ED Nursing Archives – July 1, 2004
July 1, 2004
View Archives Issues
-
Are you undertreating children with community-acquired MRSA?
An infant with pneumonia, a girl with an infected tattoo, and a child with an insect bite. Would you suspect community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) in all these patients? In fact, these are all recent examples of actual MRSA cases seen at Brandon (FL) Regional Hospitals ED. -
Do you overlook patients with alcohol problems?
How many patients would you estimate come to your ED for alcohol-related diseases and injuries? According to a new report, the number may be much higher than you think. There are three times as many alcohol-related ED visits than previous estimates, with an estimated 68.6 million ED visits attributed to alcohol each year, says a study based on the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys data from 1992-2000. -
Offer intranasal drugs and reduce pain and risks
If you could find a way to ensure that medications were absorbed quicker with less pain and no risk of a needlestick injury, would you do this for your patients? Intranasal drug delivery offers all of these benefits, but the vast majority of EDs dont use it, according to Timothy Wolfe, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine at University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City. -
Stop life-threatening heparin dosage errors
This is the second in a two-part series on high-alert medications in the ED. This month, we address how to avoid dosage errors involving heparin. Last month, we gave practice changes to avoid errors with high-alert drugs. -
Don’t forget children’s needs in your disaster plan
If an unconscious man was rushed to your ED after a terrorist attack with possible exposure to biological or chemical agents, would you know exactly how to decontaminate and treat this patient? What if your patient was a 3-year-old? -
Cost-Saving Tip: Save $300 a month with disposable meal trays
Are dirty meal trays a common sight in your ED? By switching to a disposable tray system, the ED at Paradise Valley Hospital in National City, CA, was able to save $300 a month, reports Stephanie J. Baker, RN, BSN, CEN, MBA/HCM, director of emergency services. -
Difficult-start IVs can be tackled with Penrose drains
Many of the tourniquets that come in prepackaged intravenous (IV) start kits are not adequate for difficult-start patients, says Linell Jones, RN, BSN, CEN, ED nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, WA.