ED Nursing 2005-02-01

Are cardiac patients waiting too long in your ED? Cut dangerous delays now

This is the first of a two-part series on improving care of ED patients with chest pain. This month, we give strategies to reduce door-to-needle time. Next month, well report on improving assessment of women with heart attack symptoms.

Dramatically improve care of peds with bronchiolitis

The sound of a small child breathing in gasps and wheezes can alarm even experienced ED nurses, and your assessment of this vulnerable patient is key to ensuring a good outcome, says Lynn Daum, RN, BSN, special projects coordinator for emergency services at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center.

Identify patients at high risk for heparin reaction

If a patient came in with obvious symptoms of a stroke or myocardial infarction (MI), would you rush to start a heparin drip? If this patients symptoms are caused by heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), you could be putting his or her life in danger.

ED nurses use ultrasound to place difficult IV lines

Imagine a woman in sickle cell crisis coming to you crying and writhing in pain. Now imagine being unable to start intravenous (IV) access for more than two hours, with the IV finally being placed in her lower calf after multiple sticks.

Ease the switch to bedside registration

Has your ED switched to bedside registration yet? This is without question one of the most effective ways to reduce delays and improve patient flow, but a multitude of obstacles can arise during implementation, says Denise Proto, RN, MS, CEN, nurse educator for emergency services at Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, GA.

News Brief: Consider patient use of OTC medications

When you take a patients medication history, do you specifically ask about over-the-counter (OTC) drugs? A new study underscores the importance of this question. According to a case report, OTC decongestants containing pseudoephedrine can cause a heart attack even in a healthy young person.

Cost-Saving Tip

Save $37,000 a month by creating a float pool. How would you like to have a pool of reliable nurses to fill your staffing holes without incurring astronomical agency nursing costs? At Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, GA, a float pool of ED nurses cut agency usage in half in only three months, reports Sandy Vecellio, RN, BSN, clinical manager for emergency services.

ED Nursing Archives – February 1, 2005

February 1, 2005