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Sunday 22 December 2024

Peer Reviewed

Emergency medicine

Chaos and confusion all around

Gordian Fulde

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Abstract

Emergencies can arise in many incarnations. Can you identify the cause of this elderly patient’s confusion?

Key Points

It is another frantic evening shift in the emergency department, which makes you think your real life as a GP has certain positives after all.

It is 10 p.m. The place is in chaos, and you are getting tired. You click off the next name from the increasing list of sick patients waiting to be seen. You pick up the paperwork, which includes the ambo’s report, the referring GP’s letter, and the triage sheet. As an experienced GP, you know that although the patient has been waiting for hours longer than the recommended triage time, a moment spent assimilating the data can really help you focus on what needs to be done and ends up being much quicker in the long run.