ED Management articles from November 2003

ED Management archives from November 2003

It's not business as usual: you can fight patient surges with an aggressive plan: find triggers right for your ED, have a contingency plan you can activate.
November 1, 2003... It's been such a slow morning in your emergency department that you've actually been able to catch up on paperwork. Then three new patients arrive within minutes of each other. Then another six patients come in, one right after the other....

'Red flag' conditions prompt response to surge in volume.
November 1, 2003... These are excerpts from the policy on how the emergency department at the Medical College of Georgia Medical Center in Augusta responds to surges in patient volume: * Charge nurse role. Charge nurses will demonstrate a greater degree...

Kid-friendly waiting areas in ED boost satisfaction: video games, bright colors make ED visits easier.
November 1, 2003... Making your ED's waiting area more child-friendly can have a tremendous impact on patient satisfaction, make your department more of a draw for children and their parents, and even ease staff's stress when caring for the youngest patients,...

TVs and video games critical to keep kids happy, distracted.
November 1, 2003... Consider making your ED more kid-friendly with these tips from Janice Frohman, MS, RN, administrative director for emergency services at WakeMed in Raleigh, NC, and Betty Jo Tortes, RN, clinical director of the ED at Verdugo Hills Hospital in...

Heart care methods put ED in top 5%, can help others: work with cardiologists to implement therapies.(Albany Medical Center Hospital, New York)
November 1, 2003... The same strategies that landed the emergency department at Albany (NY) Medical Center in the top 5% for overall acute care of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in a national study can be used successfully in any ED, says an Albany...

While economic picture still lukewarm, there are some improvements for nurses, good job security: documentation, other details key to improving physician income.
November 1, 2003... Times still are tough for both physicians and nurses in emergency medicine when it comes to income and career opportunities, but there could be reason for optimism if the national economy continues its upswing. In the meantime, the experts...

Disclosure concerns and fears of potential litigation prompt options to midcycle self-assessment reporting: unwanted disclosures could 'undo every thread of progress' by making information available to plaintiffs.
November 1, 2003... One component of the new accreditation process the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations will launch next year has some ED managers wondering about potential legal exposure. In fact, the possible repercussions of...

Spell it out: avoid easily misread abbreviations: be clear and consistent in charts, written orders.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
November 1, 2003... It was a tragic story that received national media attention: A 9-month-old died of a morphine overdose administered in a hospital, and the error was traced back to an unseen decimal point in a physician's order. A prescription for 0.5 mg IV...

Research shows ED case management saves dollars: update of pivotal study shows cost savings.(Cost-Saving Tip)
November 1, 2003... ED Management has learned that researchers are about to release new data confirming the benefits of a case management strategy heralded three years ago as a way to decrease the cost of treating repeat patients in the ED. The program first...

EMTALA Q & A.
November 1, 2003... [Editor's note: This" column addresses reader questions about the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). If you have a question you'd like answered, contact Greg Freeman, Editor, ED Management. Telephone: (770) 998-8455. E-mail:...

Hupert N, Bearman G, Muslin AI, et al. Accuracy of screening for inhalational anthrax after a bioterorist attack.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Ann Intern Med 2003; 139:337-345. The researchers identified key symptoms that may help distinguish inhaled anthrax from the flu and other common respiratory conditions in the event of a bioterrorist attack. Results of the study are being...

Shinoda-Tagawa T, Clark DE. Trends in hospitalization after injury: Older women are displacing young men.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Injury Prevention 2003:9:214-219. Older women have now replaced young men as the leading group requiring hospital admission after injury in the United States, according to this study. "Trauma can no longer be considered a young person's...

CE/CME questions.(test)
November 1, 2003... 7. In the Medical College of Georgia's plan for responding to surges in patient volume, how many patients waiting to be triaged will cause the float nurse to move to a triage position? A. Two B. Four C. Eight D. 12 8....