Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
-
Multicenter Study
Acute pain assessment and pharmacological management practices for the older adult with a hip fracture: review of ED trends.
This article examines acute pain assessment and pharmacological management in the emergency department that occurred over a period of time after the release of the new pain assessment and management compliance standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) for accredited health care organizations. Data were available from that collected for a large-scale study testing a Translating Research into Practice intervention to promote use of evidence-based practices for acute pain management in older adults. ⋯ Pain assessment and management practices in the emergency departments showed improvements over time following the release of JCAHO standards for pain management. However, the care documented does not consistently represent best practices for all patients.
-
Multicenter Study
The impact of a sexual assault/domestic violence program on ED care.
Examination and management of the sexually assaulted patient comprise a complex task. On-call nurses with advanced training are used in some hospitals, but their impact on patient care and appropriate forensic examination is largely unknown. We evaluated the impact of the introduction of a sexual assault/domestic violence program (SADVP) on ED flow, comprehensive patient care, and collection of forensic evidence. ⋯ The profile of patients observed after SADVP implementation changed to include less stereotypical sexual assaults. Introduction of the SADVP decreased wait times for sexually assaulted patients, despite the need for the on-call nurses to attend the emergency department. This program also showed higher completion on a number of important indicators of quality of care: forensic kits, counseling, and pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease prophylaxis.