health service cost., Ethics Approval: The Alfred Ethics Committee approved ATR data extraction (project reference number 670/21). Further ethics approval has been sought from the NCIS and multiple Aboriginal health research ethics committees. The ATBIND project will conform with Indigenous data sovereignty principles., Dissemination of Results: Our findings will be disseminated by project partners with the aim of informing improvements in equitable system-level care for all people in Australia with moderate to severe TBI., Study Registration: Not applicable., (© 2022 The Authors. Medical Journal of Australia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of AMPCo Pty Ltd.)

Objective: To quantify the attitude ED clinicians hold towards patients presenting with different medical conditions, including a novel pandemic condition., Methods: A cross-sectional study of emergency doctors and nurses utilising the Medical Condition Regard Scale (MCRS); a validated tool used to capture the bias and emotions of clinicians towards individual medical conditions. The five conditions presented to participants each represent a classical medical, complex medical, psychiatric/substance use, somatoform and a novel medical condition., Results: One hundred and ninety-six clinicians were included in the study including 116 nurses and 80 doctors. Concerning each condition, both medical and nursing staff demonstrated the highest regard for a classical medical condition (58 ± 5 and 57 ± 6, respectively). Significantly different from the classical medical condition, the lowest MCRS scores were for the somatoform condition (36 ± 10) for emergency doctors and the substance use condition (39 ± 11) for emergency nurses. Regard for a novel condition (i.e., COVID-19 infection) was comparably high among both cohorts., Conclusion: Emergency doctors and nurses generally hold lower regard for complex medical conditions with behavioural components, including substance use disorders and somatoform conditions., (© 2022 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: To assess the feasibility of an ED presenting complaint (PC) tool that categorised all ED PCs into 10 categories., Methods: A retrospective analysis of 1445 consecutive patient encounters was conducted. The primary outcome was the frequency of use of the 10 PC categories., Results: Of the 1203 patient encounters meeting inclusion criteria, the PC tool was completed by clinicians in 574 (47.7%). When completed, the tool's 10 options were selected for most presentations (72.3%)., Conclusion: The PC tool captured the majority of presenting complaints in 10 categories. External validation is recommended., (© 2022 The Authors. Emergency Medicine Australasia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) have imposed a great global burden on public health. Motorcyclists and pedestrians comprise the most significant proportion of this burden. Several studies have demonstrated a link between helmet wearing and a decline in the impact of RTIs in motorcyclists. In this study, we aimed to review the barriers to helmet utilization by motorcyclists. This scoping review has been conducted in accordance with the guidelines for the systematic review of observational studies and the PRISMA Checklist. The search was conducted by using related keywords in EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library. Four independent reviewers carried out the screening. The main outcomes of interest were barriers to helmet usage among motorcyclists, drawn from the finally included studies. Fifty-three records were selected for data extraction. According to these reports, the barriers and factors associated with helmet usage among motorcyclists were categorized into five entities as: legislations/enforcement strategies, helmet disadvantages (discomfort, visual/auditory blockage, and thermal dysregulation), risky behaviors (riding while drunk or high on drugs), sex and/or age factors, and the location and time of the injury event (rural vs. urban locations, day vs. night riding). From the perspective of policymakers, the findings of this review are of utmost importance and could be used in addressing the challenge of inadequate compliance with helmet use., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

E-learning (EL) has been developing as a medical education resource since the arrival of the internet. The COVID-19 pandemic has minimised clinical exposure for medical trainees and forced educators to use EL to replace traditional learning (TL) resources. The aim of this review was to determine the impact of EL versus TL on emergency medicine (EM) learning outcomes of medical trainees. A systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis statement using articles sourced from CINAHL, Embase, OVID Medline and PubMed. Articles were independently reviewed by two reviewers following strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. The search yielded a total of 1586 non-duplicate studies. A total of 19 studies were included for data extraction. Fifteen of the included studies assessed knowledge gain of participants using multiple-choice questions as an outcome measure. Eleven of the 15 demonstrated no statistically significant difference while two studies favoured EL with statistical significance and two favoured TL with statistical significance. Six of the included studies assessed practical skill gain of participants. Five of the six demonstrated no statistical significance while one study favoured EL with statistical significance. This systematic review suggests that EL may be comparable to TL for the teaching of EM. The authors encourage the integration of EL as an adjunct to face-to-face teaching where possible in EM curricula; however, the overall low quality of evidence precludes definitive conclusions from being drawn., (© 2022 The Authors. Emergency Medicine Australasia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Australia