Case based learning | DrLindaDykes

Bryn's Tale

Bryn was my patient. He died. He may have stood a better chance of survival had I been aware of the risk of small bowel volvulus in an adult.
I produced this reflective learning resource with some colleagues - and with Bryn's widow, whom we call Fiona.
Please read it... it may help you save a life one day.
We have already heard from several doctors who didn't know about SBV before and subsequently diagnosed it.
Click on thumb nail to download PDF
As always, this is #FOAMed - please download and use, but do not alter or use uncredited.
© Dr Linda Dykes.

Conference poster from the Society for Acute Medicine Conference 2017 that discusses the Medical Education aspects of "Bryn's Tale"

$AS spinal fractures.jpg$

Gareth wasn't my patient personally, but he attended the ED where I work.
He has Ankylosing Spondylitis, and sustained a spontaneous unstable fracture to his spine. My team didn't know that AS can do this, and our threshold for imaging the spine in metabolic bone disease was - at the time - too high.
Download the PDF to have a read - might your ED do the same? (hopefully minus the deeply unhelpful attitude at triage!)

Although this "Cautionary Tales" infographic wasn't co-produced with the patient concerned, it is a true tale with a real patient behind it (and although heavily anonymised, obviously I asked permission to share it!)

Jasmine Lapsley was a beautiful 6-year old little girl who tragically died after choking on a grape whilst on holiday in a very rural village in North Wales.
One of my junior colleagues, Dr Niki Boyer, attended Jasmine's inquest to bring back any learning points that she could disseminate at a forthcoming CPD Day.
Upon releasing the CPD Day programme, we realised some EMS colleagues were profoundly uncomfortable about this talk, stating concerns such as "talking publicly about lessons learned might upset the bereaved family".
We decided to ask all delegates at the CPD day what they thought of this item on the conference programme.
Jasmine's parents attended - and spoke at - the CPD event (they also very kindly gave us permission to use Jasmine's photo on our poster)
You can read the detailed delegate feedback here
Please also visit Love, Jasmine's website - a charity that Jasmine's parents set up following her death to offer bereavement support to other families affected by a child's death.