ED Nursing Archives – January 1, 2010
January 1, 2010
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Your patients are at risk after triage — wait times are unsafe for 59%
You're worried about the patient standing in front of you, but you can clearly see that not only the patient care areas but also the waiting room is completely packed. How do you protect this person from deteriorating during a possible long wait? -
New evidence is in, on ESI for pediatric triage
The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) Version 4 is widely accepted as a reliable triage tool for adults. There is now more evidence of its effectiveness in children. When researchers asked ED physicians and nurses to assign a triage level to 20 pediatric case scenarios, they found that the agreement rate was 83%. -
Stop poor compliance for verbal order standard
Have you struggled with compliance with The Joint Commission's standards for use of verbal orders in your ED? According to the most recent statistics, 40% of hospitals were noncompliant with requirements for qualified staff to record and receive verbal orders (standard RC.02.03.07) during surveys in the first half of 2009. -
Immediate interventions for medication ODs in children
Upon hearing that a 15-year-old girl was "just not acting right," an ED triage nurse at Phoenix Children's Hospital quickly recognized this statement as a risk factor for suicide. -
Do you need to refuse an ED physician's order?
You aren't ready to rule out a cardiac cause to your patient's chest pain, but the ED physician orders a pain medication instead of nitroglycerin. When you question this, the physician insists the pain is musculoskeletal. -
Don't miss these adverse drug reactions in elders
A well-kept elderly couple presented to triage and seemed knowledgeable about their medication regimen. The man told the nurse that his wife had become confused and lethargic over the past three days. -
Identify early, subtle signs of septic shock
In a septic patient, the normal defenses of the body against overwhelming infection are breaking down. Bacterial germs are loose and multiplying in the bloodstream.