International emergency nursing
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Fractures are a common emergency department (ED) diagnosis. Ultrasound is a useful tool to evaluate for the presence of long bone fractures and can be performed by minimally trained individuals. We examined the ability of ED nurses to sonographically detect long bone fractures using a recently described training model. ⋯ An overall sensitivity of 98% (95% confidence interval: 92-99%) and specificity of 93% (95% confidence interval: 76-99%) was observed for the detection of a fractured model. No difference in fracture detection accuracy (p>0.05) was revealed compared to an evaluation by 30 ED physicians. While the clinical impact of this ability remains uncertain, future utilization of nursing ability to detect fractures by ultrasound may improve patient care in ways such as more efficient triaging of radiographs and the mobilization of resources for fracture reduction.
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In recent years economic and political drivers have strongly influenced the development and introduction of new roles such as medical substitution roles within emergency care in the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom (UK). ⋯ There is general agreement that non-medical roles help to reduce waiting times in emergency departments, as well as attracting a high level of patient satisfaction, confidence and acceptance of these roles. Several issues were identified which warrant further study; including the current UK evidence surrounding the limited scope of practice of these roles.
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Editorial Comment
Climate change and the Emergency Nurse Practitioner role.
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In 2005, we presented a manuscript about the use of aspirin (ASA) in the setting of the Emergency Department (ED). We now write to report recent developments in our understanding about ASA and individual responses to the medication. The phenomenon of aspirin resistance is explored.
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This study has a health care science approach and explores pre-hospital emergency care with emphasis on assessment. Health care science is focused on the patient with the general aim to describe care that strengthens and supports health. Assessment in the ambulance services has not been explored earlier from this perspective, despite the emphasis on 'coming close' to the acute suffering patient. ⋯ It seems that assessments that focus solely on a patient's medical condition can be an obstacle to a full understanding of the individual, and thereby the illness per se. A caring assessment based on an encounter and a dialogue between patient and carer, characterised by inviting the patient to participate, adds further dimensions to the objective data. Therefore, the inclusion of the patient perspective relieves suffering and enables more safe decisions.