What is the problem? Australia has seen increasing demand on hospital Emergency Departments (ED) with a 65% rise in presentations between 2001 and 2011 (McCarthy 2013) resulting in increased waiting times, prolonged stays, overcrowding and delayed admission (Geelhoed and de Klerk 2012). Prolonged ED stays can adversely impact patient outcomes (Maumill et al. 2013; Sullivan...

Summary How much emergency department activity was there? In 2014-15, there were about 7.4 million presentations to the 290 Australian public hospital emergency departments that reported to the National Non-Admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database; this corresponded to over 20,000 presentations each day. Between 2010-11 and 2014-15, emergency department presentations increased by 4.5% on average...

This Evidence Check review examined adolescents and young adults’ (AYAs) presentations to Emergency Departments. AYAs present primarily for musculoskeletal disorders, mental and behavioural disorders, and genitourinary, respiratory and infectious diseases and these differ proportionally among males and females. A number of ED presentations are avoidable. Factors influencing the use of EDs include a lack of...

The aim of the Improving Aboriginal Patient Journeys study was to develop, refine and evaluate a set of Aboriginal patient journey mapping tools for use in quality improvement and education. A collaborative approach to knowledge exchange was used, with the research team working with staff and managers from a range of health settings in South...

This report explores the complex relationship between UN peacekeeping and health. In terms of challenges, it finds a need for greater attention to medical checks and health care provision for peacekeepers both before and during deployment.