Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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The emergency department is a unique practice environment in that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), which mandates a medical screening examination for all presenting patients, effectively precludes any sort of patient volume control; staffing needs are therefore fluid and unpredictable. The purpose of this study is to explore emergency nurses' perceptions of factors involved in safe staffing levels and to identify factors that negatively and positively influence staffing levels and might lend themselves to more effective interventions and evaluations.
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In the 2014 Emergency Department Benchmarking Alliance Summit, for the first time, participants recommended tracking nursing and advanced practice nurse hours. Performance data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provides an opportunity to analyze factors associated with delays in emergency care. The purpose of this study was to investigate hospital characteristics associated with time to a diagnostic evaluation in 67 Massachusetts emergency departments from 2013 to 2014.
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Patients and practitioners rate the insertion of a nasogastric tube as one of the most painful and distressing procedures performed. Research supports using lidocaine and a nasal vasoconstrictor to significantly decrease patient discomfort. The recommended medications were not being used routinely in a large urban emergency department.