ED Nursing Archives – August 1, 2003
August 1, 2003
View Issues
-
Are children in your ED suffering? Stop untreated pain now, guard accreditation
As an ED nurse, you work hard to stay current with clinical care for pediatrics. But are you effectively treating pain in infants and children? According to a just-published study, very young children with serious injuries often are undertreated for pain in the ED. -
Don’t overlook mental status changes in elderly
An 85-year-old woman comes to the ED with an ankle fracture. An elderly gentleman complains of chest pain. -
Are you missing patients with pulmonary embolism?
If a patient came to your ED complaining of fever, anxiety, or coughing, would you suspect a pulmonary embolism? -
Do you give phone advice to patients? Learn the risks
Do you ever give callers medical advice when they call the ED asking for help? If so, you are facing increased liability risks, warns Peter Alan Bell, DO, FACOEP, FACEP, professor of emergency medicine at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Columbus. -
Use these tips to make pediatric procedures easier
Do you often encounter frightened, squirming children when attempting to start intravenous lines or care for lacerations? Their fright and movement can make care difficult to deliver, says Teri Howick, RN, nurse educator for the ED at McKay Dee Hospital in Ogden, UT. -
Make eye irrigation less painful for patients
While performing irrigation to flush the eye after foreign body or chemical irritation, the ophthalmic anesthetic usually gets washed away, and the patient begins to complain about pain of irrigation. -
Journal Review
Patients with both psychiatric disorders and substance abuse are linked to significantly increased use of the ED, says this study from Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, both based in Little Rock, and Baylor College of Medicine and Ben Taub General Hospital, both based in Houston.