Below are a number of useful clinical resources relevant to UCCs:
Standardised Inotrope and Vasopressor Guidelines
This learning package outlines the actions, clinical effects, indications and clinical considerations for nine commonly used inotropes and vasopressors in Australia. It has been developed to help nurses, and junior medical and allied health staff transition to areas who use these medications such as intensive care and other critical areas.
Major Trauma Guidelines and Education – The Deteriorating Trauma Patient
The Victorian State Trauma System provides support and retrieval services for critically injured patients requiring definitive care, transfer and management. This deteriorating trauma patient guideline provides evidence-based advice on the initial management and transfer of major trauma patients who present to Victorian health services with severe injuries.
This guideline is developed for all clinical staff involved in the care of trauma patients in Victoria. It is intended for use by frontline clinical staff that provide early care for major trauma patients; those working directly at the Major Trauma Service (MTS) as well as those working outside of a MTS.
National Consensus Statement: Essential elements for recognising and responding to deterioration in a person’s mental state
The Consensus Statement outlines 10 essential elements, divided into three parts: processes of care, therapeutic practice and organisational supports. The Consensus Statement also provides seven guiding principles that describe the philosophy of care underpinning the recognition and response approach to deterioration in mental state.
The Consensus Statement aims to guide health services in developing their own recognition and response systems in a way that is tailored to their communities and the resources and personnel available, and support them to implement actions in the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (second edition).
Position Statement – Triage Nurse
The purpose of this position statement is to define the role of triage nurse and the minimum triage nurse practice standards in accordance with the best available evidence, to promote national triage consistency in the application of the Australasian Triage Scale (ATS). It is acknowledged that although triage may be performed in a number of settings other than an Emergency Department, the College of Emergency Nursing Australasia (CENA) produces this position statement in the setting of the Triage Nurse working within an Emergency Department.
Guidelines on the Implementation of the Australasian Triage Scale in Emergency Departments
The Australian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) last reviewed these guidelines in July 2016, which is the current version.
Mental Health Triage Tool
This page provides the criteria for the mental health triage tool.
Summary of Adult Physiological Predictors (APP) for the ATS
This page provides the criteria for adult physiological predictors.
Emergency Triage Education Kit
This document is a quick reference guide for emergency triage.
The Coroner’s Court: Extracting tips for improved documentation
An article from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal about the importance of improved documentation.
Caring for People Displaying Acute Behavioural Disturbance
A clinical guide to improving care in emergency settings provided by Safer Care Victoria.
Visual Summary: Caring for People Displaying Acute Behavioural Disturbance
A visual representation of the above clinical guide.
Magnesium Sulfate – Management of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy
A clinical guide to the indications, contraindications, administration, and monitoring of magnesium sulfate (sulphate) use in pregnancy.
5 Minute Fridays
Released weekly each Friday, this is a resource by CENA containing bite-sized education publications on a patient presentation that could present to the emergency department /UCC.
Acute behavioural disturbance: Acute management
Clinical practice guidelines from the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne on presentation of acute behavioural disturbances in children.
Ambulance services payment guidelines
These guidelines explain who has responsibility for fees for ambulance services provided by Ambulance Victoria.
Summary of coronial findings
The resources listed below are inquest documents for coronial cases around Australia which you may like to read to get a better understanding how adverse event findings come about and what contributed to these events. To simplify we have also summarised all the cases at the end:
Septicaemia due to Escherichia coli
Septicaemia due to Streptococcal (Beta Haemolytic Group
A) infection
Multi organ failure due to atypical pneumonia
Pneumonia as a result of a melioidosis infection
* Additional guidelines will be added as they become available.