For this task you must review contemporary literature to determine best practice management of a toxidrome presentation, and then compare this best practice with existing ambulance guidelines.

You will make your own choice of toxidrome to research, and prepare a report for an audience of qualified paramedics. Your report should provide an introduction with relevant background information (e.g. epidemiology within Australia) and a purpose statement, and describe the pathophysiological processes underpinning the clinical features of this presentation. You will present your research findings, describing current best-practice recommendations for clinical management of this toxidrome and explaining how these treatment modalities directly address the condition. Finally, you will compare these best-practice recommendations to current ambulance clinical guidelines (you may refer to Queensland Ambulance Service [QAS] guidelines or those of your own statutory ambulance service) and, if best-practice differs significantly to existing treatment guidelines, make recommendations to update our approach.

Content and Structure:

When researching current best-practice you should primarily focus upon literature published within the last five to ten years. Additional sources such as Government documents or medical authorities will be relevant as supporting information. At third-year level, undergraduate textbooks and public information websites must not be used as primary sources. Ambulance guidelines are not primary sources, and are only relevant when comparing current practice to new findings in literature; for example, you would not use material from the QAS Clinical Practice Manual (CPM) to explain pathophysiology of your chosen condition, but you would refer to the CPM when considering whether to recommend changes to current practice guidelines.

Your report should be 2,000 words in total, with clear logical structure and argument flow. Within the main body you should present the following content:

• Introduction: Identify your chosen toxidrome with a brief definition, and introduce the report purpose.
• Pathophysiology: Which specific body systems are impacted by this toxidrome? Explain the systemic effects of this toxic substance upon organs and organ systems, and describe the clinical features and progression.
• Research current best-practice in literature: What recommendations for clinical management of this toxidrome are made in recent literature? Are there any recent developments in management? You will need to review papers of no more than five to ten years old to determine contemporary best-practice.
• Recommendations: Compare current treatment guidelines in QAS (or your stated choice of statutory Australian ambulance service), and compare these to your literature review findings. Do you recommend change to current ambulance treatment for this presentation?
• Conclusion: A brief summation of your main argument and recommendations.

You may name section headings as best suits your focus area, and may include additional subheadings if you wish to give further internal structure to larger sections. You must write in a professional academic style, and must use correct APA style for in-text citations and the reference list. APA formatting is also required for the report layout, as stipulated below.

Please ensure that you carefully read through the Task Description, Assessment Criteria, and Moodle assessment page to fully understand the nature and requirements of this task.

This task is worth 50% of your overall mark. You must attain a minimum mark of 50% for this task to pass, and you must pass this task to pass the unit.

• Presentation and layout: Layout formatting of report body is consistent and correct APA style as stipulated below (see "Report Formatting" section below); cover page includes name and student number, unit ID, due date and any extension status, and calculated word count (excluding citations, reference list).
• Content: All required subsections are present and completed as directed; at least six current relevant peer-reviewed papers are used.
• Style: This task requires writing at the standard of a third-year undergraduate student. Information is presented in a clear & logical sequence; written in academic style; conforms to word count; and demonstrates correct grammar and spelling.
• Referencing: All sources are cited and referenced appropriately throughout this task in correct APA 7th edition style. Significant penalties apply for citations not present in the reference list and vice-versa.
• File format: Submitted as a PDF document (.pdf).
• Word count: 2,000 words +/-10%, excluding cover page, in-text citations, and reference list. Calculate your word count before submission and include this on the cover page.
• Late submissions: Late submissions will be accepted, but penalties will accrue at 5% for every calendar day past the due date in the absence of an approved extension.
• Academic integrity: All submissions are subject to review of the associated Turnitin report and all instances of plagiarism shall be reported to the Academic Misconduct Board.

Report Formatting:

You must format your written report using APA formatting style. The APA doesn't just set citation and reference styles, but have layout requirements too; these stipulate rules on the font, margins, headings and subheadings, spacing and returns, and how we layout our reference list. Please apply the following formatting to your layout:

• Cover page shows your paper's title, name and student number, this unit code, and the word count excluding the exclusions (title page, in-text citations, and reference list). Start these 1/3 down from the top, and make them horizontally centred.
• No fancy templates on the cover page or on the sides of each page of the report; keep the background plain and white.
• One inch margins (2.54cm) on all sides (usually MS Word default margins).
• Left margin alignment; NOT justified margins.
• First line of each paragraph of the report body is indented 3-5 characters.
• Times New Roman or Arial font, size 12. Either is fine, but use just one font for the entire document.
• Double spacing throughout the entire document.
• Section headings are centred and bolded in sentence case; use the headings provided for each question within the content section of this assessment task.
• No extra returns after each paragraph or reference (this is why we have the indentations, headings, and hanging indents).
• Reference list starts on a new page and is strictly alphabetised.
• Each reference has a hanging indent of 5-7 characters.

Report Content:

Your report will comprise the following components; the main body content is further detailed above. Utilise current peer-reviewed literature to support your statements at all times, and review this literature when contrasting published evidence with current ambulance protocols. Beside each content section below are prompts on what you might wish to include within each section, but you may add further information / shift focus slightly as best suits your chosen topic.