is rapidly moving towards 'living with COVID-19', with relaxation of some public health measures. The number of severe cases of COVID-19 may be mitigated by vaccination, but 'living with COVID-19' will be associated with higher number of patients seeking emergency care. This impending impact on the emergency care system requires recognition, monitoring and co-ordinated management. Current challenges include a lack of emergency care monitoring systems, staff shortages and patient flow processes that are quickly overwhelmed by large numbers, particularly in a system already operating at capacity. Effective monitoring systems are required for health systems to proactively detect and respond to stresses. Additional solutions include public health messaging and clinical innovation to facilitate care of the right patient in the right place at the right time. Optimising staff numbers and morale, and efficient patient flow, are integral steps to increasing capacity within the emergency care system., (© 2021 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) contributes to a significant burden across Australia. However, the data required to inform targeted equitable system-level improvements in emergency TBI care do not exist. The incidence and determinants of outcomes following moderate to severe TBI in Australia remain unknown. The variation in the impact of moderate to severe TBI, according to patient demographics and injury mechanism, is poorly defined. The Australian Traumatic Brain Injury National Data Project will lead to a clear understanding, across Australia and pre-specified subgroups (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples), of the incidence, determinants and impact of priority outcomes following moderate to severe TBI, including survival to discharge home. Furthermore, this project will establish a set of national clinical quality indicators for patients experiencing a moderate to severe TBI. The Australian Traumatic Brain Injury National Data Project will inform where to target emergency care system-wide improvements. Without baseline data, efforts are wasted., (© 2021 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: The aim of the present study was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients presenting to Australian EDs with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 during 2020, and to determine the predictors of in-hospital death for SARS-CoV-2 positive patients., Methods: This analysis from the COVED Project presents data from 12 sites across four Australian states for the period from 1 April to 30 November 2020. All adult patients who met local criteria for suspected COVID-19 and underwent testing for SARS-CoV-2 in the ED were eligible for inclusion. Study outcomes were mechanical ventilation and in-hospital mortality., Results: Among 24 405 eligible ED presentations over the whole study period, 423 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. During the 'second wave' from 1 July to 30 September 2020, 26 (6%) of 406 SARS-CoV-2 patients received invasive mechanical ventilation, compared to 175 (2%) of the 9024 SARS-CoV-2 negative patients (odds ratio [OR] 3.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.3-5.2, P < 0.001), and 41 (10%) SARS-CoV-2 positive patients died in hospital compared to 312 (3%) SARS-CoV-2 negative patients (OR 3.2; 95% CI 2.2-4.4, P = 0.001). For SARS-CoV-2 positive patients, the strongest independent predictors of hospital death were age (OR 1.1; 95% CI 1.1-1.1, P < 0.001), higher triage category (OR 3.5; 95% CI 1.3-9.4, P = 0.012), obesity (OR 4.2; 95% CI 1.2-14.3, P = 0.024) and receiving immunosuppressive treatment (OR 8.2; 95% CI 1.8-36.7, P = 0.006)., Conclusions: ED patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 had higher odds of mechanical ventilation and death in hospital. The strongest predictors of death were age, a higher triage category, obesity and receiving immunosuppressive treatment., (© 2021 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Introduction: Injury is a major global health burden. Trauma registries have been used for decades to monitor the burden of injury and inform trauma care. However, the extent to which trauma registries have fulfilled their potential remains uncertain. The aims of this study were to determine the current and priority uses of trauma registries across Australia and New Zealand and to establish the priority clinical outcomes, the probability for which, if known for an individual trauma patient, would better inform that same patient's care, during hospital admission., Methods: A prospective observational study using survey methodology was conducted. Participants were sourced from the Australia New Zealand Trauma Registry (ATR) participating hospitals. The survey questions included: the current uses and priorities for both single-site trauma registries and the binational trauma registry; the five top-ranked priority outcomes for which knowing the probability, for an individual patient, would inform care; and the priority timepoints for applying patient-level outcome prediction models., Results: Of the 26 ATR-participating hospitals, 25 were represented by a total of 54 participants in the survey, including trauma service directors and trauma nurse coordinators. The main trauma registry use and priority for the single site registries was to inform the quality improvement program; for the ATR, the main use was periodic reporting and the main priority was benchmarking. For each potential purpose of the registry, the future priority level was ranked more highly than the current level of utilisation. The most highly ranked priority patient-level outcomes requiring prediction were: preventable death, missed injury, quality of life, admission costs, pulmonary embolism, post-traumatic stress disorder, length of hospital stay, errors in decision-making and deep venous thrombosis. The time period between leaving the emergency department and the 24 h mark following presentation was considered the preferred time for patient-level priority outcome prediction., Conclusion: There is a mismatch between current trauma registry uses and future priorities. The priority outcomes demanding prediction in the first 24 h of a trauma patient's stay are preventable death, missed injury, quality of life, hospital costs, thromboembolism, post-traumatic stress disorder, length of hospital stay and errors in clinical decision-making., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Purpose: Injuries are one of the leading causes of death and lead to a high social and financial burden. Injury patterns can vary significantly among different age groups and body regions. