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Observation wards have not been discussed in the Australian literature. In the United Kingdom, the few published reports suggest that they are an essential part of the function of emergency departments. This paper presents the results of a survey of 44 major Australian hospitals regarding their use of observation wards. Half the hospitals that were surveyed had such wards but variations existed in the way that they functioned. Nearly half the remaining hospitals wanted to establish an observation ward. Our concept of observation wards is discussed.

The published literature in Australia on red-back spider-bites allows no means of determination of the incidence of this envenomation. This retrospective study describes the experience at Fremantle Hospital with red-back spider-bites over a six-year period from 1982-1987 inclusive. One hundred and fifty patients were admitted to hospital with a definite red-back spider-bite, of whom 32 (21%) patients received antivenom; 11 (34%) of these patients received more than one ampoule. In earlier series, only 3% of patients have received more than one ampoule. These results suggest that the WA red-back spider is particularly venomous, and that the annual number of definite red-back spider-bites in Australia lies between approximately 830 and 1950 cases.