- Email: [email protected]
Redback spider bite: Signs, symptoms and sequelae
162 Redback spider bite: Signs, symptoms and sequelae Sarah Bullen Sandringham Hospital, 193 Bluff Road, Sandringham, Vic. 3191, Australia E-mail address: [email protected]. The redback spider bite is the most common cause of significant envenomation in Australia.1 Patient signs and symptoms may range from mild and local, to both severe and systemic. Therefore patient presentations to the emergency setting can often be diverse and atypical. The most serious systemic sequelae of envenomation to the human body, called latrodectism, have been readily confused with sepsis, myocardial infarction, thoracic aortic dissection, acute hepatitis, acute abdomen, and torsion of the testis.2,3 Treatment may consist of first aid measures, analgesia and education and/or the use of antivenin titrated to clinical response. This session seeks to familiarise emergency nurses with the identification, pathophysiology, treatment and management of redback spider bite inclusive of the recognition of local and systemic effects of envenomation, in the context of two Victorian patient case studies. In addition, the considerations for the use of antivenin, antivenin administration and side effect profile will be discussed.
References 1. Isbister GK. Spider bite: a current approach to management. Aust Prescriber 2006;29(6):156—8. 2. Nimorakiotakis B, Winkel K. Spider bite—–the redback spider and its relatives. Aust Fam Phys 2004;33(3):153—7. 3. Monaghan M, Parkinson S, Armstrong J, Cadogan M. Envenomation. In: Curtis K, Ramsden C, Friendship J, editors. Emergency and trauma nursing. Marrickville: Elsevier Australia; 2007.
Keywords: Arachnidism; Bites and stings; Emergency nursing doi:10.1016/j.aenj.2009.08.038 Should we go or should we stay Karen Croker 1 , Jennifer Craig 1 , Peter Miller 1 , Rick Davies 2 , Peter Randell 2 1
Aeromedical & Critical Care Services, Royal Flying Doctor Service Qld Section, Australia 2 Aviation Royal Flying Doctor Service Qld Section, Australia The aeromedical environment is well recognised as a platform which creates significant risk for both nursing and medical personnel and indeed the patient being transported. The Royal Flying Doctor Service-QLD Section is certainly no exception when referring to such risk. To date, determining if the risk involved in aeromedical transportation outweighs the clinical need of the patient requiring transportation has until now been an ad hoc subjective process. Recognition of this inherent laissez-faire approach lead to a comprehensive review of available risk assessment processes in the aeromedical world.
CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS Findings upon completion of the review were surprising in that they indicated that currently there was no formal risk assessment available that considered both aviation risk and clinical risk together. To address this shortfall, a process was developed which incorporated risk management and assessment tools vital when considering both aviation risk and clinical priority in the Aeromedical environment. Through a multi-agency approach between the RFDS-QLD and other predominant health service delivery providers the Combined Aviation and Aeromedical Risk Matrix (CAARM) was developed. Successful implementation of the same then followed. This paper will discuss the risks involved in the aeromedical environment. It will also explain the rationale as to why the development of the CAARM was such a strategic and necessary step to undertake as a means to minimising the ever present risks in the aeromedical arena. The CAARM itself will also be explained and the action steps involved. doi:10.1016/j.aenj.2009.08.039 ORAL PRESENTATIONS 3B — Education Integration of CENA practice standards for postgraduate emergency nursing assessment Karen Theobald ∗ , Pauline Calleja, Fiona Coyer School of Nursing & Midwifery, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Qld 4059, Australia E-mail address: [email protected] (K. Theobald). The use of professional competency standards to assess postgraduate nursing student’s clinical performance has been in place since 1999, at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School of Nursing & Midwifery (SONM). Previously emergency nursing students were assessed using a Clinical Performance Appraisal Tool (CPAT) which was based on the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (ACCCN) Competency Standards. The release of the 2008 College of Emergency Nursing Australasia’s (CENA) revised Practice Standards for the Emergency Nursing Specialist led to the integration of the CENA practice standards for clinical assessment of postgraduate students in the emergency nursing study area of the Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Masters of Nursing courses. The QUT SONM emergency nursing study area team commenced the phasing in and progression of the CENA practice standards across emergency specific postgraduate theory/clinical units in 2009. The team carefully considered how the professional standards are integrated into the teaching and assessment of the units. Using professional standards for the emergency study area has helped tailor course content and learning outcomes to ensure relevance across a number of emergency nursing contexts in Australia. 34 students enrolled in the core semester 1 unit, were surveyed for feedback. Responses indicated that the CPAT was focussed and clinically relevant to their practice context. The integration of the new CENA practice standards
References 1. Isbister GK. Spider bite: a current approach to management. Aust Prescriber 2006;29(6):156—8. 2. Nimorakiotakis B, Winkel K. Spider bite—–the redback spider and its relatives. Aust Fam Phys 2004;33(3):153—7. 3. Monaghan M, Parkinson S, Armstrong J, Cadogan M. Envenomation. In: Curtis K, Ramsden C, Friendship J, editors. Emergency and trauma nursing. Marrickville: Elsevier Australia; 2007.
