• Nurs Leadersh (Tor Ont) · Apr 2011

    Bringing back the house call: how an emergency mobile nursing service is reducing avoidable emergency department visits for residents in long-term care homes.

    • Annabelle Bandurchin, Mary Jane McNally, and Mary Ferguson-Paré.
    • Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON. annabelle.bandurchin@uhn.on.ca
    • Nurs Leadersh (Tor Ont). 2011 Apr 1; 24 (1): 59-71.

    AbstractAvoidable emergency department (ED) visits are a source of clinical risk, stress and anxiety for older, more vulnerable patients. The complexity of health conditions and the unique challenges associated with the care of older patients can also contribute to overcrowding and longer wait times in EDs--issues of significant concern for both healthcare providers and patients. Generally, older patients are more likely than younger patients to visit EDs and be admitted to hospital. In addition, older adults living in long-term care (LTC) homes are more likely to be transferred to EDs for preventable issues than those living in other settings. This paper describes how mobilizing a team of registered nurses working at full scope of practice might reduce the number of avoidable transfers of older patients to the ED. Utilizing nurses in this capacity demonstrates how the nursing profession can drive systemwide change to improve care between healthcare sectors for older adults.

      Pubmed     Full text   Copy Citation     Plaintext  

      Add institutional full text...

    Notes

     
    Knowledge, pearl, summary or comment to share?
    300 characters remaining
    help        

    hide…