ED Nursing Archives – July 1, 2003
July 1, 2003
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Study says EDs don’t meet time targets for stroke: How do you measure up?
Do stroke patients in your ED always receive a computed tomography scan within 25 minutes, and do you have results within 45 minutes? If not, youre not following recommended time frames for stroke care a scenario commonly occurring in community EDs, according to a just-published study. -
Cut delays by an hour with triage protocols
When a patient is assessed at triage and no beds are available, what happens next in your ED? Instead of sending patients to the waiting room, why not start care immediately? At St. Marys Hospital in Tucson, AZ, triage nurses use protocols to immediately initiate care for female abdominal pain, minor orthopedic injuries, and upper respiratory illnesses. -
Are you mistreating sickle cell patients?
ED patients often deal with frightening symptoms, noisy waiting rooms, and long delays. However, patients with sickle cell disease have a unique problem: Although they are in excruciating pain, they often are viewed as drug seekers. -
Follow the ABCs for sickle cell pain
Always use the A, B, C, D, E, F principles when caring for patients with sickle cell pain, urges Allan Platt, PA-C, program coordinator for the Atlanta-based Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Grady Health System. -
Are you meeting the needs of dying patients?
The scenario described in this article underscores the dramatic impact ED nurses can have on terminally ill patients in their EDs, says Kay McClain, RN, MS, CEN, nurse director for emergency services at Marlborough (MA) Hospital. -
Journal Reviews
Wound irrigation in children: Saline solution or tap water?; Patient satisfaction in the emergency department A survey of pediatric patients and their parents; Effectiveness of prehospital trauma triage guidelines for the identification of major trauma in elderly motor vehicle crash victims -
Study: Your ED needs policy for family presence
Does your ED allow family members to be present during emergency procedures? Chances are you have no written policy for this practice, even if its a common occurrence. A just-published study found that only 5% of ED and critical care nurses surveyed had written policies permitting family members to be present during cardiopulmonary resuscitation or invasive procedures.