Latest news with #emergencyDepartments
Medscape
4 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Pediatric Pickleball Injuries Surge in 2024
TOPLINE: A recent study showed that pediatric pickleball injuries increased sharply in 2024, with facial injuries being the most common. Younger children faced higher risks for lacerations, whereas older players experienced more joint injuries. METHODOLOGY: Researchers analyzed pickleball-related injuries in pediatric patients (average age, 12.7 years; 61.4% boys) presenting to emergency departments during 2014-2024, representing an estimated 3011 injuries nationally during this period. Researchers conducted narrative searches to identify cases and categorize injury mechanisms. Of 66 patients with information on race, 78.8% were White, 13.6% were Black or African American, and 7.6% were Asian. Injuries were defined as nontraumatic if they resulted from a medical or environmental cause without an external force (eg, sunburn). Traumatic injuries were further subclassified based on the type of external force, including falls, being hit with a paddle, being hit with a ball, noncontact trauma, or unknown causes. TAKEAWAY: Most injuries occurred in teenagers (57.4%) and only 4% of the injuries resulted in hospitalizations; 58.4% of the cases were reported in 2024. Lacerations were the most common injury (23.8%), followed by fractures (13.9%), sprains (12.9%), and abrasions/contusions (10.9%). Facial lacerations (18.8%), sprained ankles (8.9%), and concussions/closed-head injuries (6.9%) were the most frequent specific injuries. Older patients had an increased risk for dislocation (odds ratio [OR], 1.63; P = .03) but were less likely to have lacerations (OR, 0.84; P = .03) or concussions (OR, 0.75; P = .02) than younger patients. The most common injury mechanism was collision with a paddle (34.4%), followed by falls (27.8%). The odds of noncontact trauma increased with age (OR, 1.33; P = .01). IN PRACTICE: Age-related differences in injuries call for "specific prevention strategies" including "lighter paddles and optional headgear for younger children to potentially reduce head trauma, and strength training or technique-focused interventions for older children to help mitigate joint injuries," the study authors wrote. They added "prospective studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies and to monitor evolving injury patterns as participation continues to grow across pediatric age groups." SOURCE: The study was led by Michaelangelo Coppa, BS, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota. It was published online on July 25, 2025, in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. LIMITATIONS: Reliance on narrative text due to the absence of a dedicated National Electronic Injury Surveillance System code may have led to underreporting or missed cases. Exclusion of non-ED encounters potentially biased the sample toward more severe injuries. Additionally, the limited clinical details, small sample size, and absence of interventions or long-term outcomes restricted the generalizability of the study findings. DISCLOSURES: The study did not receive any funding, and the authors reported no competing interests. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
RNZ News
08-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Senior doctors' union welcomes Health NZ U-turn on axing Wellington Hospital maternity beds
Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER A senior doctors' union says it's frightening how close Health New Zealand came to axing a section of maternity beds at Wellington Hospital. Health NZ announced on Tuesday it would no longer use maternity and gynaecology beds for emergency department overflow, after RNZ revealed the proposed trial on Monday. The news was welcomed by one expectant new mum as well as senior doctors' union the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS), which said the U-turn was the right decision. ASMS industrial officer Jane Lawless said Health NZ could not fix a crisis in New Zealand's emergency departments by creating crises in hospital wards. "We had a similar problem late last year at Mid-Central [Palmerston North Hospital] when ... there was an intention to just start moving ED patients into ward corridors. "We had to push back really hard and get them to understand from an evidence-based point of view why that really wasn't going to be a solution. "Everybody's concerned about the ED crisis but that doesn't mean that you create new crises in an attempt to solve that." Lawless said the way the Wellington situation had been handled was "of great concern". "I think we can be quite confident that there wasn't adequate consultation and when you look at the reaction from clinical staff I think that bears that out as well." Lawless said all hospital patients were vulnerable but the potential impact of the proposal was conveyed to her by a hospital doctor. "She said if a baby doesn't have the care it needs in the first hours of its life and it ends up with a catastrophic brain bleed - well that's a disability for life. "She was just pointing out how close to the edge things are and therefore how extra cautious we need to be when we make changes to models of care." Lawless said clinicians had plenty of thoughts about how to resolve some of the pressure in ED but they were not necessarily being heard. First-time mum Ashley Godwin said she was so worried about the proposed trial she considered giving birth at another hospital. "I was messaging a few friends being like 'Oh should I consider going and having the baby