EMJ Podcast

Facial scarring, paracetamol overdose, and same day treatment - January 2026 Primary Survey

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 D...

"Don't say the Q word!" and relying on AI: December 2025 Primary Survey

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 wh...

The riddle of Resusci Annie, explaining functional neurology, and flying doctors: November 2025 Primary Survey

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 traini...

“Whose turn is it?” - Moral injury and predicting wait times: October 2025 Primary Survey

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 mo...

Code status conversations, and attitudes towards asthma: September 2025 Primary Survey

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

"What is your understanding of your father's illness?" This is the kind of question that may be posed by emergency clinicians in the context of end-of...

Inspecting tongues for appendicitis, and looking out for legal liability: August 2025 Primary Survey

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A new paper on the challenging diagnosis of acute appendicitis has us wondering, can it be spotted with just a glance? The reality is never so simple....

Avoiding burnout, major incident preparedness, and suicide post-ED contact: July 2025 Primary Survey

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The NHS plans to set up mental health emergency departments throughout England. A survey discussed this episode highlights the importance of mental he...

Salbutamol for analgesia, low-tech randomisation and cannulation numbing: June 2025 Primary Survey

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can salbutamol be used be used to relieve pain in renal colic patients? Starting off this month's episode, a randomised trial seeks to find the answer...

Acute palliative care, hands-free epistaxis relief, and modern laryngoscopy: May 2025 Primary Survey

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A new survey has found that less than one third of end-of-life patients in Irish emergency departments have their own room. This is only one of the sh...

The walk-in wounded, detecting hypofibrinogenemia, and "time is testicle!": April 2025 Primary Survey

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trauma and paediatrics are the themes for this month's collection of papers. Starting off is a review of the effectiveness of prehospital ultrasound i...

Dementia care,  supporting ACPs, and handling  hidradenitis suppurativa: March 2025 Primary Survey

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Advance clinical practitioners (ACPs) can have a big role to play in the emergency department, but their career paths are not always well understood. ...

Improving sex and gender equity, rapid virus testing and saline injections for pain relief: February 2025 Primary Survey

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Another packed issue of the journal this month, and a podcast to match. Starting off with the Editor's Choice paper, on the important topic of sex and...

Overcrowding in the emergency department, with Dr. Adrian Boyle and Prof. Ellen Weber

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A special bonus podcast this time, on the perennial issue of crowding. Rick and Sarah are joined by Royal College of Emergency Medicine president Dr. ...

Warzone mentality in the ED, and finding balance with hospital pre-alerts: January 2025 Primary Survey

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's a celebration of qualitative research to start the new year, with a collection of papers offering new perspectives on emergency department issues...

Compelling evidence for rule-out of subarachnoid haemorrhage and aortic dissection: December 2024 Primary Survey

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Subarachnoid haemorrhage is a diagnosis that can't be missed, but it is not a simple process to detect it. The first paper for discussion this month q...

Missing elbow fractures, and consulting the elders: November 2024 Primary Survey

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Upper limb injuries make up about three-quarters of the limb injuries to children seen in the emergency department. But when it comes to the elbow, ju...

Ranking anaesthesias for wrist fracture, and finding pneumothoraces with AI: October 2024 Primary Survey

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There's a whole pile of blocks in this month's papers, with the first being a trial of Erector-Spinae Plane (ESP) blocks, not for rib fractures as you...

Inducting new doctors, and managing rib fractures: September 2024 Primary Survey

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Being fallible was one of the most valued characteristics in a consultant, according to new doctors going through their induction - that's the subject...

When to CT scan after a seizure, and indirect signs of appendicitis: August 2024 Primary Survey

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The recovery of laceration repair patients is the topic of this month's first paper, looking at behavioural disturbances in children following these d...

Opioid toxicity, thrombectomy transfers, and austerity’s impact: July 2024 Primary Survey

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What might yawning and sneezing be signs of in a patient? This month's podcast features new RCEM and NPIS guidance on acute opioid toxicity, outlining...

Patient self-perception, and presentations of headache: June 2024 Primary Survey

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Interventions for smoking cessation, AI CT scan triaging, and cyclic vomiting: May 2024 Primary Survey

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Should we be bringing preventative medicine into the emergency department, or is it just using up valuable time? Our first paper this month looks at t...

Suspicious chest pain, inequality in COVID outcomes, and staff retention problems: April 2024 Primary Survey

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“Social distancing is a privilege,” is the core message underlying the first paper brought by Sarah to this month’s roundup, as it unpacks the s...

Aortic dissection, coroners’ court, and age-related outcomes: March 2024 Primary Survey

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A feast of aortic papers this month, including a study on missed aortic dissection diagnoses and an analysis of coroners' reports. Rick runs through t...

Trip killers, sympathetic crashing, and all sorts of sedatives: February 2024 Primary Survey

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There's a lot of drugs to be talked about this month, and a heap of randomised control trials to be covered too. Rick and Sarah talk though the combin...

Managing acute behavioural disturbance, and some innovations in emergency care: January 2024 Primary Survey

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What are the questions to ask when dealing with acute behavioural disturbance? Join Sarah and Rick this month for a discussion of this difficult prese...

