Code status conversations, and attitudes towards asthma: September 2025 Primary Survey
"What is your understanding of your father's illness?" This is the kind of question that may be posed by emergency clinicians in the context of end-of-life care. But as a survey of Thai and American emergency departments finds, approaches to these conversations can be quite different globally. This episode also features another angle on end-of-life care, highlighting the persistent impact that deprivation has when it comes to likelihood of hospital conveyance. On a different subject, there is a qualitative study of the management of acute asthma presentations, seeking to find any marginal gains that may present a chance for optimisation. The fourth and final paper is about acute coronary syndromes in the emergency department, presenting some surprising statistics on length of stay.
Read the highlights: September 2025 primary survey
Deprivation is associated with hospital conveyance among patients who are terminally ill
Are acute asthma presentations to the emergency department an opportunity for optimising long-term management? A qualitative study on beliefs and behaviours of healthcare professionals
Comparing approaches to code status conversations between Thai and American emergency clinicians: a survey study
Acute coronary syndrome rule-out strategies in the emergency department: an observational evaluation of clinical effectiveness and current UK practice
The EMJ podcast is hosted by:
Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Deputy Editor, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)
Dr. Sarah Edwards, EMJ Senior Associate Editor and Social Media Editor, Royal Derby Hospital, UK (@drsarahedwards)
You can subscribe to the EMJ podcast on all podcast platforms to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the EMJ Podcast Apple (https://apple.co/4bfcMU0) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3ufutSL) page.
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Inspecting tongues for appendicitis, and looking out for legal liability: August 2025 Primary Survey
A new paper on the challenging diagnosis of acute appendicitis has us wondering, can it be spotted with just a glance? The reality is never so simple. This episode we also discuss low-value overtesting, cardiac arrest trial consent, and patient discharge into police custody. As with many aspects of the ED, they each have a layer of legal pressure to consider.
Read the highlights: August 2025 primary survey
The EMJ podcast is hosted by:
Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Deputy Editor, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)
Dr. Sarah Edwards, EMJ Senior Associate Editor and Social Media Editor, Royal Derby Hospital, UK (@drsarahedwards)
You can subscribe to the EMJ podcast on all podcast platforms to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the EMJ Podcast Apple (https://apple.co/4bfcMU0) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3ufutSL) page.
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Avoiding burnout, major incident preparedness, and suicide post-ED contact: July 2025 Primary Survey
The NHS plans to set up mental health emergency departments throughout England. A survey discussed this episode highlights the importance of mental health assessments, finding that nearly a quarter of suicide deaths in a one year period had come after hospital or emergency department contact. Another survey raises the question, "How well is your ED prepared for a major incident?" and the statistics do not inspire confidence. Two more papers in this episode offer potential bulwarks against burnout of ED staff: global health outreach work, and self-rostered rotas. But there may be some downsides to watch out for too. Finally, a look at pulse oximetry for testicular torsion diagnosis.
Read the highlights: July 2025 Primary Survey
Contact with emergency departments and hospitals in England before suicide death: a retrospective cohort study
Global health experience of staff working in UK emergency care: a reflexive thematic analysis
A survey of major incident preparedness in English type 1 emergency departments
In emergency settings, does the use of testicular pulse oximetry aid diagnosis of testicular torsions?
Investigating the impact of self-rostering on EM trainee wellbeing and recovery: a national survey
The EMJ podcast is hosted by:
Dr. Richard Body, EMJ Deputy Editor, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)
Dr. Sarah Edwards, EMJ Senior Associate Editor and Social Media Editor, Royal Derby Hospital, UK (@drsarahedwards)
You can subscribe to the EMJ podcast on all podcast platforms to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the EMJ Podcast Apple (https://apple.co/4bfcMU0) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3ufutSL) page.
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Salbutamol for analgesia, low-tech randomisation and cannulation numbing: June 2025 Primary Survey
Can salbutamol be used be used to relieve pain in renal colic patients? Starting off this month's episode, a randomised trial seeks to find the answer. Then a topic of interest for anyone seeing patients with a phobia of needles, namely a study comparing coolant spray with topical anaesthetic cream for reducing pain from intravenous cannulation. Next, randomisation is a necessary tool for many trials, but what if you want something that's less high-tech, and more high-street? That's right, scratch cards! And finally, fear of not making the right decision dominates when it comes to paramedic conveyance to the paediatric emergency department. "We just take them in," "parents know best," and "if only they could talk" are some of the revealing quotes found in the study wrapping up this month.
Read the highlights: June 2025 Primary Survey
Salbutamol for analgesia in renal colic: a prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled phase II trial
Comparison of the effects of vapocoolant spray and topical anaesthetic cream (lidocaine–prilocaine) on pain of intravenous cannulation: a randomised controlled trial
Letter: Allocation concealment using scratchcards in an emergency department drug trial
Factors influencing paramedic conveyance decisions when attending children with minor head injury: a qualitative study
The EMJ podcast is hosted by:
Dr. Richard Body, EMJ Deputy Editor, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)
Dr. Sarah Edwards, EMJ Semior Associate Editor and Social Media Editor, Royal Derby Hospital, UK (@drsarahedwards)
You can subscribe to the EMJ podcast on all podcast platforms to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the EMJ Podcast Apple (https://apple.co/4bfcMU0) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3ufutSL) page.
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Acute palliative care, hands-free epistaxis relief, and modern laryngoscopy: May 2025 Primary Survey
A new survey has found that less than one third of end-of-life patients in Irish emergency departments have their own room. This is only one of the shortcomings found in end-of-life care, explored in two papers to start this episode. Following on from that is a comparison of video and direct laryngosocopy for intubation outcomes. There's also a "Best Evidence" review of the use of nasal clips for stopping nosebleeds, an approach which appears likely to offer advantages over the hands or inventive tongue-depressor contraptions. The finish up this month's episode, there's a return to a topic previously visited one year ago - the RCEM guidelines on cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. A study from Wales follows up on the adherence to this guidance.
Read the highlights: May 2025 Primary Survey
Dying matters in the emergency department
Emergency clinician perceptions of end-of-life care in Irish emergency departments: a cross-sectional survey
Video laryngoscopy may improve the intubation outcomes in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Use of nasal clips as first aid for anterior epistaxis
Awareness and management of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome among staff in emergency departments in Wales
The EMJ podcast is hosted by:
Dr. Richard Body, EMJ Deputy Editor, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)
Dr. Sarah Edwards, EMJ Semior Associate Editor and Social Media Editor, Royal Derby Hospital, UK (@drsarahedwards)
You can subscribe to the EMJ podcast on all podcast platforms to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the EMJ Podcast Apple (https://apple.co/4bfcMU0) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3ufutSL) page.
The Emergency Medicine Journal (EMJ) podcast is your premier source for the latest insights and developments in pre-hospital, hospital emergency medicine and critical care. Join the EMJ journal’s Deputy Editor and Social Media Editor each month as they discuss key highlights from the latest issue.
EMJ - emj.bmj.com - is an international journal from the BMJ Group and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) covering developments and advances in emergency medicine and acute care.
Stay informed with expert discussions and cutting-edge information by subscribing or listening on your favourite podcast platform.
Podcast hosted by:
Dr. Richard Body, EMJ Deputy Editor, University of Manchester, UK
Dr. Sarah Edwards, EMJ Social Media Editor, Leicester Royal Infirmary, UK