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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.]
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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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Emergency physicians perform many lifesaving procedures every day; however, none is more important than effective airway management.
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Historically, all febrile infants younger than 90 days of age were aggressively evaluated and treated with empiric antibiotics until culture results were available. Although this approach ensured the highest level of sensitivity in the detection of serious bacterial infection (SBI), such evaluations were time- and labor-intensive, and created a risk for unnecessary adverse reactions to medications.
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If you're the off-going nurse "handing off" a stroke patient, take the oncoming nurse to the bedside for a brief neurological exam, advises Tia Moore, RN, CEN, clinical nurse educator for the ED at University of California San Diego Medical Center.
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If your patient is bleeding internally, you can know this in seconds instead of waiting for blood test results to come back by using a new non-invasive test for hemoglobin, developed by Irvine, CA-based Masimo.
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Patients who present to the emergency department (ED) more than once in a short amount of time for the same complaint or symptoms present some unique liability risks for emergency physicians (EPs), warns Kathleen Shostek, RN, ARM, CPHRM, senior consultant in the healthcare risk management and patient safety division of Sedgwick, a Memphis-based third party administrator for professional liability claims.
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Is malpractice litigation a real possibility due to an error made in the emergency department (ED) that harmed a patient?
