Australasian emergency nursing journal : AENJ
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Australas Emerg Nurs J · Aug 2015
ReviewSpinal immobilisaton in pre-hospital and emergency care: A systematic review of the literature.
Spinal immobilisation has been a mainstay of trauma care for decades and is based on the premise that immobilisation will prevent further neurological compromise in patients with a spinal column injury. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the evidence related to spinal immobilisation in pre-hospital and emergency care settings. ⋯ There are no published high-level studies that assess the efficacy of spinal immobilisation in pre-hospital and emergency care settings. Almost all of the current evidence is related to spinal immobilisation is extrapolated data, mostly from healthy volunteers.
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Australas Emerg Nurs J · Aug 2015
US emergency nurses' perceptions of challenges and facilitators in the management of behavioural health patients in the emergency department: A mixed-methods study.
Behavioural health patients often have longer lengths of stay in the emergency department compared with general medical patients, and their modalities of care are not well documented. This study's purpose is to describe US emergency nurses' estimates of lengths of stay for behavioural health patients, explore factors affecting length of stay, and assess nurses' perceptions of their skills, beliefs/attitudes, and confidence in caring for this population. ⋯ Participants note a lack of education, resources, and treatment options tailored to the delivery of safe, effective care for behavioural health patients. The use of trained specialists and additional guidelines/protocols may help move patients through the emergency department faster and with greater surety.