Functional somatic symptoms in Emergency Department frequent presenters.

Background: Patients with Functional Somatic Symptoms (FSS) are frequently encountered within healthcare settings such as Emergency Departments (ED). There is limited research regarding characterisation and frequency of FSS within frequent presenters to ED and no previous Australian evidence. This study aims to fill this gap.

Barriers and facilitators to burn first aid practice in the prehospital setting: A qualitative investigation amongst emergency medical service clinicians.

First aid cooling for burn injuries improves re-epithelialisation rates and reduces scarring. The objective of this research was to explore and describe barriers and facilitators to the provision of optimal first aid for acute burn patients in the prehospital setting. Emergency medical service (EMS) clinicians in Queensland were invited via email to participate in a survey designed to assess experience, knowledge, and attitudes regarding provision of optimal burn first aid in the prehospital setting (N = 4500).

Determining the Impact of Heatwaves on Emergency Ambulance Calls in Queensland: A Retrospective Population-Based Study.

Heatwaves are a significant and growing threat to the health and well-being of the residents of Queensland, Australia. This threat is increasing due to climate change. Excess heat increases the demand for health services, including ambulance calls, and the purpose of this study was to explore this impact across Queensland.

Heatwaves and mortality in Queensland 2010-2019: implications for a homogenous state-wide approach.

Heatwaves are a significant cause of adverse health outcomes and mortality in Australia, worsening with climate change. In Queensland, the northeastern-most state, little is known about the impact of heatwaves outside of the capital city of Brisbane. This study aims to explore the impact of heatwaves on mortality across various demographic and environmental conditions within Queensland from 2010 to 2019.

The clinical journey of patients with a severe exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): from the ambulance to the emergency department to the hospital ward.

Background: Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are acute complications that often require emergency management by ambulance, emergency department (ED) and hospital services. Given the high mortality and morbidity of exacerbations, better understanding of the epidemiology of patients with COPD presenting to EDs is needed, as well as identification of predictive factors for adverse outcomes from exacerbations.

Methods: This retrospective observational study involved patients who presented to an ED in the state of Queensland and received either an ED or hospital diagnosis of COPD in 2015 and 2016.

Epidemiology of open limb fractures attended by ambulance clinicians in the out-of-hospital setting: A retrospective analysis.

Background: Open limb fractures are a time-critical orthopaedic emergency that present to jurisdictional ambulance services. This study describes the demographic characteristics and epidemiological profile of these patients METHODS: We undertook a retrospective analysis of all patients that presented to Queensland Ambulance Service with an open limb fracture (fracture to the humerus, radius/ulna, tibia/fibula or femur) over a two-year period (January 2018 - December 2019).

Results: Overall, 1020 patients were included.

Pre-hospital predictors of long-term survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Objective: To identify predictors of longer-term outcomes from adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of presumed cardiac aetiology.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, three large routinely collected databases were linked: 1)QAS Out-of-Hospital Cardiac (OHCA) Registry; 2)Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection; and 3)Queensland Registrar General Death Registry. Participants were adult (18years+) residents of Queensland, who suffered an OHCA of presumed cardiac aetiology and had resuscitation attempted by QAS paramedics between 2002 and 2014.

Men's perceptions and preferences regarding prostate cancer radiation therapy: A systematic scoping review.

Purpose: To assess the literature on men's preferences and perceptions regarding prostate cancer radiation therapy.

Methods: A scoping review was undertaken as per JBI guidelines. Searches were conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and Science Direct with search terms including "prostate cancer," "radiotherapy," "radiation therapy," "radiation oncology," "patient preferences," "patient perceptions" and "patient experience.

Cardiovascular mortality post burn injury.

Background: Burn injury is responsible for both acute and ongoing inflammation, resulting in systematic changes impacting the cardiovascular, hepatobiliary, endocrine, and metabolic systems, but there is minimal investigation into long-term clinical outcomes. This study aimed to investigate mortality due to cardiovascular related long-term postburn injury.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study linking a burns unit database with mortality outcomes from a Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Costs and 30-day readmission after lower limb fractures from motorcycle crashes in Queensland, Australia: A linked data analysis.

Background: Lower limb trauma is the most common injury sustained in motorcycle crashes. There are limited data describing this cohort in Australia and limited international data establishing costs due to lower limb trauma following motorcycle crashes.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study utilised administrative hospitalisation data from Queensland, Australia from 2011-2017.

Mastering Linked Datasets: The Future of Emergency Health Care Research.

: The aim of this work is to describe routine integration of prehospital emergency health records into a health master linkage file, delivering ongoing access to integrated patient treatment and outcome information for ambulance-attended patients in Queensland.: The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) data are integrated monthly into the Queensland Health Master Linkage File (MLF) using a linkage algorithm that relies on probabilistic matches in combination with deterministic rules based on patient demographic details, date, time and facility identifiers. Each ambulance record is assigned an enduring linkage key (unique patient identifier) and further processing determines whether each record matches with a corresponding hospital emergency department, admission or death registry record.

Status Epilepticus Australasian Registry for Children: A pilot prospective, observational, cohort study of paediatric status epilepticus.

Objective: Paediatric status epilepticus (SE) has potential for long-term sequelae. Existing data demonstrate delays to aspects of care. The objective of the present study was to examine the feasibility of collecting data on children with paediatric SE and describe current management strategies in pre-hospital and in-hospital settings.

