ED Nursing Archives – December 1, 2005
December 1, 2005
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Are you giving older MI patients poor care? Change your practice now
If a 70-year-old man had a syncopal episode but reported he was undergoing radiation therapy, would you still suspect an acute myocardial infarction (AMI)? If a 90-year-old woman had several comorbidities, would you still consider all treatment options regardless of her age? -
Stop dangerous practices for giving oral medications
Its something you probably do almost every day: Drawing up an oral dose of antibiotics. But in one recent case, an ED nurse used a parenteral syringe and accidentally gave the medication intravenously (IV) to an infant, causing the child to go into respiratory arrest. -
Reduce risks when patients come back to the ED
When a young man with a lap belt injury from a motor vehicle accident returned to the ED reporting nausea and vomiting, he was diagnosed with gastroenteritis despite visible bruises on his abdomen from the belt and an elevated white blood cell count. -
Break vicious cycle of repeat asthma visits
Giving asthmatic patients inhaled corticosteroids reduces return visits to the ED and improves quality of life, but most EDs dont do this, according to a just-published study. -
JCAHO Survey Insider: JCAHO surveyors focus on flow, competencies
When the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations surveyed McKay Dee Hospital in Ogden, UT, surveyors focused on something that ED nurses did not expect: competencies of agency staff. -
Creative ways to educate about stroke assessment
Is your ED certified by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) as a Primary Stroke Center? If so, eight hours of annual education is required for each nurse on the stroke team. -
Cost Saving Tip: ED saves $5,200 a year with recycled suture sets
The ED at Southern Ohio Medical Center in Ports-mouth saved $5,200 last year by switching to recycled suture sets, reports Betsy Marsh, RN, assistant nurse manager for the ED.