Point of care ultrasound and COVID telephone triage: December 2023 Primary Survey

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hear a summary of some of the best papers published in the December 2023 issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal. The podcast this month covers a trio...

Cauda equina diagnosis, suspected sepsis, and e-scooter cases in the ED: November 2023 Primary Survey

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hear a summary of some of the best papers published in the November 2023 issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal. This month's podcast discusses a wid...

Clinical negligence claims, silver trauma and parental anxiety: October 2023 Primary Survey

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hear a summary of some of the best papers published in the October 2023 issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal. This month's podcast covers a variety...

It’s OK to feel uncertain as a new consultant: September 2023 Primary Survey

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the summary of some of the best papers we published in the September 2023 issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Rick and Sarah discuss a tr...

Escalation decisions during COVID, and predicting occult scaphoid fractures: August 2023 Primary Survey

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A summary of some of the best paper we published in the August 2023 issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Rick and Sarah talk through topics touchi...

IV paracetamol trumps opiates, managing prehospital self-harm, and empowering waiting patients: July 2023 Primary Survey

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A summary of some of the best paper we published in the July 2023 issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Rick and Sarah talk through topics on Pre H...

Primary Survey - the highlights of June 2023

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A summary of some of the best paper we published in the June 2023 issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Rick and Sarah talk through topics includin...

Primary Survey - the highlights of May 2023

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Body, University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, and Sarah Edwards, University Hospitals of Derby NHS Foundation Tr...

Primary Survey - the highlights of April 2023

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A summary of some of the best paper we published in the April 2023 issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Rick and Sarah talk through topics includi...

Primary Survey - the highlights of March 2023

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A summary of some of the best papers we published in the March 2023 issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal. EMJ's deputy editor Rick Body and social ...

Primary Survey - the highlights of February 2023

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The best of the papers from our February 2023 issue, covered by Sarah Edwards and Rick Body. This month we cover great papers on COVID-19 and wellbein...

Primary Survey - the highlights of January 2023

12 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A rundown of some of the best papers we published in the January 2023 edition of the journal. We cover an excellent practice review on the management ...

Primary Survey - the highlights of December 2022

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A selection of the best papers from our December 2022, picked apart and distilled for you by Rick Body and Sarah Edwards. In this festive issue we cov...

Primary Survey - the highlights of November 2022

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A selection of the best papers from our November 2022 edition. Rick and Sarah take you through five great papers discussing headache, subarachnoid hae...

Primary Survey - the highlights of October 2022

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The best of our October 2022 issue, covering a superb qualitative study exploring the experience of older adults in the Emergency Medicine Journal wit...

Primary Survey - the highlights of September 2022

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Edwards, Social Media Editor of EMJ, and Rick Body, Deputy Editor of EMJ, give an overview of the best of the September issue of the Emergency M...

Primary Survey - the highlights of August 2022

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Edwards, Social Media Editor of EMJ, and Rick Body, Deputy Editor of EMJ, take you through the best of the Emergency Medicine Journal in August ...

Primary Survey - the highlights of July 2022

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Edwards, Social Media Editor of EMJ, and Rick Body, Deputy Editor of EMJ, take you through the best of the Emergency Medicine Journal in July 20...

Primary Survey - the highlights of May 2022

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This month we have a feast of studies looking at cardiac arrest. Want to know if one-handed CPR is any good for multi-tasking pre-hospital responders?...

Primary Survey - the highlights of April 2022 in 30 minutes!

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Body, Deputy Editor of EMJ, and Sarah Edwards, Social Media Editor of EMJ, talk through the very best of the Emergency Medicine Journal with most...

Primary Survey - the highlights of March 2022, including MUST READ papers on ED exit block

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Body, Deputy Editor of EMJ, and Sarah Edwards, Social Media Editor of EMJ, talk through the highlights of the March 2022 edition of the EMJ. We'v...

Primary Survey - the February 2022 issue in just over 30 minutes!

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Body, Deputy Editor of EMJ, and Sarah Edwards, Social Media Editor of EMJ, talk through the highlights of the February edition of the Emergency M...

Primary Survey - the January 2022 issue in 30 minutes!

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Body, Deputy Editor of EMJ, and Sarah Edwards, Social Media Editor of EMJ, talk through the highlights of the January 2022 edition of the Emergen...

Primary Survey - the highlights of December 2021

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the December 2021 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the highlight...

Primary Survey - the highlights of August 2021

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the August 2021 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. A systematic mixed ...

Primary Survey - the highlights of June 2021

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the June 2021 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary surv...

Primary Survey - the highlights of April 2021

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the April 2021 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary sur...

Primary Survey - the highlights of February 2021

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the February 2021 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary ...

Primary Survey - the highlights of November 2020

11 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the November 2020 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary ...

Primary Survey - the highlights of October 2020

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the October 2020 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary s...

GECCo - sharing in global health for everyone

07 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Global Emergency Care Collaborative (GECCo) is an initiative that aims to enhance global health interest and capacity within the field of emergency ca...

