Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Pneumatic tube delivery system for blood samples reduces turnaround times without affecting sample quality.
In this study, blood samples from ED patients that were delivered to the laboratory by a pneumatic tube delivery system and by a human courier were compared for timeliness and quality of results. ⋯ The use of a pneumatic tube delivery system for transporting blood samples from the emergency department to the laboratory can significantly reduce the turnaround times of results without a reduction in sample quality.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
A descriptive study of the perceptions of workplace violence and safety strategies of nurses working in level I trauma centers.
Workplace violence is a significant occupational hazard in health care. As the largest group of employees in health care, nurses are particularly vulnerable to workplace violence, with those who work in emergency departments being especially at risk. The purpose of this research was to study the phenomenon of workplace violence by interviewing emergency nurses who had experienced violence while on duty. ⋯ The emergency nurses who were interviewed discussed their experiences with patients, family members, and others who exhibited violent and aggressive behavior. They identified safety measures that they believed were inadequate and discussed their feelings of vulnerability because of violent incidents at work. Further research with larger samples could confirm specific safety problems in emergency departments that must be addressed to provide a safer workplace for emergency nurses, their colleagues, and their patients.
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Multicenter Study
Adequacy of pain assessment and pain relief and correlation of patient satisfaction in 68 ED fast-track patients.
The new standards of the joint commission on accreditation of healthcare organizations specify the patient's right to appropriate assessment and management of pain. With this impetus, we looked at our own practice to see how well we assess and manage patients with pain. ⋯ This survey revealed that acute pain conditions are underevaluated and undertreated in one fast-track setting, suggesting that ED staff need more education about the management of acute pain. It also showed that relying on patient satisfaction surveys as surrogate markers for how well we manage pain is erroneous.
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Multicenter Study
Assessment of family-centered care policies and practices for pediatric patients in nine US emergency departments.
Family-centered care recognizes the integral role of the family in the health and well-being of the pediatric patient. However, implementing a family-centered care approach often requires significant philosophical, practice, and environmental changes. A self-assessment inventory of family-centered practices can identify areas for change. ⋯ The Family-centered Care Self-assessment Inventory tool was effective in evaluating family-centered care for pediatric patients in emergency departments. The assessment tool helped the departments to identify current family-centered care practices. Based on those assessments, the departments were able to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement in the care of children and their families.
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Multicenter Study
Seen but not heard: battered women's perceptions of the ED experience.
A plethora of studies describe helping professionals' responses to and actions directed toward battered women in the emergency department. However, research that yields data regarding the clients' perceptions about their actual experiences in the ED setting is sorely needed. The aim of this study was to describe battered women's perceptions of their ED experience. ⋯ The women's narratives explicate their feelings during the ED visit and sensitize nurses to their experience. The reports of dissatisfaction with the care they received in the emergency department add to the validity of findings from previous studies that have documented similar results and point to the need to examine and reshape the delivery of care to abused women in the emergency department.