somewhere else where I know that there might be a little bit more support afterwards' or, you know having to prepare for that conversation with my midwife on Friday of what happens if I do get kicked out straight away or if I turn up for an induction and they delay that by a few days 'cos there's not enough beds. "So I definitely have felt a huge sense of relief with the announcement." She commended Health NZ for listening to clinicians, midwives and the public over their concerns and said the news was a weight off her mind. "When you're thinking about being in labour and going into the birthing unit, and what that looks like post-birth, not having to worry about the fact that you might get kicked out straight after having a baby not knowing what you're doing, not having that breast-feeding support or just not having the proper time to recover before going home, [the turnaround] just makes the whole experience a little bit more bearable in the coming weeks." Health New Zealand Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley group director of operations Jamie Duncan said in a statement the trial to "reallocate unresourced maternity and gynaecology beds" at Wellington Hospital would not proceed. "We understand the importance of these services to women and families across the region, and after careful consideration of feedback from a broad range of stakeholders, the proposal will not continue." Duncan said Health NZ remained committed to "optimising the use of all available beds across our facilities, particularly during peak periods when demand increases significantly". "We will continue to work with our staff and clinical leaders to explore sustainable ways to enhance patient flow and improve access to timely care for all patients, while ensuring the specialised support that maternity and gynaecology services require." Duncan said patients were at the centre of every decision made. "We will continue to work closely with our clinical leaders and teams to ensure the best possible outcomes for women accessing maternity and gynaecology care." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
NI Health: Patients spending over a week in emergency departments
Conditions in emergency departments (EDs) are "soul destroying", a senior consultant has said after it was revealed that one patient waited more than 330 hours inside a figures, obtained by BBC News NI, show that in a seven-month period to January this year, one patient waited two weeks at the Ulster Hospital, while another waited 11 days at the Mater in Clodagh Corrigan, deputy chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, said conditions in EDs for staff and patients were "horrific".In a statement, the Department of Health (DoH) acknowledged that waiting times in EDs "fall well below the standard of care that we strive to provide". Hundreds stuck in hospitals across NI The DoH target is for 95% of patients to be treated, discharged or admitted within four hours and no patient to wait longer than 12 Corrigan, who is an emergency medicine consultant, has called on the department to spend its money more effectively.A Freedom of Information request from BBC News NI revealed that every health trust in Northern Ireland experienced patient waits of about week or Northern Health Trust said a wait of more than 10 days for a patient in Antrim Area Hospital was because they needed to be isolated in a side room for other people's safety."If there's space, it's taken up by somebody," said Dr added that patients who might be vomiting or suffering from diarrhoea were queuing for the one toilet available in a unit."It's a soul-destroying work environment. You can't give the care you want to give," she said."You certainly aren't giving the care you're trained to give. It's not the care you'd want your family to receive."There are currently hundreds of people stuck in hospitals across Northern Ireland who are medically fit to be discharged but do not have a care package or an appropriate facility to go BMA said this increases pressure in EDs because people are not moving through the hospital system. The BBC requested data from all five health trusts under Freedom of Information, including that relating to the height of the winter pressures over Christmas and New reflect the immense pressure healthcare staff were under at the time, with one nursing leader describing conditions as "intolerable".Between 12 December 2024 and 20 January this year, 140 patients had to wait in crowded EDs for more than 100 Altnagelvin Area Hospital, one person spent a week in its ED. The hospital recorded the highest number of patients waiting the longest times, with 48 people waiting for more than 100 hours. Dr Corrigan said the BMA was calling for greater investment in the health service and multi-year budgets."The money that exists needs to be used better. There's been an awful lot of investment in a lot of new initiatives... and while we welcome some of those initiatives, we're not seeing the pressures easing from them," she said."It might be better investing in the services that are already here and shaping them better."In a statement, the Department of Health said Health Minister Mike Nesbitt was "acutely aware of the pressures within emergency departments"."The department also recognises the risk of possible harm to patients who experience long waiting times in ED and is working with trusts to improve patient flow through urgent and emergency care," it were still major waits for patients in EDs this week, with patients at Craigavon Area Hospital waiting an average of 15 hours to be seen on Monday.