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between mechanism of injury, patient comorbidities and severity of injuries., Methods: The study included trauma patients from July 2016 to June 2018, who were admitted to Sina Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The inclusion criteria were all injured patients who had at least one of the following: hospital length of stay more than 24 h, death in hospital, and transfer from the intensive care unit of another hospital. Data collection was performed using the National Trauma Registry of Iran minimum dataset., Results: The most common injury mechanism was road traffic injuries (49.0%), followed by falls (25.5%). The mean age of those who fell was significantly higher in comparison with other mechanisms (p < 0.001). Severe extremity injuries occurred more often in the fall group than in the vehicle collision group (69.0% vs. 43.5%, p < 0.001). Moreover, cases of severe multiple trauma were higher amongst vehicle collisions than injuries caused by falls (27.8% vs. 12.9%, p = 0.003)., Conclusion: Comparing falls with motor vehicle collisions, patients who fell were older and sustained more extremity injuries. Patients injured by motor vehicle collision were more likely to have sustained multiple trauma than those presenting with falls. Recognition of the relationship between mechanisms and consequences of injuries may lead to more effective interventions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interest., (Copyright © 2021 Chinese Medical Association. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: In India, more than a million people die annually due to injuries. Identifying the patients at risk of early mortality (within 24 hour of hospital arrival) is essential for triage. A bilateral Government Australia-India Trauma System Collaboration generated a trauma registry in the context of India, which yielded a cohort of trauma patients for systematic observation and interventions. The aim of this study was to determine the independent association of on-arrival vital signs and Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) with 24-hour mortality among adult trauma patients admitted at four university public hospitals in urban India., Methods: We performed an analysis of a prospective multicentre observational study of trauma patients across four urban public university hospitals in India, between April 2016 and February 2018. The primary outcome was 24-hour in-hospital mortality. We used logistic regression to determine mutually independent associations of the vital signs and GCS with 24-hour mortality., Results: A total of 7497 adult patients (18 years and above) were included. The 24-hour mortality was 1.9%. In univariable logistic regression, Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) and the vital signs systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) and peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2) had statistically significant associations with 24-hour mortality. These relationships held in multivariable analysis with hypotension (SBP<90mm Hg), tachycardia (HR>100bpm) and bradycardia (HR<60bpm), hypoxia (SpO2<90%), Tachypnoea (RR>20brpm) and severe (3-8) and moderate (9-12) GCS having strong association with 24-hour mortality. Notably, the patients with missing values for SBP, HR and RR also demonstrated higher odds of 24-hour mortality. The Injury Severity Scores (ISS) did not corelate with 24-hour mortality., Conclusion: The routinely measured GCS and vital signs including SBP, HR, SpO2 and RR are independently associated with 24-hour in-hospital mortality in the context of university hospitals of urban India. These easily measured parameters in the emergency setting may help improve decision-making and guide further management in the trauma victims. A poor short-term prognosis was also observed in patients in whom these physiological variables were not recorded., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There is no conflict of interest to disclose from any of the authors, (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Trauma services within hospitals may vary considerably at different times across a 24 h period. The variable services may negatively affect the outcome of trauma victims. The current investigation aims to study the effect of arrival time of major trauma patients on mortality and morbidity., Method: Retrospective analysis of the Australia-India Trauma Systems Collaboration (AITSC) registry established in four public university teaching centres in India Based on hospital arrival time, patients were grouped into "Office-hours" and "After-hours". Outcome parameters were compared between the above groups., Results: 5536 (68.4%) patients presented "after-hours" (AO) and 2561 (31.6%) during "office-hours" (OH). The in-hospital mortality for "after-hours" and "office-hours" presentations were 12.1% and 11.6% respectively. On unadjusted analysis, there was no statistical difference in the odds of survival for OH versus AH presentations. (OR,1.05, 95% CI 0.9-1.2). Adjusting for potential prognostic factors (injury severity, presence of shock on arrival, referral