Keywords: Arachnidism; Bites and stings; Emergency nursing doi:10.1016/j.aenj.2009.08.038 Should we go or should we stay Karen Croker 1 , Jennifer Craig 1 , Peter Miller 1 , Rick Davies 2 , Peter Randell 2 1
Aeromedical & Critical Care Services, Royal Flying Doctor Service Qld Section, Australia 2 Aviation Royal Flying Doctor Service Qld Section, Australia The aeromedical environment is well recognised as a platform which creates significant risk for both nursing and medical personnel and indeed the patient being transported. The Royal Flying Doctor Service-QLD Section is certainly no exception when referring to such risk. To date, determining if the risk involved in aeromedical transportation outweighs the clinical need of the patient requiring transportation has until now been an ad hoc subjective process. Recognition of this inherent laissez-faire approach lead to a comprehensive review of available risk assessment processes in the aeromedical world.
CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS Findings upon completion of the review were surprising in that they indicated that currently there was no formal risk assessment available that considered both aviation risk and clinical risk together. To address this shortfall, a process was developed which incorporated risk management and assessment tools vital when considering both aviation risk and clinical priority in the Aeromedical environment. Through a multi-agency approach between the RFDS-QLD and other predominant health service delivery providers the Combined Aviation and Aeromedical Risk Matrix (CAARM) was developed. Successful implementation of the same then followed. This paper will discuss the risks involved in the aeromedical environment. It will also explain the rationale as to why the development of the CAARM was such a strategic and necessary step to undertake as a means to minimising the ever present risks in the aeromedical arena. The CAARM itself will also be explained and the action steps involved. doi:10.1016/j.aenj.2009.08.039 ORAL PRESENTATIONS 3B — Education Integration of CENA practice standards for postgraduate emergency nursing assessment Karen Theobald ∗ , Pauline Calleja, Fiona Coyer School of Nursing & Midwifery, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Qld 4059, Australia E-mail address: [email protected] (K. Theobald). The use of professional competency standards to assess postgraduate nursing student’s clinical performance has been in place since 1999, at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School of Nursing & Midwifery (SONM). Previously emergency nursing students were assessed using a Clinical Performance Appraisal Tool (CPAT) which was based on the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (ACCCN) Competency Standards. The release of the 2008 College of Emergency Nursing Australasia’s (CENA) revised Practice Standards for the Emergency Nursing Specialist led to the integration of the CENA practice standards for clinical assessment of postgraduate students in the emergency nursing study area of the Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Masters of Nursing courses. The QUT SONM emergency nursing study area team commenced the phasing in and progression of the CENA practice standards across emergency specific postgraduate theory/clinical units in 2009. The team carefully considered how the professional standards are integrated into the teaching and assessment of the units. Using professional standards for the emergency study area has helped tailor course content and learning outcomes to ensure relevance across a number of emergency nursing contexts in Australia. 34 students enrolled in the core semester 1 unit, were surveyed for feedback. Responses indicated that the CPAT was focussed and clinically relevant to their practice context. The integration of the new CENA practice standards