ED Nursing 2003-05-01

Report every case of suspected child abuse — or face criminal charges

Identifying signs of abuse in an injured child is one of the worst parts of any ED nurses job. But there is another frightening possibility that you may not be aware of: If you miss a case, choose not to report your suspicions, or make a judgment call that turns out to be wrong, you could face criminal charges.

SARS cases are growing — prepare with these steps

With the threat of smallpox and anthrax looming, ED nurses now have one more thing to worry about: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). At press time, there were 115 cases in 27 U.S. states, including at least two health care workers.

Do you know SARS symptoms to watch for?

Here is the case definition of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Are you putting spinal cord injury patients in danger?

If you dont follow recent guidelines, a patient may come into your ED with a spinal cord injury and leave paralyzed.

Triage switch could fail without these steps

If you switch to a five-level triage system without examining your processes, the entire process could fail, warns Elisabeth K. Weber, RN, MA, CEN, a Chicago-based consultant who specializes in emergency services and process improvement.

Boost morale with ‘core team’ of ED nurses

How do you make big changes when you lack major resources? It may be as simple as looking to your long-term ED nurses.

Are you giving aspirin to stroke patients?

If you fail to give aspirin to stroke patients in your ED, youre not following recommendations of a recent report from the St. Paul, MN-based American Academy of Neurology and the Dallas-based American Stroke Association.

SARS: What U.S. hospitals can learn from Canada

Dont miss SARS: What U.S. Hospitals Must Learn from the Canadian Outbreak on May 6, 2003, from 2:30-3:30, ET, an audio conference program presented by Thomson American Health Consultants.

ED Nursing Reports: Update on Wound Closure - Evidence-Based Strategies for Optimizing Outcomes

ED Nursing Archives – May 1, 2003

May 1, 2003