Publications by authors named "Colin A Graham"

Background: The creation of high-quality multiple-choice questions (MCQs) is essential for medical education assessments but is resource-intensive and time-consuming when done by human experts. Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT-4o offer a promising alternative, but their efficacy remains unclear, particularly in high-stakes exams.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the quality and psychometric properties of ChatGPT-4o-generated MCQs compared to human-created MCQs in a high-stakes medical licensing exam.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • With the rise of regional trauma networks, interhospital transfers for trauma patients often lead to unnecessary transfers, known as secondary overtriage, which pose risks and financial burdens.
  • A 10-year study in Hong Kong assessed 3,852 trauma patients, revealing that 21% of transfers were unnecessary, with higher rates occurring in pediatric cases.
  • Key factors associated with secondary overtriage included blunt trauma and lower injury severity scores, indicating a need for improved decision-making guidelines in trauma transfers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to determine how the timing of initial antibiotic treatment affects mortality rates in hospital patients with sepsis.
  • It analyzed data from 42 studies involving nearly 191,000 patients, focusing on the correlation between antibiotic administration timing and patient outcomes.
  • Results indicated that administering antibiotics within 3-6 hours of sepsis recognition significantly reduced the risk of death compared to later administration, highlighting the urgency of early treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition which may arise from infection in any organ system and requires early recognition and management. Healthcare professionals working in any specialty may need to manage patients with sepsis. Educating medical students about this condition may be an effective way to ensure all future doctors have sufficient ability to diagnose and treat septic patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability worldwide and has posed numerous health and socioeconomic challenges. This study compared whether nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in combination with tramadol, tizanidine or placebo would be the best treatment regime to improve the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) scores at 1 week.

Methods: This was a multi-center, double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled trial including adult patients with acute LBP and sciatica in three emergency departments in Hong Kong.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Only a small proportion of patients presenting to an ED with headache have a serious cause. The SNNOOP10 criteria, which incorporates red and orange flags for serious causes, has been proposed but not well studied. This project aims to compare the proportion of patients with 10 commonly accepted red flag criteria (singly and in combination) between patients with and without a diagnosis of serious secondary headache in a large, multinational cohort of ED patients presenting with headache.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study identifies the urgent need for effective health emergency and disaster risk management (Health EDRM) competencies and curricula globally, due to rising hazardous events.
  • Literature reviews and a survey revealed 19 relevant studies, mostly from the US, covering domains such as emergency response, communication, critical thinking, ethics, and leadership skills.
  • Findings emphasize the importance of incorporating decision-making and leadership skills into Health EDRM training to enhance the health workforce's preparedness and effectiveness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Early sepsis treatment in the emergency department (ED) is crucial to improve patient survival. Despite international promulgation, the uptake of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) Hour-1 Bundle (lactate measurement, blood culture, broad-spectrum antibiotics, 30 mL/kg crystalloid for hypotension/lactate ≥4 mmol/L and vasopressors for hypotension during/after fluid resuscitation within 1 hour of sepsis recognition) is low across healthcare settings. Delays in sepsis recognition and a lack of high-quality evidence hinder its implementation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Patients with dizziness commonly present to Emergency Departments (ED) and 6% of these patients will be diagnosed with acute stroke. The TriAGe+ score comprises of eight clinical parameters and stratifies patients into four risk groups. The Japanese authors reported that the tool performed well, so our aim was to validate this diagnostic tool in our ED in Hong Kong.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Health workforce development is crucial for effective health systems and managing health emergencies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and high-income countries (HIC).
  • A Delphi consensus study with 31 international experts assessed 46 recommendations for strengthening Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health EDRM), resulting in 44 statements from the LMIC group and 34 from the HIC group reaching consensus.
  • Key areas needing attention included Human Resources, Planning and Coordination, and Community Capacities in LMIC, while Policies, Strategies, and Human Resources were focal points in HIC, leading to actionable recommendations for workforce improvement in Health EDRM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study aims to identify independent factors associated with cervical spinal injuries in head-injured patients. The extent of injuries to other body parts was assessed by the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and was included in the analysis.

