PRIMARY SURVEY
Primary survey
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
This month we publish a few papers that report the results from some audits; patient processes, use of resources and clinical knowledge are all under the microscope. Traditional research papers, epitomised by the gold standard of the double blinded randomised control trial, will continue to grab academic headlines, but good quality audits are arguably more important in day-to-day practice and are more relevant to most health workers and systems.
IT’S VITAL TO DO VITAL SIGNS
Armstrong and his colleagues completed a retrospective audit of how well a district general hospital emergency department recorded vital signs in adult patients. The results are fascinating and should make us all reflect on how well we do the "basics". As the work of emergency departments gets more complex in numbers, case mix and therapeutic intervention, our whole house may come tumbling down if we fail to complete the essential basics properly. The parable of the emperor and his clothes comes
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
Relevant Articles
- Making sense of vital signs
- Bruce P Armstrong, Michael Clancy, Howard Simpson
Emerg. Med. J. 2008 25: 790-791.[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Utilisation of Crotalidae polyvalent immune fab (ovine) for Viperidae envenomations in children
- P N Johnson, L McGoodwin, W Banner, Jr
Emerg. Med. J. 2008 25: 793-798.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Recording of vital signs in a district general hospital emergency department
- B Armstrong, H Walthall, M Clancy, M Mullee, H Simpson
Emerg. Med. J. 2008 25: 799-802.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Routine chest radiography in uncomplicated suspected acute coronary syndrome rarely yields significant pathology
- J J L Ng, D McD Taylor
Emerg. Med. J. 2008 25: 807-810.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Effect of emergency department fast track on emergency department length of stay: a case–control study
- J Considine, M Kropman, E Kelly, C Winter
Emerg. Med. J. 2008 25: 815-819.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Doctors’ knowledge of the appropriate use and route of administration of antidotes in the management of recreational drug toxicity
- S Lidder, H Ovaska, J R H Archer, S L Greene, A L Jones, P I Dargan, D M Wood
Emerg. Med. J. 2008 25: 820-823.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- The Derriford twelve commandments of emergency medicine: a model for good practice in a changing world, or a survival guide for new medical staff
- J E Smith, I Higginson, H R Guly, I C Grant, P Belsham, A Hicks, D Alao, D Boon
Emerg. Med. J. 2008 25: 824-826.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Look right! A retrospective study of pedestrian accidents involving overseas visitors to London
- A Baldwin, T Harris, G Davies
Emerg. Med. J. 2008 25: 843-846.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
- Submit a response
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me when eLetters are posted
- Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