status, sex, or extremes of age), there was no statistically significant odds of survival for OH versus AH presentations (OR,1.02, 95%CI 0.9-1.2).ICU length of stay and duration of mechanical ventilation was longer in the AH group., Conclusion: The in-hospital mortality did not differ between trauma patients who arrived during "after-hours" compared to '"office-hours"., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have declared that no competing interests exist, (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of the present study was to describe the epidemiology and clinical features of patients presenting to the ED with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 during Australia's 'second wave'., Methods: The COVID-19 ED (COVED) Project is an ongoing prospective cohort study in Australian EDs. This analysis presents data from 12 sites across four Australian states for the period from 1 July to 31 August 2020. All adult patients who met the criteria for 'suspected COVID-19' and underwent testing for SARS-CoV-2 in the ED were eligible for inclusion. Study outcomes included a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result, mechanical ventilation and in-hospital mortality., Results: There were 106 136 presentations to the participating EDs and 12 055 (11.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 11.2-11.6) underwent testing for SARS-CoV-2. Of these, 255 (2%) patients returned a positive result. Among positive cases, 13 (5%) received mechanical ventilation during their hospital admission compared to 122 (2%) of the SARS-CoV-2 negative patients (odds ratio 2.7; 95% CI 1.5-4.9, P = 0.001). Nineteen (7%) SARS-CoV-2 positive patients died in hospital compared to 212 (3%) of the SARS-CoV-2 negative patients (odds ratio 2.3; 95% CI 1.4-3.7, P = 0.001). Strong clinical predictors of the SARS-CoV-2 test result included self-reported fever, sore throat, bilateral infiltrates on chest X-ray, and absence of a leucocytosis on first ED blood tests (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: In this prospective multi-site study during Australia's 'second wave', a substantial proportion of ED presentations required SARS-CoV-2 testing and isolation. Presence of SARS-CoV-2 on nasopharyngeal swab was associated with an increase in the odds of death and mechanical ventilation in hospital., (© 2020 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: The aim of the present study was to describe the epidemiology and clinical features of patients presenting to the ED with suspected and confirmed COVID-19., Methods: The COVID-19 ED (COVED) Project is an ongoing prospective cohort study in Australian EDs. This analysis presents data from eight sites across Victoria and Tasmania for July 2020 (during Australia's 'second wave'). All adult patients who met criteria for 'suspected COVID-19' and underwent testing for SARS-CoV-2 in the ED were eligible for inclusion. Study outcomes included a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result and mechanical ventilation., Results: In the period 1 July to 31 July 2020, there were 30 378 presentations to the participating EDs and 2917 (9.6%; 95% confidence interval 9.3-9.9) underwent testing for SARS-CoV-2. Of these, 50 (2%) patients returned a positive result. Among positive cases, two (4%) received mechanical ventilation during their hospital admission compared to 45 (2%) of the SARS-CoV-2 negative patients (odds ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 0.4-7.3; P = 0.47). Two (4%) SARS-CoV-2 positive patients died in hospital compared to 46 (2%) of the SARS-CoV-2 negative patients (odds ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 0.4-7.1; P = 0.49). Strong clinical predictors of a positive SARS-CoV-2 result included self-reported fever, non-smoking status, bilateral infiltrates on chest X-ray and absence of a leucocytosis on first ED blood tests (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: In this prospective multi-site study from July 2020, a substantial proportion of ED patients required SARS-CoV-2 testing, isolation and enhanced infection prevention and control precautions. Presence of SARS-CoV-2 on nasopharyngeal swab was not associated with death or mechanical ventilation., (© 2020 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Background: India has one-sixth (16%) of the world's population but more than one-fifth (21%) of the world's injury mortality. A trauma registry established by the Australia India Trauma Systems Collaboration (AITSC) Project was utilized to study 30-day in-hospital trauma mortality at high-volume Indian hospitals., Methods: The AITSC Project collected data prospectively between April 2016 and March 2018 at four Indian university hospitals in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. Patients admitted with an injury mechanism of road or rail-related injury, fall, assault, or burns were included. The associations between demographic, physiological on-admission vitals, and process-of-care parameters with early (0-24 h), delayed (1-7 days), and late (8-30 days) in-hospital trauma mortality were analyzed., Results: Of 9354 patients in the AITSC registry, 8606 were subjected to analysis. The 30-day mortality was 12.4% among all trauma victims. Early (24-h) mortality was 1.9%, delayed (1-7 days) mortality was 7.3%, and late (8-30 days) mortality was 3.2%. Abnormal physiological parameters such as a low SBP, SpO2, and GCS and high HR and RR were observed among non-survivors. Early initiation of trauma assessment and monitoring on arrival was an important process of care indicator for predicting 30-day survival., Conclusions: One in ten admitted trauma patients (12.4%) died in urban trauma centers in India. More than half of the trauma deaths were delayed, beyond 24 h but within one week following injury. On-admission physiological vital signs remain a valid predictor of early 24-h trauma mortality.

