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Bored of Boarding
I'm sure that many of us have felt pangs of guilt as we walk past rows of patients on corridors waiting to get into beds. The ‘boarded’ patient is a gentle term for what is an obvious and embarrassing symbol of overcrowding in our emergency departments. I often feel ashamed of our health care systems when we subject patients to the indignity and poor care associated with boarding, but what is it like for patients? Liu et al have examined the experience of boarding from the patient perspective using qualitative methods. They found that patients do find waiting frustrating and characterised by a lack of communication. They conclude that if we are to deliver kind and compassionate care then we must listen to the voices of our patients and eradicate the practice of boarding.
Complications of prehospital intubation
Prehospital airway management is always controversial and so it is again this month with a retrospective review of cases intubated in the field. The data suggests a high complication rate as compared to in hospital airway care. It is interesting to note that the airway assessments …