Clinical Practice

Intravenous ketamine as an analgesia in prehospital adult trauma patients

The author independently chose to conduct a systematic literature review as it allows simultaneous searches of electronic databases while being the most effective method to find the best current,...

Assessment and management of issues in early pregnancy

Common benign causes of abdominal pain include bloating, constipation and round ligament syndrome (Hopcroft and Forte, 2003)..

Adrenal insufficiency: a review

A 21-year-old woman called 999 for an emergency ambulance complaining of dizziness, nausea, vomiting and mild abdominal discomfort. An advanced paramedic was dispatched to assess the patient with the...

Legal aspects of prescribing

Paramedic independent prescribers may currently legally prescribe all licensed medicines and off-licence/off-label licensed medicines for accepted clinical uses where no alternative is available, but...

Emergency primary and secondary systems of assessment

This study aimed to: Describe a system to identify the primary survey positive patientSignpost to guidance on the management of the primary survey positive patientIntroduce the SOAPC system for the...

An essential series on clinical decision-making on scene

The series will endeavour to address the key aspects of emergency and urgent care in the community setting, including an overview of trauma. Topics are set out in Box 1..

Pulse oximetry to predict the onset of acute mountain sickness: a literature review

The primary objective of this review is to establish the effectiveness and accuracy of pulse oximetry as a predictive tool for identifying the development of AMS during ascent to high altitudes..

Needle decompression in tension pneumothorax: anterior or lateral approach?

This literature review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidance on identifying and including reviews of research and evaluation...

Patient-centred prescribing, autonomy and concordance

The following patient example provides a framework for discussion. The patient's name has been changed to ensure confidentiality, and only the information relevant to this article is presented. The...

Diabetic ketoacidosis in paediatrics: tools to assist in recognition of a sick child

Diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism resulting from a lack of insulin or a reduction in its biological effects..

Happy hypoxia in COVID-19: pathophysiology and pulse oximetry accuracy

Dyspnoea is characterised by the sensation of uncomfortable or difficult breathing, breathlessness or experiencing air hunger (American Thoracic Society, 1999)..

Prescribing in mental health

Anxiety and depression are primarily managed with the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as sertraline and citalopram. The risk-benefit ratio of SSRIs has been shown to be...