CTV News
17-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Black and Indigenous patients waiting longer to be seen in emergency departments: Shared Health
Dr. Marcia Anderson presents a report on systemic racism in the province's health-care system during a news conference at the Manitoba legislature on June 17, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Black patients are waiting longer to be seen in Manitoba's emergency departments and are leaving without being seen by a doctor in higher numbers, according to a new report. The findings come in Shared Health's race, ethnicity and Indigenous identity data report, which examines systemic racism in health care. To compile the report, the team analyzed emergency room data from across Manitoba. 'We know this is not just a problem in emergency departments or in Winnipeg. Systemic racism is a problem across the health-care system provincially and nationally,' Health Sciences Centre chief operating officer Dr. Shawn Young said at a news conference Tuesday at the Manitoba legislature. 'For patients, racism - systemic or otherwise - is a contributing factor in their health outcomes and how long they wait for care,' Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said. 'For staff, racism and discrimination contribute to burnout and staff turnover.' Shared Health's report found Black patients were waiting an average of 3.9 hours to be seen, and Indigenous patients were waiting an average of 3.2 hours. The average wait time in Manitoba is 3.4 hours. It also found that 16.7 per cent of Indigenous patients and 14.7 per cent of Black patients left emergency departments without being seen, above the provincial average of 12 per cent and above the national average of eight per cent. Dr. Marcia Anderson, who headed up the study, notes that while work is being done to address the issue, more is still needed. 'There is a health-care system commitment to disrupting racism in all of its forms,' she said. 'Some health regions already have anti-racism policies in place, and other regions are actively working on them.' Anderson also noted the University of Manitoba's medicine programs have anti-racism components in place to teach students how to avoid racism in health care. The province collects race-based data from patients on a voluntary basis and has been doing so since 2023. 'Data alone, however, will not help fix the system, but we cannot fix what we do not measure,' Asagwara said. The full report can be found online.
Malay Mail
15-05-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Why Singaporeans are waiting hours at A&E — and what hospitals want you to do instead
SINGAPORE, May 15 — Several hospitals here including Changi General Hospital (CGH), Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), have been seeing unusually high volumes of patients at their emergency departments (EDs), causing long waiting times. CGH and SKH advised the public via Facebook yesterday to visit their EDs only for serious or life-threatening conditions, and to consult general practitioners or polyclinics for minor symptoms such as cough, sore throat or runny nose, The Straits Times reported. KTPH, which began seeing a spike in ED cases after the recent long weekend, said the rise was not mainly due to Covid-19, despite a small increase in infections. Health authorities said on May 13 that while there has been a rise in Covid-19 cases, current variants do not appear more transmissible or severe than earlier strains. At 5.30pm on May 14, KTPH's website listed a wait time of 107 minutes with 135 patients in queue, dropping to 71 minutes and 124 patients by 6.30pm. KTPH said its emergency department remains fully operational and under control, and that patients with critical conditions will still be seen immediately. The Straits Times reported that during its visit to CGH yesterday, a notice outside the A&E department warned of waits lasting at least five to eight hours due to the surge in patients.
