Does the Clinical Frailty Scale predict re-presentations to the ED in elderly community-dwelling people following an initial presentation from a fall?

Falls in the elderly community-dwelling population are a common presentation to Australian Emergency Departments (ED). The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported an estimated 125,000 people aged 65+ were hospitalised due to falls in 2016/17. Fallers presenting to the ED that are elderly and frail, may then be discharged directly home.

The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) has been widely used and is associated with mortality, comorbidity, increased length of stay and falls (Church 2020). Despite its expansive utilisation, no studies have assessed the correlation of CFS scores with re-presentation to the ED following a fall.

Improving the ability to identify patients who are at risk of re-presenting with falls could aid in focusing physiotherapy and allied health resources towards these patients during their initial ED presentation.

Endovascular Clot Retrieval Pathway for Acute Ischaemic Stroke: Outcomes After-Hours in an Australian Metropolitan ED

Stroke is a leading cause of death and one of the most common causes of disability in Australia. For ischaemic strokes occurring secondary to a large vessel occlusion (LVO), mechanical thrombectomy is an effective intervention, with the outcome largely dependent on time to thrombectomy.

This study will analyse the assessment, management, and clinical outcomes of patients presenting to the ED with acute stroke, with a particular focus of those undergoing mechanical thrombectomy. Researchers aim to determine variability of workflow and decision-making processes that may occur after-hours. Based on current literature, variability may have a corresponding deleterious effect on patient outcomes.

By reviewing workflow processes and identifying relevant time barriers in a Queensland Comprehensive Stroke Centre, researchers aim to inform the future design and implementation of “Code Stroke” clinical pathways in Queensland.

Staff experiences of wellness activities at a major regional Queensland ED

Healthcare in general and Emergency Departments (ED) in particular are stressful environments associated with excessive work demands, long hours and often limited support.

These pressures are compounded by staff shortages, fiscal constraints and increased ED presentations and patient acuity. Against this background where resources are so stretched, the COVID-19 pandemic poses intense and prolonged pressure.

The cumulative impact of chronic stress adversely affects the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of ED staff, leading to burn-out and to difficulties with staff recruitment and retention, decreased morale and job satisfaction.

Promoting staff wellness may enhance their ability to cope with occupational stress through support systems, development of resilience and building social connection. However engaging staff who are chronically stressed is a challenge.

It has never been timelier to identify effective evidenced based strategies that promote wellness and can be rigorously evaluated for the ED context. This project aims to qualitatively assess ED staff perceptions of Workplace Wellbeing activities, their views on measures to improve engagement, and perceptions of how to improve staff engagement with these interventions, especially in the context of chronic workplace stress.