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22<br />
<strong>ACEM</strong> AR <strong>2010</strong><br />
COuNCil COMMiTTEE<br />
REPORTs continued<br />
with a covering editorial. This confirms<br />
the growing use of emergency ultrasound<br />
but also reveals the variable standards of<br />
credentialing that are applied within EDs,<br />
often less than College recommendations.<br />
The subcommittee will continue to work<br />
on this area, to ensure that the benefits of<br />
ultrasound are realised while minimising<br />
the risks inherent in the utilisation of a<br />
new skill by those who are inexperienced.<br />
The growing number of accredited<br />
courses and experienced and credentialed<br />
practitioners is positive, and should allow<br />
those who are still gaining experience<br />
to be properly supervised and assessed<br />
to gain accreditation in keeping with the<br />
College standards.<br />
in response to increasing requests,<br />
the subcommittee has begun to look<br />
at standards for bedside echo in the<br />
periarrest/arrest setting.This is being<br />
undertaken in concert with other relevant<br />
colleges and societies, with the aim of<br />
creating a uniform standard for Australasia.<br />
i would like to thank all of the members<br />
of the subcommittee and our support<br />
staff for their time and efforts during the<br />
past year in assisting this still new area of<br />
practice to continue to develop.<br />
Adrian Goudie, Chair<br />
Hospital Overcrowding<br />
Subcommittee<br />
This was the inaugural year for this<br />
subcommittee of the standards Committee.<br />
it was formed from the access block<br />
special interest group due to the clear<br />
need for a subcommittee to advocate on<br />
issues around emergency department<br />
overcrowding. During the first year of its<br />
existence it underwent a name change<br />
to ‘Hospital Overcrowding’ due to the<br />
need to clarify the issue and also because<br />
‘overcrowding’ identifies the hospital<br />
system-wide problem - not just the<br />
ED problem.The subcommittee has been<br />
involved in replying to a number of articles<br />
in medical journals on overcrowding,<br />
as well as providing vital input into the<br />
<strong>ACEM</strong> and AMA position statements on<br />
the 4 hour rule.The subcommittee seeks<br />
to achieve a more widespread consensus<br />
on <strong>ACEM</strong> public pronouncements and<br />
advocacy regarding overcrowding and<br />
potential solutions. it is keen to hear from<br />
Fellows and to be a clearing house for<br />
information on research, solutions and<br />
issues raised by this, the most pressing issue<br />
facing our College. Clarity in statements<br />
in the media on causes of and myths<br />
regarding overcrowding and related issues,<br />
and the implementation of time based<br />
rules are areas of ongoing import for the<br />
subcommittee.The need for a co-ordinated<br />
advocacy on the Australian 4 hour rule and<br />
the New Zealand 6 hour rule will be vital<br />
in the coming year as results from these<br />
experiments in system change become<br />
available. Exciting times ahead!<br />
David Mountain, Chair<br />
Pre-Hospital Care<br />
Subcommittee<br />
<strong>2010</strong> has been yet another year where<br />
we have seen <strong>ACEM</strong> Fellows and trainees<br />
actively engaged in pre-hospital care<br />
with excellent outcomes. in concert with<br />
our colleagues in the other critical care<br />
specialties, this expertise continues to<br />
shape and lead this area of practice.<br />
The past year has seen important<br />
advancements in the area of governance.<br />
This has included the revision of the<br />
document ‘Minimum standards for<br />
intrahospital Transport of Critically<br />
ill Patients’, a process coordinated by<br />
ANZCA, as well as the <strong>ACEM</strong> initiated<br />
revision of the key document ‘Minimum<br />
standards for interhospital Transport of<br />
Critically ill Patients’. By the time this<br />
report goes to print, we should also<br />
have the final draft of suggested KPis<br />
for prehospital activities.This will be the<br />
first time KPis have been drafted on an<br />
Australasian basis.<br />
With the ongoing pressures occurring<br />
within EDs across Australasia at the<br />
moment, the year ahead will be an<br />
interesting one.The pressure to move<br />
patients out of ED within specified time<br />
frames has flow on effects, both within the<br />
hospital and also to pre-hospital providers.<br />
We will watch with interest and become<br />
actively engaged in those areas where we<br />
can make a positive contribution.<br />
My thanks to all current and past<br />
members, who work tirelessly in a field<br />
that is mostly out of the limelight but is<br />
none the less a vital facet of our specialty.<br />
Garry Wilkes, Chair<br />
Quality Management<br />
Subcommittee<br />
There have been a number of initiatives<br />
undertaken by the subcommittee during <strong>2010</strong>.<br />
Yusuf Nagree, Carmel Crock and<br />
Kim Hansen have been part of a joint<br />
working party with the Royal Australian<br />
and New Zealand College of Radiologists<br />
(RANZCR) which has recently completed<br />
guidelines for imaging in emergency<br />
medicine.These guidelines will be available<br />
soon on the College website and i am sure<br />
that you will join with me in congratulating<br />
the members of both Colleges for<br />
developing such comprehensive and<br />
sensible guidelines for the imaging of<br />
emergency department patients.<br />
Committee representatives David<br />
spain and myself have also been involved<br />
in discussions with Royal College of<br />
Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) in<br />
developing appropriate guidelines for<br />
the ordering of pathology tests in EDs.<br />
We will be having our second meeting
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