Primary Survey - the highlights of August 2020

11 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the August 2020 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary su...

Can COVID-19 be an opportunity for the future of Emergency Departments?

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What has COVID-19 meant for emergency care, and what will have to change going forward? Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emer...

Primary Survey: the highlights of July 2020

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the July 2020 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary surv...

Primary Survey: the highlights of June 2020

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the June 2020 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the highlights: h...

Primary Survey: the highlights of May 2020

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A bit later than usual, but here we are again! Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks with Professor Richard Body about the highlights of the M...

Primary Survey: the highlights of April 2020

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the April 2020 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Our regular monthly r...

Covid-19 challenges in a Singapore paediatric emergency department

03 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Khai Pin Lee and Dr. Gene Yong-Kwang Ong, from the Department of Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Kandang Kerbau Hospital, Singapore, tell Editor-in...

Primary Survey: the highlights of March 2020

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the March 2020 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary surv...

Primary Survey: the highlights of February 2020

12 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the February 2020 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary s...

BMJ Emergency Medicine Award: the HECTOR project

09 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Heartlands Elderly Care Trauma and Ongoing Recovery Programme is the BMJ 2018 award winner for Emergency Medicine. Dr David Raven, the National Co...

Primary Survey: the highlights of January 2020

07 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the January 2020 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary su...

Primary Survey: the highlights of October 2019

02 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the October 2019 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Patients don’t h...

Primary Survey: the highlights of September 2019

23 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the September 2019 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary ...

Primary Survey: the highlights of August 2019

06 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the August 2019 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary su...

Primary Survey: the highlights of July 2019

25 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the July 2019 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary surv...

Primary Survey: the highlights of June 2019

21 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the June 2019 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary surv...

Primary Survey: the highlights of May 2019

03 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through his highlights of the May 2019 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary surve...

Taking the stage: a development programme for women speakers in emergency medicine

28 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Speaker Development Programme (SDP) is a prize-winning year-long curriculum aimed at developing women speakers as a step on the journey towards ac...

Primary Survey: the highlights of February 2019

29 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the February 2019 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary ...

Primary Survey: the highlights of January 2019

10 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the January 2019 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal, this month, chosen ...

Primary Survey: the highlights of December 2018

11 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the December 2018 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal, this month, chosen...

Primary Survey: the highlights of November 2018

04 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the November 2018 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal, this month chosen ...

More evidence needed to divert patients from emergency departments

15 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The systematic review discussed in this podcast outlines inconclusive evidence for the effectiveness of diversion strategies on emergency department u...

Primary Survey: the highlights of August 2018

30 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the August 2018 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary sur...

Primary Survey: the highlights of July 2018

20 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the July 2018 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal, this month, chosen by ...

Primary Survey: the highlights of June 2018

17 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the June 2018 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal, this month, chosen by ...

Primary Survey: the highlights of May 2018

29 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the May 2018 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal, this month, chosen by o...

March 2018: celebrating 50 years of Emergency Medicine in the UK

16 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Body, EMJ Deputy Editor, and Simon Carley, EMJ Associate Editor, talk through the highlights of the March 2018 edition of the journal, celebra...

Primary Survey: the highlights of February 2018

30 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the February 2018 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal, this month, picked...

Primary Survey: the highlights of January 2018

11 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the January 2018 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal, this month, picked ...

Primary Survey: the highlights of the October 2017 issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal

24 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the October 2017 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal, this month, picked ...

August 2017’s Primary Survey

10 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the August 2017 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary su...

July 2017’s Primary Survey

13 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the July 2017 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Read the primary surv...

June 2017’s Primary Survey

16 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the June 2017 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal, starting with T-MACS, ...

May 2017’s Primary Survey

02 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the May 2017 edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal, starting with pregnancy...

Detecting human trafficking: a life-saving diagnosis in the emergency department

21 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Almost 90% of the survivors of human trafficking interact with healthcare professionals and emergency medicine clinicians are the first to see them mo...

April 2017’s Primary Survey

27 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley, Associate Editor of EMJ, talks through the highlights of the April edition of the Emergency Medicine Journal, with a special focus on or...

March 2016’s Primary Survey

20 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley discusses the March's issue of EMJ. The highlights include cricoid pressure, pain, measuring weight, ambulances and the h-index. The di...

February 2017’s Primary Survey

13 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley talks through the highlights of the February 2017's EMJ. Among these are clinical decision making and the transition from novice to exper...

November 2016’s Primary Survey

07 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley is on his own once more, talking through the highlights of the November 2016's EMJ. Here are links to the discussed highlights: Diagno...

That old weekend effect!

24 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The truths and myths about the so-called "weekend effect" in the UK hospitals is discussed in this podcast. Chris Moulton, Vice President of the Royal...

October 2016’s Primary Survey

14 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley is on his own this time, talking through the highlights of the October 2016's EMJ. Among the highlights are the low number of women prese...

September 2016’s Primary Survey

21 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Carley and and Rick Body, EMJ associate editors, talk you through the highlights of the September 2016's EMJ. Here are the links to the discuss...