• Cover page with calculated word count
• Introduction
• Pathophysiology, clinical features, and clinical progression
• Literature review of best-practice clinical management
• Recommendations
• Conclusion
• Reference list.

The Online Quiz incorporates a mix of multiple-choice questions, short- and medium-length answer responses, and longer case management questions to assess your theoretical knowledge of topics covered throughout the unit.

It covers all content taught in this unit:

• Relevant anatomy and physiology
• Toxidromes and pathophysiology
• Appropriate pharmacology for adults and paediatrics
  
• The effective pre-hospital management of toxicological, toxinological, and environmental emergencies.

Students will be assessed on the Clinical Practice Guidelines, Clinical Practice Procedures and Drug Therapy Protocols as per the Queensland Ambulance Service Clinical Practice Manual.

• Please ensure that you read each question carefully and that you provide as much information as you can in your response.
• You will only be given one attempt for this quiz.
• Once started, do not press BACK on your browser or REFRESH the page at any time; your work will be lost as responses are not saved until the quiz is submitted or the allotted time expires.
• You will have a time limit of 90 minutes to complete the quiz and must complete the quiz within the allocated time; there is no facility to save progress and return to complete it later.
• When your time limit expires, any open attempts are automatically submitted.
• When the due date expires, any open attempts are automatically submitted; you must therefore start the quiz at least two hours before that deadline, or you will not receive your full time period.
• This quiz is worth 50% of your overall mark.
• You must achieve a minimum pass mark of 50% to pass this assessment, and you must pass all assessment tasks to pass the unit.
• The quiz becomes available at 0900hrs on Monday, Week Eleven, and remains open for seven calendar days.
• The quiz closes at 0900hrs on Monday, Week Twelve.
• For this assessment task no late submissions will be accepted and the quiz will close and become unavailable after the due date and time.
• In the absence of an approved extension, there will be no opportunity to complete the task after this date.
• If you experience a technical issue you must notify the Unit Coordinators immediately.
• This is an INDIVIDUAL TASK and must not be collaboratively completed. Quiz submissions are scrutinised to identify instances of collusion between students, and all such instances are reported to the Academic Misconduct Board for review.

For this unit you are required to attend a compulsory four-day residential school at the end of term. During your residential you will spend three days practicing case management of toxicological, toxinological, and environmental emergencies, as well as associated procedures and skills. On the fourth day you will complete the Practical Assessment as detailed below.

The Practical Assessment comprises two Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) in the format of structured clinical scenarios. The two OSCEs require you to apply theoretical knowledge combined with clinical assessment and patient care skills to demonstrate effective case management. Each scenario will assess your:

• Patient assessment and history-taking
• Application of theoretical knowledge to formulate provisional diagnosis
• Synthesis and implementation of an effective case-management plan, which may comprise timely pharmocological and/or procedural interventions
• Reassessment and capacity to recognise the deteriorating patient
• Communication skills
• Teamwork and overall scene management
• Safe clinical practice.

• You must attend every day and session of your Residential School block
• The Practical Assessment is a Pass/Fail task
• You must pass this assessment to pass the Unit
• You must achieve a pass mark on both the two individual OSCEs to be awarded an overall pass for the Practical Assessment
• The pass mark for each individual OSCE is 60% (this is not an overall aggregate mark but calculated individually)
• Critical Errors apply to these assessment tasks; see details below
• There is only one resit available for this assessment; if a student fails one of the two OSCEs they are eligible for one resit of that failed task
• If a student fails both the two OSCEs they will be awarded a fail for the Practical Assessment
• Failure in this Practical Assessment will result in a fail for the the Unit
• This Unit references and applies the Clinical Practice Guidelines, Clinical Practice Procedures, and Drug Therapy Protocols as per the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) Clinical Practice Manual (CPM)
• This Practical Assessment requires clinical management according to the QAS CPM; any concerns regarding these criteria will must be discussed with the Unit Coordinator at the term commencement
• Students are responsible for allocating themselves for a Residential School by week four of term; please see the section Term-Specific Information within this Unit Profile for more important information on allocation and offerings.

Critical Errors

Critical Errors in this unit are classed as anything, by act or omission, that causes immediate harm or the potential to cause harm to yourself, partner, patient or bystanders or any procedure that is performed outside your scope of practice. During any form of assessment, if any of the following Critical Errors are witnessed, if safety permits, the scenario will continue; however, the assessment will be graded as a fail. Furthermore, any Critical Error discovered on review or during moderation will also result in no marks being given for that particular assessment:

• Unsafe defibrillation
• Incorrect joules delivered during defibrillation
• Defibrillation of a non-shockable rhythm
• Failure to recognise a cardiac arrest (>1minute)
• Failure to shock a shockable rhythm in a timely manner (<2 minutes)
• Failure to perform a complete drug check
• Incorrect sharps disposal or unsafe practice with a sharp
• Performing a skill or procedure or administering an incorrect drug/drug dosage outside your scope of practice
• Any grossly unsafe practice, as determined by the assessing academic.

If you do not understand any of the above, please do not hesitate to clarify with your Unit Coordinator.