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ED managers might breathe a small sigh of relief following the announcement from The Joint Commission (TJC) that there will be no new National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) developed for 2010, but experts say that doesn't mean they should pay any less attention to improving patient safety strategies.
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ED managers agree that overcrowding and gridlock, while often manifested most graphically in their department, are decidedly hospitalwide issues, and the experience of Sarasota (FL) Memorial Hospital seems to prove their point.
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As a small (10,000 visits a year) department, the ED at Boone (IA) County Hospital is fortunate it doesn't have to deal with the long waiting times that face many other EDs. But that fact alone does not necessarily guarantee high patient satisfaction levels.
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Below are suggested actions to help prevent patient harm related to the implementation and use of health information technology (IT) and converging technologies.
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A patient is mistakenly given tenectaplase, an investigational drug, due to it being a "look-alike," with proper protocols not followed.
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If a patient comes to your ED with a fractured wrist, you'd probably triage them as low acuity based solely on their chief complaint.
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Children under 2 years old with asthma are more likely than other children to return to the ED within seven days, according to a recent analysis of 4,228 visits.1
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Point-of-care tests done by ED nurses at triage or the patient's bedside are increasing "both in terms of use and diversity," according to Darlene Matsuoka, RN, MN, CEN, CCRN, ED clinical nurse educator at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
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[Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part series on medical screening examinations (MSEs) performed by emergency nurses. This month, we report on two EDs that have implemented this practice. Next month, we'll cover the potential liability risks of nurse-performed MSEs and how to them.]