Methods: Consecutive head-injured patients admitted via the emergency department from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016 were retrospectively reviewed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluates the impact of updated Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) versions (1998 vs. 2015) on injury severity scoring and survival prediction in trauma patients at a major hospital.
  • There was a significant decrease in the number of patients classified as severely injured (ISS > 15) when using AIS 2015, particularly in the head and neck region.
  • Despite these changes, the overall survival prediction (AUROC) using the Trauma and Injury Severity Score remained consistent across both AIS versions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • FCHVs played a critical role as first responders during the 2015 Nepal earthquakes, providing essential health services and gaining community trust.
  • The study highlighted several challenges faced by FCHVs, including variations in supervision, workload, remuneration, lack of training, and inadequate medical supplies.
  • It concluded that ongoing disaster response training and robust public sector support are vital for enhancing the effectiveness of community health workers in future emergencies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess the return to work (RTW) status of urban Asian injury patients in Hong Kong one year post-trauma.
  • The research involved analyzing data from 1,115 trauma patients treated at four centers, identifying various factors influencing their ability to return to work, such as job nature and educational level.
  • Results showed that six out of ten patients managed to return to work within the year, with significant correlations between factors like physical job demands and early recovery indicators and their successful RTW.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Most headache presentations to emergency departments (ED) have benign causes; however, approximately 10% will have serious pathology. International guidelines recommend that patients describing the onset of headache as 'thunderclap' undergo neuroimaging and further investigation. The association of this feature with serious headache cause is unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aim: Migraine headache is commonly diagnosed in emergency departments (ED). There is relatively little real-world information about the epidemiology, investigation, management, adherence to therapeutic guidelines and disposition of patients treated in ED with a final diagnosis of migraine. The primary aim of the current study is to get a snapshot of assessment and management patterns of acute migraine presentations to the different settings of EDs with a view to raise awareness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of nontraumatic headache in adults presenting to emergency departments (EDs).

Background: Headache is a common reason for presentation to EDs. Little is known about the epidemiology, investigation, and treatment of nontraumatic headache in patients attending EDs internationally.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To describe the patterns of opioid use in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with nontraumatic headache by severity and geography.

Background: International guidelines recognize opioids are ineffective in treating primary headache disorders. Globally, many countries are experiencing an opioid crisis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To describe the characteristics, assessment and management of older emergency department (ED) patients with non-traumatic headache.

Methods: Planned sub-study of a prospective, multicentre, international, observational study, which included adult patients presenting to ED with non-traumatic headache. Patients aged ≥75 years were compared to those aged <75 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The pharmacy workforce is significant in global healthcare, but its role in post-conflict sub-Saharan Africa remains poorly understood, particularly in countries like CAR, DRC, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
  • Semi-structured interviews with nine key informants revealed major challenges in pharmacy service delivery, including unpredictable health needs, insecure transport, and workforce shortages caused by brain drain and disrupted education.
  • Addressing these barriers requires strategic policy solutions focused on improving living and working conditions, ensuring safety, and developing career opportunities to enhance pharmacy workforce retention and support universal health coverage in conflict-affected regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Disasters hit poor and marginalized populations harder due to their increased vulnerability from factors like poor living conditions and language barriers.
  • The Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health EDRM) approach focuses on engaging communities since they play a vital role as first responders during health emergencies and emphasizes community-based education for disaster preparedness.
  • The Ethnic Minority Health Project (EHMP) in China has successfully implemented Health EDRM education in 16 villages, aiming to improve health-risk literacy and self-help capabilities, and provides key insights and recommendations for similar projects in rural communities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Truly patient-centred care needs to be aligned with what patients consider important, and is highly desirable in the first 24 h of an acute admission, as many decisions are made during this period. However, there is limited knowledge on what matters most to patients in this phase of their hospital stay. The objective of this study was to identify what mattered most to patients in acute care and to assess the patient perspective as to whether their treating doctors were aware of this.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF