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National economic paranoia seems to have taken over, and although ED volumes continue to climb, joblessness combined with the economic downturn promise to make it a rocky 2009 for many. There is a lot of emphasis on patient satisfaction, safety, and security these days, and each requires resources to manage. To sustain our objectives, it will be necessary to ensure the revenue streams to support them.
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An emergency physician is managing an acute myocardial infarction, arranging for a patient transfer, sewing up a laceration, and putting in a chest tube, with 20 people still waiting to be seen in the waiting room.
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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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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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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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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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The best way to avoid (or at least minimize) problems with information technology (IT) implementation in the ED is to take certain steps to make sure you are adequately prepared, advises James Walker, MD, FACP, chief medical information officer of Geisinger Health System in Danville, PA.
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To obtain an accurate history from a child, you need to gain their trust, just as you do with adult patients that are in crisis, says Freda Lyon, RN, BSN, MHA, service line administrator at Bixler Emergency Center in Tallahassee, FL.
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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.]
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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.