Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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Efficient identification and isolation of patients with communicable diseases limits exposure to health care workers, other patients, and visitors. In August 2014, our team developed and implemented an algorithm to triage suspected cases of Ebola virus disease in a midwestern United States emergency department and outpatient clinics based on patient travel history and symptoms. Here, we present the lessons learned and modifications to update the tool. ⋯ Although highly hazardous communicable diseases like Ebola virus disease and MERS are of concern due to their mortality rates and limited treatment options, these same concepts may be applied to the early identification and isolation of patients suspected of having more common communicable diseases like measles and influenza, emphasizing the importance of protocol-based screening in the healthcare environment.
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Coronavirus disease emerged in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019, and spread rapidly worldwide. Few studies have described the nursing care provided to patients in isolation between suspicion of having the disease and a confirmed diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to describe the treatment of, and nursing care processes for, patients suspected, but not yet confirmed, of having coronavirus disease at 1 facility in Shanghai, China. ⋯ Coronavirus disease is very contagious. Nurses need to understand the symptoms and treatment of the disease as well as nursing procedures, and learn how to cut off transmission routes, control transmission sources, and use protective equipment correctly to prevent transmission of the disease within the hospital.
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The manuscript purpose is to provide a resource for clinicians on the functionality and pitfalls of the rapid urine drug screen for clinical decision making. Many providers remain under-informed about the inherent inaccuracies. The rapid urine drug screen is the first, and often only, step of drug testing. ⋯ Confirmation accuracy depends on a number of factors, including the extent of the catalog of drugs/metabolites that the facility is calibrated to detect and report. In summary, the standard emergency department urine drug screen is a test with extremely limited clinical utility with multiple properties contributing to poor sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. The test should be used rarely, if ever, for clinical decision making.
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Novel coronavirus disease 2019 is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus originally from Wuhan, China. Its pathophysiology is poorly understood, but it is known to be contagious and deadly. Multiple symptoms and complications from the disease have been described, with the most common complaints being respiratory. Nursing care of patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 is largely supportive, but it should include a strong focus on mitigating the spread of infection to staff, other patients, and the community.
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The unique nature of the space and environment of emergency departments is a threat to patient safety. Enhancing patient safety and minimizing safety-related issues are important tasks for ED health care staff. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among patient safety culture, patient safety error, and safety nursing activities of emergency nurses in South Korea. ⋯ To improve patient safety, it is essential to identify problems in medical institutions, determine areas of improvement, and improve the organization's patient safety activity system on the basis of patient safety error experience reports. After training the emergency nurses for continuous improvement, the effect of patient safety activities must be analyzed.