Objective: The number of patients with suspected COVID-19 presenting to Australian EDs continues to impose a burden on healthcare services. Isolation is an important aspect of infection prevention and control, but has been associated with undesirable consequences among hospital inpatients. The aim of the present study was to determine if isolation is associated with an increased length of stay (LOS) in the ED., Methods: The Registry for Emergency Care Project is a prospective cohort study with a series of nested sub-studies. The present study was a retrospective analysis of adult patients allocated an Australasian Triage Scale category of 1 or 2 who presented to a tertiary ED between 18 and 31 May 2020. The primary outcome was ED LOS. Regression methods were used to determine the independent association between ED isolation and LOS., Results: There were 447 patients who met inclusion criteria, of which 123 (28%) were managed in isolation. The median (interquartile range) ED LOS was 259 (210-377) min for the isolation group and 204 (126-297) min for the non-isolation group, a difference in median ED LOS of 55 min (P < 0.001). Isolation was independently associated with a 23% increase in ED LOS (P = 0.002) and doubled the odds of an ED stay of more than 4 h (adjusted odds ratio 2.2 [1.4-3.4], P = 0.001)., Conclusion: Consistent with the anecdotal experience of Australian ED clinicians, the present study demonstrated an increased ED LOS for patients managed in isolation. Enhanced infection prevention and control precautions will be required during and beyond the current pandemic, creating significant ongoing challenges for emergency care systems., (© 2020 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: To determine if COVID-19 State of Emergency (SOE) restrictions were associated with a reduction in presentations to two urban EDs in Melbourne, Victoria., Methods: This retrospective observational study included adult patients presenting to The Alfred and Sandringham Hospital EDs during the first month of stage 2 and 3 SOE restrictions (26 March-25 April 2020). Patients transferred from other hospitals or diagnosed with COVID-19 were excluded. The primary outcome was the average number of presentations per day. Secondary outcomes included the average daily number of presentations for pre-specified subgroups defined by triage category and diagnosis. The independent impact of SOE restrictions, adjusted for underlying trends in attendance, was determined using negative binomial regression and reported as an incident rate ratio (IRR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI)., Results: Average daily attendance during the exposure period was 174.7. In the absence of SOE restrictions, 278.8 presentations per day were predicted, a reduction of 37.3% (IRR 0.63, 95% CI 0.59-0.67). Attendance was lower than anticipated for all triage categories (especially category 5 [IRR 0.51, 95% CI 0.44-0.59]) and diagnostic groups (including circulatory problems [IRR 0.62, 95% CI 0.50-0.76] and injury [IRR 0.58, 95% CI 0.53-0.63]). There were fewer than predicted presentations for several sentinel diagnoses, including gastroenteritis (IRR 0.27, 95% CI 0.17-0.42) and renal colic (IRR 0.55, 95% CI 0.33-0.92)., Conclusions: SOE restrictions were associated with a significant reduction in ED presentations across a range of triage categories and diagnoses. Public health messaging should emphasise the importance of timely ED attendance for acute illness and injury., (© 2020 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Homeless individuals face many barriers to accessing healthcare, and EDs are often their primary entry point to the healthcare system. The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to exacerbate existing social inequities and health disparities, including barriers to accessing social services and healthcare. Addressing the complex social and chronic health issues associated with homelessness can be challenging within the acute care environment. This perspective reflects upon the delivery of emergency healthcare to patients experiencing homelessness, and highlights strategies for optimising health outcomes during and beyond the pandemic., (© 2020 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: The aim of the present study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical features of ED patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19., Methods: The COVID-19 Emergency Department (COVED) Project is an ongoing prospective cohort study that includes all adult patients presenting to The Alfred Hospital ED who undergo testing for SARS-CoV-2. Current guidelines recommend testing for patients with fevers or chills, acute respiratory symptoms or a high-risk exposure history, as well as implementation of infection prevention and control precautions for all suspected and confirmed cases. Study outcomes include a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result and intensive respiratory support., Results: In the period 1-30 April 2020, 702 of 3453 ED patients (20%; 95% CI 19-22) were tested, with a significant increase during the study period (incident rate ratio 1.019; 95% confidence interval 1.017-1.021, P < 0.001). The primary outcome of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test was recorded in 14 patients (2%; 95% confidence interval 1-3). Shortness