Improving the documentation of chaperones during intimate examinations in a surgical admissions unit: A four-stage approach.

Background: The General Medical Council (GMC) states that all intimate examinations should have a chaperone offered. Documentation of chaperone identity, or patient's refusal, is essential.

Objective: This project aimed to improve documentation of chaperones during intimate examination of patients based in a Surgical Admissions Unit (SAU) within a large tertiary hospital in the Southwest of the UK.

Penthrox: a breath of PHEC air for the military?

Prehospital analgesia is vital to good clinical care and inhaled methoxyflurane (Penthrox) would be a valuable addition to the armed forces medical armoury. Penthrox would provide strong, fast-acting, self-administered and safe analgesia to patients with moderate to severe injuries. In addition, it would provide an option for strong analgesia which would not be subject to the regulations that govern controlled or accountable drugs which gives it a unique position as the military moves its focus from large enduring operations to small short-term training teams supported by lone combat medics in remote locations across the globe.