Australasian emergency nursing journal : AENJ
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Australas Emerg Nurs J · Nov 2017
ReviewConcepts, antecedents and consequences of ambulance ramping in the emergency department: A scoping review.
Patients arriving at the Emergency Department (ED) via ambulance can experience a delay in receiving definitive care. In Australia, this phenomenon is referred to as 'Ambulance Ramping', 'Patient Off Stretcher Time Delay' or 'Offload Delay'. As a direct consequence of crowding, and in the context of a worldwide increase in ED and ambulance usage, hospital and ambulance service function is hampered. The aim of this review was to synthesize the literature with respect to the conceptualisation, meaning, antecedents and consequences of Ambulance Ramping. ⋯ While the existing research literature indicates that Ambulance Ramping is problematic, little is known about the patient's experience of Ambulance Ramping; this is required so that an enhanced understanding of its implications, including those for emergency nurses, can be identified.
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Australas Emerg Nurs J · Nov 2017
Emergency nurses' knowledge and self-rated practice skills when caring for older patients in the Emergency Department.
Older adults are high users of emergency department services and their care requirements can present challenges for emergency nurses. Although clinical outcomes for older patients improve when they are cared for by nurses with specialist training, emergency nurses' knowledge and self-assessment of care for older patients is poorly understood. ⋯ There was variation in knowledge and self-rating of practice related to care of older patients. The relationship between knowledge and self-ratings of practice in relation to actual emergency nursing care of older people and patient outcomes warrants further exploration.
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Australas Emerg Nurs J · Nov 2017
Optimising the emergency to ward handover process: A mixed methods study.
The effective handover of patient health data from the emergency department to other hospital units is integral for the continuity of patient care. Yet no handover process has been identified as superior to others within this context. ⋯ To deliver an optimal nursing handover from the emergency department to various wards handovers should be structured and provide standardised content. The positive reception and use of this form provides evidence that a structured handover process can ensure standardisation of emergency department to ward nursing handovers.