of breath (77%), fatigue (100%), myalgia (67%) and diarrhoea (67%) were common among positive cases, while close contact (9%), fever (0%) and healthcare occupation (0%) were not. No positive cases required intensive respiratory support in the ED., Conclusions: The volume of ED patients with suspected COVID-19 is increasing. Low numbers of positive cases precluded development of accurate predictive tools, but the COVED Project is fulfilling an important role in monitoring the burden of infection prevention and control requirements on the ED. The increasing number of patients meeting isolation criteria has the potential to impact on patient flow and may lead to ED overcrowding., (© 2020 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: To report the incidence of fever among patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2., Methods: Retrospective cohort study of patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at a single centre. Temperature at time of testing and on repeat testing within 24 h were collected., Results: At the time of testing, fever was detected (sensitivity) in 16 of 86 (19%; 95% confidence interval 11-28) episodes of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2. With repeat testing, fever was detected in 18 of 75 (24%; 95% confidence interval 15-35) episodes., Conclusions: In an Australian hospital, screening for fever lacked sensitivity for detection of patients with SARS-CoV-2., (© 2020 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: In Australia, the current ED burden related to COVID-19 is from 'suspected' rather than 'confirmed' cases. The initial aim of the Registry for Emergency Care (REC) Project is to determine the impact of isolation processes on the emergency care of all patients., Methods: The REC Project builds on the COVID-19 Emergency Department Quality Improvement (COVED) Project. Outcomes measured include times to critical assessment and management., Results: Clinical tools will be generated to inform emergency care, both during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic., Conclusions: The REC Project will support ED clinicians in the emergency care of all patients., (© 2020 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: The COVID-19 Emergency Department (COVED) Quality Improvement Project aims to provide regular and real-time clinical information to ED clinicians caring for patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19. The present study summarises data from the first 2 weeks of the study., Methods: COVED is an ongoing prospective cohort study that commenced on 1 April 2020. It includes all adult patients presenting to a participating ED who undergo testing for SARS-CoV-2. Data are collected prospectively and entered into a bespoke registry. Outcomes include a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test result and requirement for intensive respiratory support., Results: In the period 1-14 April 2020, 240 (16%) of 1508 patients presenting to The Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre met inclusion criteria. Of these, 11 (5%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The mean age of patients was 60 years and the commonest symptoms were acute shortness of breath (n = 122 [67%]), cough (n = 108 [56%]) or fever (n = 98 [51%]). Overseas travel or known contact with a confirmed case was reported by 24 (14%) and 16 (10%) patients, respectively. Fever or hypoxia was recorded in 23 (10%) and 11 (5%) patients, respectively. Eleven (5%) patients received mechanical ventilation in the ED, of whom none tested positive for SARS-CoV-2., Conclusions: Among patients presenting to a tertiary ED with suspected COVID-19, only a small proportion tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Although the low incidence of positive cases currently precludes the development of predictive tools, the COVED Project demonstrates that the rapid establishment of an agile clinical registry for emergency care is feasible., (© 2020 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objectives: There is an urgency to support Australian ED clinicians with real-time tools as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves. The COVID-19 Emergency Department (COVED) Quality Improvement Project has commenced and will provide flexible and responsive clinical tools to determine the predictors of key ED-relevant clinical outcomes., Methods: The COVED Project includes all adult patients presenting to a participating ED and meeting contemporary testing criteria for COVID-19. The dataset has been embedded in the electronic medical record and the COVED Registry has been developed., Results: Outcomes measured include being COVID-19 positive and requiring intensive respiratory support. Regression methodology will be used to generate clinical prediction tools., Conclusion: This project will support EDs during this pandemic., (© 2020 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Objective: Demand for global health (GH) training and experiences among emergency medicine trainees is unknown. The primary objective of the Trainee Interest in Global Health Training (TIGHT) study was to quantify the number of trainees interested in completing a rotation in a resource-limited environment within a low- or middle-income country during their specialty training., Methods: A cross-sectional study of trainees