ED Nursing Archives – July 1, 2011
July 1, 2011
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Your next patient could acquire a life-threatening infection in your ED
You, and other ED nurses, may have been taking care of a patient for hours without realizing he or she has an infection that requires isolation. The fast-paced ED environment is an added challenge in preventing ED-acquired infections, according to Susan Gray, RN, BSN, CEN, an ED nurse at Greater Baltimore (MD) Medical Center. "Staff are in and out of rooms often," she adds. -
Pediatric Corner: Consider alternatives for CT sans in children
Nearly 8% of 355,088 children received a CT scan in a 3-year period, with 3.5% of the children receiving more than one, according to a recent study. -
Elder has neuro deficits? Pinpoint the true cause
If you fail to confirm that neurological deficits are a normal baseline for your elder patient, this may be a dangerous assumption. To avoid this mistake, ask others about the patient's baseline, advises Nadya Valdovinos, RN, TNCC, an ED nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and read past medical notes and transfer records. -
Your MI patient may be in denial: Avoid mistriage
Is your patient telling you, "It's probably something I ate," "It's nothing," "There isn't any heart history in my family," or "I'm way too young to have a heart problem?" -
Share handoff info that's not in the patient's chart
Would you think to tell a receiving nurse that your ED patient has a dog at home she's worried about? That may be the reason she's refusing admission, says Pat Clutter, RN, MEd, CEN, FAEN, an ED nurse at St. John's Lebanon (MO) Hospital. -
Do dysphagia screen while patient still in ED
At St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, NH, ED nurses do at least 90% of bedside dysphagia screens while the patient is still in the ED, says Susan L. Barnard, MS, APRN, CCRN, trauma coordinator.