How well do patients in the emergency department judge the severity of their situation? Some may fear the worst for any hospital visit, and others not realise that their lives are in danger. This month's first paper is a review of the accuracy of self-prognostication and its relation to admission, severity, and length of stay. Then there's a trio of publications on the challenges of pain in various forms. Starting with a study on the links between red flags in headache assessment, and serious secondary headaches. Next there is a letter, questioning how well pain management is done in the ED. To finish, a new scale has been developed to assess ultrasound-guided fascia iliaca block.

Read the issue highlights: June 2024 Primary Survey

Articles discussed in this episode:

Predictive performance of the common red flags in emergency department headache patients: a HEAD and HEAD-Colombia study. Chu K, Kelly A, Kuan WS HEAD and HEAD-Colombia study groups, et al

Pain in the ED: does anyone manage it well? Wilson S, Dainty J, Quinlan J, et al

Development and validation of an assessment tool for adult simulated ultrasound-guided fascia iliaca block: a prospective monocentric study. Guyader F, Violeau M, Guenezan J, et al

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

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

Dr. Sarah Edwards, EMJ Social Media Editor, Leicester Royal Infirmary, UK (@drsarahedwards)

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