in seven specialty training programmes was conducted between August and October 2018. Data were collected using a voluntary, anonymous, self-reporting, web-based survey. This study describes the results of a planned sub-group analysis of ACEM trainees., Results: There were 203 respondents among 2525 ACEM trainees. Although only a small number (36/198, 18.2%) had undertaken a GH experience as a specialty trainee, 85.6% (167/195) were keen to do so. The vast majority of respondents (179/194, 87.1%) were interested or very interested in having their GH experience accredited for training, but 68.9% (133/193) reported that accessing a suitable placement was a barrier. More than 79% (147/186) expressed interest in undertaking an integrated GH training or fellowship programme as an adjunct to specialty training., Conclusions: Notwithstanding the limitations of a self-reporting survey with a sub-optimal response rate, there is significant demand for GH training and experiences among ACEM trainees. These findings should inform the development of safe and effective global emergency care training pathways, underpinned by mutually beneficial, international partnerships with educational and development objectives., (© 2020 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

As demand for emergency care (EC) systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) grows, there is an urgent need to expand the evidence base for clinical and systems interventions in resource limited EC settings. Clinicians are well placed to identify, define and address unanswered research questions using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. This paper summarises established research priorities for global EC and provides a step-wise approach to developing a research question. Research priorities for global EC broadly fall into two categories: systems-based research and research with a clinical care focus. Systems research is integral to understanding the essential components of safe and effective EC delivery, while clinical research aims to answer questions related to particular disease states, presentations or population groups. Developing a specific research question requires an enquiring, questioning and critical approach to EC delivery. In quantitative research, use of the PECO formula (Population, Exposure, Comparator, Outcome) can help frame a research question. Qualitative research, which aims to understand, explore and examine, often requires application of a theoretical framework. Writing a brief purpose statement can be a helpful tool to clarify the objectives of a qualitative study. This paper includes lists of tips, pitfalls and resources to assist EC clinical researchers in developing research questions. Application of these tools and frameworks will assist EC clinicians in resource limited settings to perform impactful research and improve outcomes for patients with acute illness and injury., Competing Interests: The authors declared no conflicts of interest., (© 2020 African Federation for Emergency Medicine. Publishing services provided by Elsevier.)

Background: Each year approximately five million people die from injuries. In countries where systems of trauma care have been introduced, death and disability have decreased. A major component of developed trauma systems is a trauma quality improvement (TQI) program and trauma quality improvement meeting (TQIM). Effective TQIMs improve trauma care by identifying and fixing problems. But globally, TQIMs are absent or unstructured in most hospitals providing trauma care. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate a checklist for a structured TQIM., Methods: This project was conducted as a prospective before-and-after study in four major trauma centres in India. The intervention was the introduction of a structured TQIM using a checklist, introduced with a workshop. This workshop was based on the World Health Organization (WHO) TQI Programs short course and resources, plus the developed TQIM checklist. Pre- and post-intervention data collection occurred at all meetings in which cases of trauma death were discussed. The primary outcome was TQIM Checklist compliance, defined by the discussion of, and agreement upon each of the following: preventability of death, identification of opportunities to improve care and corrective actions and a plan for closing the loop., Results: There were 34 meetings in each phase, with 99 cases brought to the pre-intervention phase and 125 cases brought to the post-intervention phase. There was an increase in the proportion of cases brought to the meeting for which preventability of death was discussed (from 94% to 100%, p = 0.007) and agreed (from 7 to 19%, OR 3.7; 95% CI:1.4-9.4, p = 0.004) and for which a plan for closing the loop was discussed (from 2% to 18%, OR 10.9; 95% CI:2.5-47.6, p < 0.001) and agreed (from 2% to 18%, OR 10.9; 95% CI:2.5-47.6, p < 0.001)., Conclusion: This study developed, implemented and evaluated a TQIM Checklist for improving TQIM processes. The introduction of a TQIM Checklist, with training, into four Indian trauma centres, led to more structured TQIMs, including increased discussion and agreement on preventability of death and plans for loop closure. A TQIM Checklist should be considered for all centres managing trauma patients., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)