Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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Opioid abuse and overdose have increased drastically in recent years. Diversion of opioids used to treat pain, either through theft or sharing, is increasing and may contribute to this misuse. Based on these trends, we designed a study to investigate opioid storage and disposal practices of patients who were prescribed these agents in the emergency department. ⋯ This pilot study revealed widespread improper storage and disposal of opioids. The study has major implications for education for ED physicians, nurses, and residents.
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The purposes of this study were to investigate the adequacy of pain management for patients with long-bone fractures seen in the emergency department and to determine whether racial disparities exist. ⋯ According to the pain management index, the majority of the patients in this study received inadequate pain management while in the emergency department. Future interventions may need to focus on giving ED nurses information about inadequate pain management and disparities in pain management in the ED setting and exploring possible reasons for disparities in order to ultimately improve patient care.
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Pain is the most common presenting complaint in emergency departments and the primary reason patients seek medical care and take prescription medications. Improving inadequate pain control is a critical goal in emergency health care. As patients' primary health care advocates, emergency nurses play a vital role in resolving under-treated pain in their patients. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of ED nurses regarding the processes used when managing adult patients' pain and to increase understanding of how these perceptions affect patients' pain management. ⋯ Interventions that improve the ED environment and facilitate the process of pain management are warranted. Implications for accomplishing these interventions clearly exist in nursing education, practice, research, and public policy.
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Numerous factors affect patient flow in the emergency department. One important factor that has a negative impact on flow is ED patients waiting for an inpatient bed. It currently takes approximately 5 hours from triage to a request for an inpatient bed in our emergency department. Knowledge of patients requiring admission early in their ED evaluation could speed up the process of securing a bed. The objective of this study was to determine if an ED triage nurse (TRN) can determine at triage if a patient will be admitted to an inpatient unit. A secondary objective was to measure the confidence of the TRN prediction. ⋯ The TRN demonstrated a high sensitivity and specificity in admission prediction at triage and could potentially save many hours in requesting an inpatient bed. This increased efficiency could result in a more rapid ED throughput and decreased ED boarding.