Journal of Emergency Nursing : JEN : Official Publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association

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INTRODUCTION: Family members acting as surrogate decision makers for severely ill patients in emergency and critical care centers face psychological burdens. This study aimed to investigate the actual situation of emergency nurses' perceptions and practices to support patients' families and its structural elements. METHODS: We created an original 25-item questionnaire and surveyed 164 emergency nurses from 64 emergency and critical care centers regarding their perceptions of caring for people making surrogate decisions...

BACKGROUND: High-frequency utilizers are defined as patients who present 10 or more times to the emergency department in a rolling 12-month period. High-frequency utilizers contribute to emergency department overcrowding and misuse of resources, and reduce the efficiency of health care systems. Care guides have proven to be an effective tool in reducing high-frequency utilizers. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this quality improvement project was to determine if implementing a care guide for high-frequency utilizers to address the core needs of the patient and facilitate resources through case management consultation decreases the number of visits and the cost of unreimbursed care to the emergency department from high-frequency utilizers...

INTRODUCTION: This project aimed to design and implement an emergency department-managed observation unit that improves inpatient bed and emergency department stretcher capacity, decreases observation patient length of stay, earns high patient satisfaction scores, and generates a positive fiscal impact on the organization. METHODS: This quality improvement project followed a 1-group, pre- and postprogram implementation design. RESULTS: In the first year of operations, 40% of the total observation patients treated in this hospital were managed in the new observation unit...

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of aromatherapy on emergency department patients' perception of pain and its ability to reduce the use of opioids in an emergency department. METHODS: This randomized, controlled, single-blinded study was conducted in a suburban/rural freestanding emergency department with a therapeutic group, sham group, and control group. RESULTS: A total of 230 patients, 171 females and 59 males, completed the study...

INTRODUCTION: Professional isolation, feelings of being isolated from one's professional peers and lacking mentoring and opportunities for professional interaction, collaboration, and development, is a challenge for workers across the labor market. The notion of professional isolation is particularly prevalent in low-resource health care settings and is common among emergency nurses. METHODS: This study explored the perceptions of professional isolation among emergency nurses working in a low-resource environment using individual interviews with 13 participants in 5 settings in Lesotho...

INTRODUCTION: People arriving to the emergency department with mental health problems experience varying and sometimes inferior outcomes compared with people without mental health problems, yet little is known about whether or how their arrival mode is associated with these outcomes. This study describes and compares demographics, clinical characteristics, and patient and health service outcomes of adult mental health emergency department patient presentations, based on arrival mode: brought in by ambulance, privately arranged transport, and brought in by police...

INTRODUCTION: Timely and reliable peripheral intravenous cannulation is an imperative skill in a pediatric emergency department. Utilization of point-of-care ultrasound guidance has proven to significantly improve first-attempt peripheral intravenous cannulation insertion rates in pediatric patients. We sought to develop, implement, and evaluate an ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous training program for emergency nurses in a tertiary care pediatric center. METHODS: Twelve emergency nurses underwent a training program that consisted of an interactive asynchronous learning module followed by 8 hours of training by a vascular access clinical instructor...

Mental and behavioral health (MBH) emergencies in children and youth continue to increasingly affect not only the emergency department (ED), but the entire spectrum of emergency medical services for children, from prehospital services to the community. Inadequate community and institutional infrastructure to care for children and youth with MBH conditions makes the ED an essential part of the health care safety net for these patients. As a result, an increasing number of children and youth are referred to the ED for evaluation of a broad spectrum of MBH emergencies, from depression and suicidality to disruptive and aggressive behavior...

INTRODUCTION: For patients with social needs, emergency departments can be an essential bridge between the health care system and the community. Emergency nurses' knowledge of and engagement in this work need to be examined to ensure that efforts for social determinants of health screening and the resulting community connections are effective. However, there is limited research in this area of nursing practice. The purpose of this study is to describe emergency nurses' knowledge about social needs in their community, assess their knowledge of existing community resources, and examine their perceived confidence to respond to the social needs of their patients...

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine the well-being outcomes and quality of work environment among emergency nurses compared with inpatient nurses working in Magnet hospitals and identify recommendations in emergency department work environments that hold promise for enhancing emergency nurses' well-being. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional analysis of multicenter survey data collected in 2021 from 11,743 nurses practicing in 60 United States Magnet hospitals...

INTRODUCTION: The study purpose was to obtain an understanding of both the types of questions mandated for the triage encounter in emergency departments across the United States and how emergency nurses perceive the relevance of these questions to the triage process. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive exploratory study using focus group data was used. Data were collected at an in-person emergency nursing conference held in September 2022. Data were analyzed using Mayring's 8-step process...

INTRODUCTION: Previous research describes a significant knowledge deficit in obstetrical care in emergency settings. In a post-Roe environment, additional medicolegal challenges are documented across the obstetrics and gynecology landscape, but an understudied care setting is the emergency department, where patients may present to a practice environment where there is limited or no obstetrical care available. It is unknown how emergency nurses make decisions around these types of presentations...

BACKGROUND: In the emergency department, bedside whiteboards are used to help improve communication, teamwork, and collaboration among health care providers. In addition, previous studies have shown that whiteboards aid the patient with the identification of their health care providers, plan of care, expected length of stay, and overall patient satisfaction. PURPOSE: This evidence-based evaluation project assessed the perceptions of emergency department health care providers on their awareness of the effectiveness of bedside whiteboards, whether there are challenges with using them, and whether they are being updated and used consistently...

INTRODUCTION: Creating meaningful and engaging learning opportunities can be challenged by budgets, time, and learning management systems with limited methods of interaction. An innovative method was necessary to meet competency evaluation and continuing education needs for emergency department staff. DESIGN: Gamification and simulation techniques were combined to offer an interactive learning opportunity through an escape room format to improve engagement and knowledge retention...

INTRODUCTION: Emergency department overcrowding is a concern that predates the recent coronavirus disease pandemic. Overcrowding in the emergency department continues to worsen internationally. There are multiple combined strategies that help to maintain quality and safety by reducing patient wait times, left-without-being-seen rates, and the length of time a patient stays in the emergency department. The objective of the project was to use an interdisciplinary team to strengthen and revise the emergency department overcrowding plan to reduce the patient wait times, length of stay, and the left-without-being-seen rates...

INTRODUCTION: During the first 2 years of the pandemic, visitors for patients with COVID-19 were prohibited from emergency departments in the United States with few exceptions, leaving patients without their caregivers and advocates. Little is known about emergency nurses and nursing assistive personnel beliefs regarding this issue. Therefore, this study's purpose was to describe and assess relationships among emergency nursing and assistive personnel attitudes and perceptions regarding emergency department "no-visitor policies" for patients with COVID-19...

INTRODUCTION: Mislabeled specimen collection in the emergency department has the potential to significantly harm patients. Studies suggest that improvement efforts can reduce specimen rejection from the laboratory and reduce mislabeled specimens in emergency departments and hospital-wide. METHODS: The clinical microsystems approach was used to understand the problem of mislabeled specimens in an emergency department that is part of a 133-bed community hospital in Pennsylvania...

INTRODUCTION: Hemolysis of blood samples from emergency department (ED) patients leads to delays in treatment and disposition. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of hemolysis and variables predictive of hemolysis. METHODS: This observational cohort study was conducted among three institutions: academic tertiary care center and two suburban community EDs, with an annual census of over 270,000 ED visits. Data were obtained from the electronic health record...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.