ED Nursing Archives – May 1, 2006
May 1, 2006
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ED nurses cope with unpredictable, violent patients on methamphetamine
A patient in extremely poor health comes in with severe chemical burns and many underlying medical conditions. That same patient refuses to comply with discharge instructions and is capable of assaulting and threatening ED staff at a moments notice. -
JCAHO is impressed with stroke care at Seattle ED
A 45-year-old man was brought by ambulance to the ED at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. He presented with aphasia and left hemiparesis with symptom onset two hours before arrival. -
ED nurses cut drug errors by ‘speaking up for safety’
A nurse is about to give the incorrect dosage to a patient, but she catches the error beforehand and you notice its because two sound-alikes are stored next to each other. -
Pediatric Corner: Ask the right questions about asthma drugs
Do you always obtain an asthmatic childs medication history? Communication barriers such as noise, overcrowding, and other distractions often prevent this from happening in EDs, says Stephen C. Porter, MD, MPH, an ED physician at Childrens Hospital Boston. -
Do point-of-care tests to cut chest pain delays
At triage, a patient reports fatigue and shortness of breath with a history of pulmonary and cardiovascular disease. Because you dont know the patients brain natriuretic peptide or troponin level, you begin treating the patient for pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart failure, and you start the admission process. -
Does your next patient want to quit smoking?
As an ED nurse, you are in a unique position to do two things: Assess tobacco use, and assess the patients interest in quitting. -
Web Alert: Free resources for patients who smoke
Free resources are available to help patients quit smoking on the Tobacco-Free Nurses web site (www.tobaccofreenurses.org), including links to the guidelines, patient education materials, state cessation quit-line numbers, and Internet-based programs.