Travel-weary to travel-worry: the epidemiology of injury-related traveller deaths in Australia, 2006-2017.

Objective: To explore injury deaths in international and domestic interstate travellers, together with those newly arrived to Australia.

Methods: A population-based cohort study of all injury-related deaths between 1January 2006 and 31 December 2017 registered with Births Death and Marriages in Australia was conducted using Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) Cause of Death information. Population data on travellers were obtained from Tourism Research Australia.

Men's preferences for image-guidance in prostate radiation therapy: A discrete choice experiment.

Introduction: There are several options for real-time prostate monitoring during radiation therapy including fiducial markers (FMs) and transperineal ultrasound (TPUS). However, the patient experience for these procedures is very different. This study aimed to determine patient preferences around various aspects of prostate image-guidance, focusing on FMs and TPUS.

Quantifying the hospital and emergency department costs for women diagnosed with breast cancer in Queensland.

Purpose: With increasing rates of cancer survival due to advances in screening and treatment options, the costs of breast cancer diagnoses are attracting interest. However, limited research has explored the costs to the Australian healthcare system associated with breast cancer. We aimed to describe the cost to hospital funders for hospital episodes and emergency department (ED) presentations for Queensland women with breast cancer, and whether costs varied by demographic characteristics.

Long-term outcomes of adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Queensland, Australia (2002-2014): incidence and temporal trends.

Objective: To describe annual incidence and temporal trends (2002-2014) in incidence of long-term outcomes of adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) of presumed cardiac aetiology attended by Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) paramedics, by age, gender, geographical remoteness and socioeconomic status (SES).

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. Cases were identified using the QAS OHCA Registry and were linked with entries in the Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection and the Queensland Registrar General Death Registry.

The impact of excess alcohol consumption on health care utilisation in regional patients with chronic disease - a retrospective chart audit.

Objective: To understand the impact of alcohol consumption on the health utilisation of people with chronic diseases.

Methods: A retrospective chart audit was undertaken in two primary care settings in a regional Australian city. Three indicator conditions were selected: type 2 diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic kidney disease.

The effect of alcohol consumption on clinical outcomes in regional patients with chronic disease: a retrospective chart audit.

Objective: To better understand the impact of alcohol consumption on the clinical management of chronic diseases in a regional general practice setting.

Methods: A retrospective chart audit was undertaken of individual patient records at two large group general practices in Townsville, a regional Australian city. Three common indicator chronic diseases were selected that have clear management guidelines for general practice: type 2 diabetes; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and chronic kidney disease.

Patient co-payments for women diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia.

Purpose: Among Australian women, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer. The out-of-pocket cost to the patient is substantial. This study estimates the total patient co-payments for Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for women diagnosed with breast cancer and determined the distribution of these costs by Indigenous status, remoteness, and socioeconomic status.

Pre-hospital outcomes of adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of presumed cardiac aetiology in Queensland, Australia (2002-2014): Trends over time.

Objective: To describe temporal trends in incidence of pre-hospital outcomes from adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) of presumed cardiac aetiology attended by Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) paramedics between 2002 and 2014, by age, gender, geographical remoteness and socio-economic status.

Methods: Cases included in this retrospective cohort study were identified from the QAS OHCA Registry. Included cases were linked with Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection and Queensland Death Registry.

Epidemiology of pre-hospital outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Queensland, Australia.

Objective: To describe incidence in pre-hospital outcomes of adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) of presumed cardiac aetiology, attended by Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) paramedics between 2002 and 2014, by age, gender, geographical remoteness and socio-economic status.

Methods: The QAS OHCA Registry was used to identify cases, which was then linked with Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection and Queensland Death Registry. Population data were obtained for each calendar year by age and gender from the Australian Bureau of Statistics in order to calculate incidence rates.

A retrospective analysis of the prevalence and clinical outcomes of vitamin D deficiency in myeloma patients in tropical Australia.

Purpose: The aim of this descriptive study was to assess the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients on active therapy for multiple myeloma in a tropical climate. We also tested for the association of vitamin D status on clinical outcomes.

Methods: This was a single centre, observational study performed in Townsville, Australia, which has a sunlight heavy, tropical climate.

Exploring Australian residents cycling engagement - Differences in self-reported cycling behaviour between urban and rural dwelling Queenslanders.

Issue Addressed: Cycling participation rates in Australia and Queensland remain low. Rural residents typically do not have distinct cycling infrastructure available for use. Investigating current cycling participation and barriers to cycling engagement will inform future work to promote cycling engagement.

Characteristics Associated with First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training and Use in Queensland, Australia.

Introduction: First aid, particularly bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), is an important element in the chain of survival. However, little is known about what influences populations to undertake first aid/CPR training, update their training, and use of the training.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the characteristics of people who have first aid/CPR training, those who have updated their training, and use of these skills.

Effect of manual physiotherapy in homogeneous individuals with subacromial shoulder impingement: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To compare the effect of specific interventions aimed at (1) the upper thoracic spine (passive mobilization) and (2) the posterior shoulder (massage, passive mobilization, and stretching) to (3) an active control intervention in a homogeneous group with extrinsic subacromial shoulder impingement (SSI).

Study Design: Single-centre, prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial.

Method: Eligible individuals with clearly defined extrinsic SSI were randomized to each group.