ED Nursing articles from April 2004

ED Nursing archives from April 2004

Is your care of children with fever outdated? Don't miss warning signs: if you don't assume the worst, you may overlook sepsis or meningitis.
April 1, 2004... EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Fever in young children can be life-threatening, so assess for signs of septic shock or meningitis. * Have a high index of suspicion for serious bacterial infection in all neonates with fever. * Allow nurses to...

Don't get a sick child's temperature wrong: inaccurate readings can impact care.(Pediatric Corner)
April 1, 2004... EXECUTIVE SUMMARY An inaccurate temperature can mean missed diagnoses. * Rectal temperature is the most accurate method. * Consider both reported and observed temperature readings when making treatment decisions. * Take...

Want to boost morale? Try creative scheduling: flexibility helps recruitment, retention.
April 1, 2004... EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Offering ED nurses flexible schedules can have a dramatic impact on morale and can improve recruitment and retention. * Allow nurses to control their own schedules and to exchange shifts as needed. * Offer more...

Pick the right five-level triage system: here's how.
April 1, 2004... (Editor's note: This is a two-part series on switching to a five-level triage system. This month, we'll address how to choose the right five-level system for your ED. Next month, we'll cover effective strategies for educating nursing staff to...

Tanabe P, Gimbel R, Yarnold PR, et al. The emergency severity index (version 3) five-level triage system scores predict ED resource consumption.
April 1, 2004... Tanabe P, Gimbel R, Yarnold PR, et al. The emergency severity index (version 3) five-level triage system scores predict ED resource consumption. J Emerg Nuts 2004; 30:22-29. Triage scores assigned by ED nurses based on the Emergency...

Prina LD, Decker WW, Weaver AL, et al. Outcome of patients with a final diagnosis of chest pain of undetermined origin admitted under the suspicion of acute coronary syndrome: a report from the Rochester epidemiology project.
April 1, 2004... Prina LD, Decker WW, Weaver AL, et al. Outcome of patients with a final diagnosis of chest pain of undetermined origin admitted under the suspicion of acute coronary syndrome: A report from the Rochester epidemiology project. Ann Emerg Med...

Colman I, Dryden DM, Thompson AH, et al. Utilization of the emergency department after self-inflicted injury.
April 1, 2004... Colman I, Dryden DM, Thompson AH, et al. Utilization of the emergency department after self-inflicted injury. Acad Emerg Med 2004; 11:136-142. Patents who come to the ED with self-inflicted injuries were more likely to have return visits...

Are you giving poor care to migraine patients? Many EDs undertreat headache pain.
April 1, 2004... EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Pain reported by patients with migraine headaches often is undermanaged in the ED, with fewer or lower doses of medications given compared with chest or fracture pain. * Survey patients to assess satisfaction with...

Give infectious patients a respiratory packet.(Tip Of The Month)
April 1, 2004... It's a year-round problem in every ED: How to limit exposure of coughing, sneezing, or sniffling patients. At St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, CA, ED nurses had a networking session at the beginning of last year's flu season to find...

CE questions.
April 1, 2004... After reading this issue of ED Nursing, the CE participant should be able to: * Identify clinical, regulatory, or social issues relating to ED nursing. (See Is your care of children with fever outdated? Don't miss warning signs and Are you...