Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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Electrocardiogram interpretation is an essential skill for emergency and critical care nurses and physicians. There remains a gap in standardized curricula and evaluation strategies used to achieve and assess competence in electrocardiogram interpretation. The purpose of this study was to develop an importance ranking of the 120 American Heart Association electrocardiogram diagnostic labels with interdisciplinary perspectives to inform curriculum development. ⋯ This mixed-methods approach provided valuable interdisciplinary perspectives concerning electrocardiogram curriculum case selection and prioritization. Study findings can provide a foundation for emergency and critical care educators to create local ECG educational programs. Further work is recommended to validate the list amongst a larger population of emergency and critical care frontline nurses and physicians.
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Every state in the United States has established laws that allow an unharmed newborn to be relinquished to personnel in a safe haven, such as hospital emergency departments, without legal penalty to the parents. These Safe Haven, Baby Moses, or Safe Surrender laws are in place so that mothers in crisis can safely and legally relinquish their babies at a designated location where they can be protected and given medical care until a permanent home can be found. ⋯ No articles were found in the peer-reviewed literature that describe a method to evaluate nurse competency during infant relinquishment at a Safe Haven location. This article will describe commonalities and differences among these Safe Haven Laws, responsibilities of the hospital and staff receiving a relinquished infant, and 1 hospital's experience when running an infant relinquishment drill in their emergency department.
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Syncope is a common presenting symptom to emergency departments, but its evaluation and initial management can be challenging for ED practitioners and particularly urgent in the presence of high-risk features that increase the likelihood of cardiac etiology. Even after thorough clinical evaluation, syncope may remain unexplained. ⋯ In this article, evidence-informed strategies are outlined to approach the diagnosis of syncope and provide an overview of syncope clinical decision rules and shared decision-making. By incorporating risk stratification and shared decision-making into syncope care, practitioners can more confidently engage patients and families in disposition decisions to organize appropriate outpatient and follow-up care, observation, or admission.
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Multicenter Study
Time-to-Treatment and Its Association With Complications and Mortality Rate in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Prospective Cohort Study.
Time-to-treatment is one of the most important factors affecting the complications and mortality rate in patients with acute myocardial infarction. The purpose of this study was to determine time-to-treatment and its association with complications and mortality rates in patients with acute myocardial infarction in selected hospitals in Zanjan, Iran. ⋯ Hypertension, smoking history, and delay in treatment time were highly associated with the occurrence of heart failure and mortality. Therefore, in Iranian society, education on primary and secondary prevention of myocardial infarction is recommended to reduce patient mortality.