ED Nursing articles from May 2005

ED Nursing archives from May 2005

Blood thinners are putting ED geriatric patients at risk.(emergency departments)
May 1, 2005... Blood thinners are putting ED geriatric patients at risk Change the way you triage and assess these patients After a minor fall, an alert, neurologically responsive elderly woman was brought to an ED. She told triage nurses she was...

Do MI patients leave your ED? Know the risks.(diagnosing myocardial infarction in the emergency department)
May 1, 2005... Do MI patients leave your ED? Know the risks Inadequate assessment could bring lawsuit A patient with chest pain is diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease, walks out of your ED, and has a myocardial infarction (MI) a week...

Know conditions that threaten psych patients.
May 1, 2005... Know conditions that threaten psych patients A man walks into your ED screaming and thrashing around, and he says that he hears voices. Would you assume the patient is mentally ill? Your answer could potentially save this patient's...

Pediatric Corner: Do you know 3 myths about ketamine, children?
May 1, 2005... Do you know 3 myths about ketamine, children? Ketamine makes children act crazy. The drug is more dangerous than other ED sedatives. Patients can get addicted from being sedated with ketamine. These are all common "ketamine myths,"...

Screening protocol catches more pulmonary embolisms.
May 1, 2005... Screening protocol catches more pulmonary embolisms If untreated, pulmonary embolism (PE) has a mortality rate of 25%-30%. Isn't that a frightening statistic? To make things more challenging, PE is extremely difficult to rule out in...

EDs not screening for substance abuse.(emergency departments)
May 1, 2005... EDs not screening for substance abuse Have you ever had a gut instinct that a patient's injury was related to alcohol abuse, but you said nothing because you had five other patients waiting to be seen? If so, you're not alone: A new study...

Tip of the Month: Offer elderly reclining chairs, not gurneys.
May 1, 2005... Offer elderly reclining chairs, not gurneys  Would you like a simple way to reduce pain and increase satisfaction of elderly patients? Allow them to sit on reclining chairs instead of gurneys, suggests Scott Wilber, MD, FACEP, director...

Web Alert: Web site helps you interpret ECGs.(electrocardiography)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Web site helps you interpret ECGs Myocardial infarctions, hypertrophy, electrolyte abnormalities, and arrhythmias - both ventricular and supraventricular in origin. Would you be able to identify all of these abnormalities on a patient's...

CE Questions.(continuing education)
May 1, 2005... CE instructions Nurses participate in this continuing education program by reading the issue, using the provided references for further research, and studying the questions at the end of the issue. Participants should select what they...

ED is focus of new JCAHO standard: Be ready for questions about patient flow.(emergency department flow)
May 1, 2005... ED is focus of new JCAHO standard: Be ready for questions about patient flow Surveyors expect patients in hallways, but they want evidence of solutions Ten patients being held on gurneys in your ED's hallways. Four paramedics bringing...