Australasian emergency nursing journal : AENJ
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Australas Emerg Nurs J · Feb 2013
ReviewThe role of the emergency department in the acute management of chronic or recurrent pain.
Exacerbation of chronic pain is a common presenting problem for patients attending emergency departments (EDs), with many making multiple visits. ⋯ It is evident that the ED is not the ideal setting for managing patients with chronic pain however it is the last resort for many who do present, and who will continue to present should their pain persist. It is time to ensure that the ED provides a consistently supportive, cohesive and integrated approach to managing patients with chronic pain syndromes.
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Australas Emerg Nurs J · Feb 2013
ReviewA review of the quality assurance processes for the Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) and implications for future practice.
Triage is a critical component in the delivery of time-sensitive emergency care. Decision-making and the activity of the triage nurse affect patient access to care and allocation of emergency department (ED) resources. ⋯ At present, there is no standard approach to retrospective examination of triage decisions using the Australasian Triage Scale. The aim of this literature review is to identify the quality control strategies used in triage and the factors that appear to influence triage decisions in relation to the Australasian Triage Scale.