This month, we start with a systematic review on smart ways to cut down unnecessary X-rays in kids with limb injuries. We also look at why subarachnoid haemorrhages get missed or diagnosed late, from both patient and doctor perspectives. A Best Evidence Topic (BET) review asks if simple haematoma blocks are as good as procedural sedation for resetting broken wrists. And finally, we dive into a UK study exploring what life is really like for early-career academic doctors in emergency care.

Read the highlights: Primary survey (https://emj.bmj.com/content/43/7)

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Editor-in-Chief, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)

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.

A new paper takes a look at fatalities in nightclubs across the UK in the last 15 years, based on media reporting and coroners' reports. It found that physical assault and overdoses of MDMA/ecstasy were the leading causes of deaths. Another paper, from Japan, addresses acute scrotum presentation. It set out to rate the use of the TWIST score and point-of-care ultrasound when identifying testicular torsion. Then here's a research paper from Australia looking at ways to avoid invasive diagnostic procedures when considering oesophageal perforation. And finally, a UK-wide study on the use of nasal-high flow asks: how widespread really is it?

Read the highlights: Primary survey

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Editor-in-Chief, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)

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.

Access to helicopter emergency services is improving in the UK, a recent study shows. But what impact is that access having? There's a paper for that too, with this episode declaring: "Helicopters for the win!" There's also research on the effect of epinephrine administration for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in children - does the sequence of treatment affect the outcomes? And finally, how to fight back against spoofed survey responses when gathering data online.

Read the highlights: Primary survey

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Editor-in-Chief, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)

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.

This month we've got a few papers on dealing with smoking - and not smoking - in the emergency department. The episode starts off with a discussion of a paper on automating high-flow nasal oxygen, and the importance of titration of oxygen levels - critical for patients with COPD. Then there's a paper questioning, can nicotine replacement therapy in the ED really work? This is followed by a research paper addressing the gaps in tracking of vaping and substance use - should doctors be asking more about use of vapes? To finish off the episode there's an analysis of the shifting trends in ED attendance, with case complexity seeing a dramatic increase.

Read the highlights: Primary survey

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Editor-in-Chief, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)

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.

What happens to an emergency department when staff go on strike? A new study published in EMJ examines this challenging scenario and its impact on patient flow. Another paper looks at the hybrid-warfare attack carried out in Lebanon, where exploding pagers caused a mass casualty incident, and what emergency departments can learn from managing that event. EMJ editor Prof. Richard Body adds some of his own reflections from the Ariana Grande concert terror attack in Manchester.  Two more complex situations round out the list of papers for this episode, covering out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in pregnant patients, and magnet ingestion in children. 

Read the highlights: Primary survey

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Editor-in-Chief, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)

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.

"Should we be giving blood transfusions to patients with traumatic cardiac arrest?" EMJ editor Prof. Richard Body and associate editor Dr. Sarah Edwards talk through some original research on the value of blood transfusions in this difficult situation. Next is the new UNCORKED study from the Trainee Emergency Research Network (TERN), with some sobering statistics on the prevalence of emergency care carried out in non-standard treatment places across the UK. Then we move to a world of high-pressure injuries, often caused by industrial spraying equipment, where things on the surface aren't quite as they seem. The last paper returns to the theme of cardiac arrests, examining the predictive value of end-tidal CO2 usage.

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Editor-in-Chief, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)

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.

It's the first issue of 2026, and the first with new editor-in-chief Prof. Richard Body heading the journal. He is joined by senior associate editor Dr. Sarah Edwards, as they take a look at some highlights of the issue. 

First in the line-up is a paper looking at how "Same day emergency care" units, or SDECs, have come to mean quite different things across the UK. In some cases, the rule-out processing of SDECs harks back to "What the ED used to do" in past years. The next paper is an examination of the treatment methods for paracetamol overdose, specifically the SNAP protocol for accelerated infusion of N-acetylcysteine. This new analysis considers the likelihood of anaphylactoid reactions across age groups. Third to be discussed is a retrospective study on the relationship between length of stay and morbidity and mortality in older patients. This large study from Singapore suggests a systemic change in approach is needed for handling triaging and discharge of this patient group. The final topic is facial lacerations, with a Best Evidence Topic report addressing the use of topical silicone gel. Many patients are rightly concerned about scarring on such a personal part of the body as their face, and the report finds some encouraging support for use of the gel to improve cosmetic healing.

Read the highlights: January 2026 primary survey

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Editor-in-Chief, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)

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.

One thing you'll never hear in the emergency department is the sound of silence. And if the hubbub should start to lower, woe betide the ED staffer who dares to say, "it's looking quiet tonight." But should we really be so concerned? A paper in this episode's roundup takes a look at superstition versus science. Staffing concerns is another ever-present topic when it comes to the ED, and Rick and Sarah share an insightful evaluation of the time saving offered by voice recognizing "AI scribes". The numbers show some serious benefits, but do they really work? The same question can be asked of the X-ray assessment tools that are rolling out in emergency departments across the world. Rick and Sarah take a look at a study detailing their affect on correct diagnoses. There's also also a case-based paper discussing practices for evaluating IUD-related issues using ultrasound.

This is the final issue with Prof. Ellen Weber serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Ellen's tenure has been a long and successful one, and everyone in the podcast team wishes her the best in retirement from the post.  

Read the highlights: December 2025 primary survey

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Deputy Editor, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)

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.

Despite what the CPR doll might suggest, cardiac arrest patients are not always white, lean and male. So why is that the case for resuscitation training? The first paper in this episode addresses this lack of representation and the impact it has on resus performance. The next paper is a practice review of functional neurological disorder (FND), highlighting the poor diagnosis rate and history keeping for this condition, as well as offering ways to communicate with patients. There's also a paper on the dilemma of febrile infants with concurrent viral and bacterial infections, and another on aeromedical service sedation protocols in the Australian Outback.

Read the highlights: November 2025 primary survey

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Deputy Editor, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)

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 atmosphere of the emergency department can be a hard thing to put into words, with intense emotions washing over patients and staff alike. This month we feature a poem, powerfully illustrating the drama and stress inside the ED bubble. One of the recurring sources of uncertainty for patients is the question, “How long until I’m seen, doc?”, and there’s a paper following up on that issue with a personalised approach. A framework that has been employed by NHS England, aimed at dealing with the problem, is Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC). The next paper finds there is a limited evidence on the impact of SDECs, as well as confusion around their definition. Another paper on the subject of patient flow shows that while digital solutions are promising, you can’t replace a streaming nurse for critical decisions. To finish the episode is a 10-year retrospective review on the use of blood in paediatric trauma, drawing on the data of the Trauma Audit Research Network.

Read the highlights: October 2025 primary survey

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Deputy Editor, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody)

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.