Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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Care of health care workers with a blood-borne pathogen (BBP) exposure who seek treatment in emergency departments needs to be standardized. A standardized system may lead to better care for exposed individuals. ⋯ Programs developed to improve utilization of the emergency department have a greater chance of success when developed using an interprofessional, collaborative approach.
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Emergency nurses play a key role in the initial triage and care of patients with potentially life-threatening illnesses. The aims of this study were to (1) evaluate the impact of a nurse-initiated ED sepsis protocol on time to initial antibiotic administration, (2) ascertain compliance with 3-hour Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) targets, and (3) identify predictors of in-hospital sepsis mortality. ⋯ Compliance with serum lactate measurement and blood culture collection goals approached 100% in the post-protocol group. However, compliance with medical interventions requiring multiple health care-provider involvement (ie, antibiotic and fluid administration) remained suboptimal. Efforts focused on multidisciplinary bundle elements are necessary to achieve full compliance with SSC targets.