Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Injury Outcomes in African American and African Caribbean Women: The Role of Intimate Partner Violence.
Intimate partner violence has been linked to increased and repeated injuries, as well as negative long-term physical and mental health outcomes. This study examines the prevalence and correlates of injury in women of African descent who reported recent intimate partner violence and control subjects who were never abused. ⋯ Injuries related to intimate partner violence may be part of the explanation for the negative long-term health outcomes. In this study, partner violence was associated with past-year ED use, hospitalization, and multiple injuries. Emergency nurses need to assess for intimate partner violence when women report with an injury to ensure that the violence is addressed in order to prevent repeated injuries and negative long-term health outcomes.
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Comparative Study
A Comparison of Paper Documentation to Electronic Documentation for Trauma Resuscitations at a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center.
Although the electronic medical record reduces errors and improves patient safety, most emergency departments continue to use paper documentation for trauma resuscitations. The purpose of this study was to compare the completeness of paper documentation with that of electronic documentation for trauma resuscitations. ⋯ Electronic documentation produced superior records of pediatric trauma resuscitations compared with paper documentation. Because the electronic medical record improves patient safety, it should be adopted as the standard documentation method for all trauma resuscitations.
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We aimed to assess the number of "missed cases" in the detection of child abuse based on the Hague Protocol. This protocol considers 3 parental characteristics of ED adult patients to identify child abuse: (1) domestic violence, (2) intoxication, and (3) suicide attempt or auto-mutilation. ⋯ Barriers to identifying missing cases could be relatively easy to overcome. Regular training of emergency nurses and an automated alert in the electronic health record to prompt clinicians and emergency nurses may help prevent cases being missed in the future.