ED Management
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Many ED Malpractice Claims Are Rooted in Poor Communication
Securing buy-in from hospital administrators to make investments to improve patient safety, including handoff communication in the ED, can be challenging. Compelling anecdotes about cases when things went terribly wrong can grab leaders’ attention. Showing hard numbers demonstrates the financial burden of medical malpractice.
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Cannabis-Related Visits Surge, Especially Among Children and Older Adults
When a patient presents to the ED with a cannabis-associated visit, this is a chance for providers to offer more education to prevent future problems.
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As Call to Address Disparities Grows Louder, Prescriptions for Improvement Emerge
Frontline providers see patients from disadvantaged communities present with problems that might have been prevented with earlier or better-quality care. However, recently suggested because of the hectic pace of busy EDs, emergency providers may be susceptible to letting bias seep into their decision-making. Thus, researchers contended it is important for emergency clinicians to be aware of potential biases and how they contribute to inequities.
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Time-to-Disposition Delays Are Possible if Patient Is Seen Early
Recent study findings reflect the different types of work occurring during an ED shift. At the beginning of a shift, providers prioritize seeing new patients and initiating workups. At the end of a shift, providers transition to following up on lab or imaging results, and making decisions on whether to admit or discharge.
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Noncompliance with Sepsis Measures Used to Prove Care Was Negligent
Along with growing general awareness, there are several positive developments in ED sepsis care, including laboratory tests helpful in diagnosing sepsis cases that have improved substantially. Also, there are new biomarkers of sepsis that are promising, and new molecular tests allow a lab to identify blood-borne infections in hours instead of the days formerly required for blood cultures to grow.
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Patients Do Not Know if They Are Seeing an APP or an EP
Many patients do not realize the type of medical professional who handled their care. There are numerous unreliable, subjective ways patients may presuppose the credentials of the members of their care team, including individual partialities, along with personal and cultural experiences.
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Legal Exposure if EMS Are Noncompliant with Stroke Guidelines
If clinicians miss a stroke diagnosis or delay care for that condition, plaintiff attorneys are going to scrutinize everything ED providers could have done differently. However, whatever problems there are or were all could have started well before the patient arrived at the facility. In fact, most patients receive prehospital stroke care from EMS that is noncompliant with American Stroke Association guidelines.
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Integrate Youth Violence Prevention into Busy ED Workflow
There is an opportunity to intervene with young patients when they present to the ED for treatment of violence-related injuries. However, much less is known about how facilities can effectively seize this opportunity, considering the often-frantic pace of a busy department.
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Understanding Each COVID-19 Test’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Considering that testing over multiple days is not practical in the ED, clinicians with access to relatively rapid RT-PCR testing probably will opt for the more sensitive test. However, the antigen test offers a good option to urgent care centers or EDs that lack access to a sophisticated lab.
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Emergency Nurses Aim to Improve Care of OUD Patients
When armed with appropriate screening questions, nurses can better identify and assist patients with opioid use disorder. Because nurses often are the first care team member a patient sees, an interdisciplinary approach makes sense to ensure all components of a patient’s health are addressed.