Advanced emergency nursing journal
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Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a significant clinical and public health problem. Recently, attention has been paid to the potential for procalcitonin (PCT) both to differentiate the diagnosis and to indicate the prognosis of pneumonia. ⋯ The literature review suggests that PCT has the ability to supplement clinical information to determine whether or not the cause of the infection is likely to be bacterial. In addition, PCT seems to be superior to the most prevalent inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein and also demonstrates a significant correlation between the current clinical scoring systems and actual mortality.
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Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) represent one of the most common occupational problems in nursing. MSDs can negatively impact one's quality of life. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between MSDs, job demands, and burnout among emergency nurses. ⋯ Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis identified the score of job demand and the severity of lower back pain as positive independent predictors of the burnout whereas the job demand score was the independent predictor of the number of MSDs. This study documents an increased prevalence of MSDs among emergency nurses, as predicted by increased job demand and associated with a higher level of burnout. Hence, it is important for hospital and nursing administrators to address the factors contributing to job stress and burnout, with emphasis on job satisfaction and work organization to alleviate the burden of psychosocial factors in this setting.
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Morbidly obese patients present safe patient handling challenges to emergency department (ED) personnel. Emergency departments are often ill-equipped to safely manage the patient of this size. The purpose of this study was to develop an assessment tool to determine ED readiness to safely manage the morbidly obese patient. ⋯ Four of 5 hospital EDs agreed that the tool was easy to use and helpful in determining their readiness to safely manage the morbidly obese patient. The tool was found to be usable on a limited basis. Additional application of the tool on a larger scale is recommended.