Public health in Australasian emergency departments: Attitudes, barriers and current practices.
OBJECTIVE
To understand the attitudes of consultant emergency medicine physicians and advanced trainees and the perceived barriers to public health interventions in Australasian EDs.


METHODS
This was a voluntary cross-sectional, mixed-methods online survey of consultant emergency physicians and advanced trainees of the ACEM, conducted between December 2011 and March 2012.


RESULTS
Eight hundred and fifty-six ACEM members responded to the survey - a response rate of 33%. A similar number of consultants (70%) and trainees (75%) believed public health initiatives should be provided in the ED. Barriers identified by a similar majority of consultants and trainees to the implementation of public health interventions in EDs included dedicated time available for staff to be involved; available public health resources; available funding; clinical staff skills and expertise in public health; and the availability of staff training.


CONCLUSIONS
Public health and health promotion are perceived by the majority of emergency medicine physicians as important in emergency medicine; however, substantial barriers exists to their implementation. Development of an evidence-based approach to public health interventions, which are effective and feasible in the ED environment, will facilitate a more comprehensive approach to public health initiatives in emergency medicine.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Diana
D
Egerton-Warburton
Policy and Research, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Andrew
A
Gosbell
Policy and Research, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Katie
K
Moore
Neuroepidemiology Unit, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
George A
GA
Jelinek
barrier; emergency medicine; emergency physician; public health