Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation differences by sex - The role of arrest recognition.

Purpose: To assess whether bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) differed by patient sex among bystander-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA).

Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of paramedic-attended OHCA in New South Wales (NSW) between January 2017 to December 2019 (restricted to bystander-witnessed cases). Exclusions included OHCA in aged care, medical facilities, with advance care directives, from non-medical causes.

Applying Sydney Triage to Admission Risk Tool (START) to improve patient flow in emergency departments: a multicentre randomised, implementation study.

Background: To determine the effectiveness of applying the Sydney Triage to Admission Risk Tool (START) in conjunction with senior early assessment in different Emergency Departments (EDs).

Methods: This multicentre implementation study, conducted in two metropolitan EDs, used a convenience sample of ED patients. Patients who were admitted, after presenting to both EDs, and were assessed using the existing senior ED clinician assessment, were included in the study.

Experience-based codesign approach to improve care in Australian emergency departments for complex consumer cohorts: the MyED project protocol, Stages 1.1-1.3.

Introduction: Emergency department (ED) care must adapt to meet current and future demands. In Australia, ED quality measures (eg, prolonged length of stay, re-presentations or patient experience) are worse for older adults with multiple comorbidities, people who have a disability, those who present with a mental health condition, Indigenous Australians, and those with a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background. Strengthened ED performance relies on understanding the social and systemic barriers and preferences for care of these different cohorts, and identifying viable solutions that may result in sustained improvement by service providers.

How mindful self-care practices changed during the winter 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Western Sydney.

Background And Objectives: Self-care strategies are important to maintain psychological wellbeing. The aim of this study was to explore how self-care changed during the first COVID-19 lockdown in winter 2020 and identify targets for interventions.

Method: This was a cross-sectional study.

Improving community-based first response to out of hospital cardiac arrest (FirstCPR): protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is associated with poor survival outcomes, but prompt bystander action can more than double survival rates. Being trained, confident and willing-to-perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are known predictors of bystander action. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a community organisation targeted multicomponent education and training initiative on being willing to respond to OHCAs.

Contemporary evaluation of adverse outcome risks associated with 'did not wait' emergency department presentations.

Objective: Did not wait (DNW) is a frequently cited ED key performance indicator. We conducted a network-based observational study of consecutive DNW presentations.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of Western Sydney Local Health District with a primary outcome measure of reported 30-day all-cause mortality and secondary outcomes of demographic characteristics and representation risk.

Reduction in Ophthalmic Presentations to Australian Emergency Departments During the COVID-19 Period: Are We Seeing the Full Picture?

Purpose: To examine changing patterns of ophthalmic presentations to emergency departments (EDs) during the lockdowns associated with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and the two months immediately following lockdown relaxation.

Patients And Methods: This was a retrospective audit of triage coding and ICD-10-AM coding for all patient presentations to four Australian EDs from March 29 to May 31 in 2019 and 2020 (the COVID-19 lockdown period and the corresponding period in 2019), and from June 1 to July 31 in 2019 and 2020 (the post-lockdown period and the corresponding period in 2019). Number of ophthalmic presentations triaged per day and number of seven common and/or time-sensitive, vision threatening ophthalmic diagnoses were examined.

Using non-mydriatic fundus photography to detect fundus pathology in Australian metropolitan emergency departments: A prospective prevalence and diagnostic accuracy study.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of fundus pathology in metropolitan Australian EDs utilising a non-mydriatic fundus photography screening programme. Secondary objectives include diagnostic accuracy among emergency physicians compared to telehealth ophthalmologist review.

Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study investigating non-mydriatic fundus photography as a new diagnostic test in two tertiary Australian EDs.

Impact of emergency department discharge stream short stay unit performance and hospital bed occupancy rates on access and patient flowmeasures: A single site study.

Objective: The ED discharge stream short stay units (EDSSUs) aim to facilitate patient flows through EDs. We investigate the relationship between EDSSU census and hospital bed occupancy rates (BORs) on National Emergency Access Target (NEAT) performance and did-not-wait (DNW) rates at a tertiary metropolitan adult ED in Sydney, Australia.

Methods: We collated data for all ED presentations between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2014.

Identifying posttraumatic amnesia in individuals with a Glasgow Coma Scale of 15 after mild traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To examine the utility of the Abbreviated Westmead Post-traumatic Amnesia Scale, which includes the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and 3 picture cards used to measure amnesia, in identifying the presence or absence of posttraumatic amnesia in individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

Design: Prospective study using data from the Abbreviated Westmead Post-traumatic Amnesia Scale.

Setting: Trauma hospital.

Age and admission times as predictive factors for failure of admissions to discharge-stream short-stay units.

Objective: Discharge-stream emergency short-stay units (ESSU) improve ED and hospital efficiency. Age of patients and time of hospital presentations have been shown to correlate with increasing complexity of care. We aim to determine whether an age and time cut-off could be derived to subsequently improve short-stay unit success rates.

Senior Streaming Assessment Further Evaluation after Triage zone: a novel model of care encompassing various emergency department throughput measures.

Objective: Access block (AB) and hospital overcrowding adversely affect ED functionality. ED throughput measures have been described in the literature with positive impacts on key performance indicators (KPIs)--time to first seen, did-not-wait rates, off-stretcher times for ambulances and ED length of stay figures. In this study, we aimed to assess the impact of a new model of care, the Senior Streaming Assessment Further Evaluation after Triage (SAFE-T) zone concept on ED performance indicators and statistical outcomes.