ED Nursing Archives – November 1, 2004
November 1, 2004
View Archives Issues
-
Are you about to be sued? Make practice changes now, avoid disaster
Picture a packed waiting room in the height of the flu season. Could a 61-year-old woman in heart failure be mistaken for another pneumonia case? Thats what a patients family said happened in one ED when a woman with labored breathing was left to wait for several hours as her condition worsened. -
Dramatically improve care of your trauma patients
Be honest: Are you truly comfortable caring for trauma patients? Many ED nurses rarely see these cases, notes Pat Manion, RN, MS, CCRN, CEN, trauma coordinator at Genesys Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc, MI. -
Reduce the risks of verbal orders with these steps
Verbal orders can put patients in danger for serious adverse outcomes resulting from medication errors, and the ED is at especially high risk for this, says Lisa DiMarco, RN, BSN, MBA, administrative director for emergency services at Edward Hospital in Naperville, IL. Unlike other departments, verbal orders are common in the ED out of both habit and necessity. -
No. 1 EMTALA mistake: Confusing triage and MSE
Whats the most common mistake resulting in potential violations of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) made by emergency nurses? Most likely, it is confusing triage for a medical screening examination (MSE). -
Pediatric Corner: Are you comfortable caring for seriously ill children?
Many ED nurses are wary of caring for sick or injured children, but these patients have unique needs that every nurse must be prepared for, says Nancy Blake, RN, MN, CCRN, CNAA, director of critical care services at Childrens Medical Center in Los Angeles. Adverse outcomes may occur if pediatric education is allowed to fall by the wayside, she warns. -
Cost-Saving Tip
In 2003, the ED at Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis finished the year $327 over budget for supplies. As of August 2004, it was $725 under budget. What made the difference? Handing over the role of supply ordering to unit secretaries. -
Know risk of antibiotic for patients on some meds
Are you aware of the life-threatening risks of the antibiotic erythromycin for patients taking certain medications? Researchers found that patients given this antibiotic who were also taking calcium-channel blockers, antifungal drugs, or antidepressants had a five-times greater risk of sudden death from cardiac causes than patients who did not take these drugs.