Journal of trauma nursing : the official journal of the Society of Trauma Nurses
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An electronic dashboard can enhance compliance with a specific checklist of indicators with daily management of injured patients in a trauma intensive care unit effectively. A performance management electronic dashboard monitored 24 indicators in the trauma intensive care unit over a 3-year period. Over a 3-year period, utilization of the electronic dashboard improved from 64% to 100% and mean compliance rose from 94.8% to 97.4%. Implementation of an electronic dashboard enhances compliance in managing trauma patients in a sustainable manner, allows immediate correction of deficiencies, monitors trends, and facilitates performance improvement/patient safety initiatives of a trauma program.
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Comparative Study
Comparing rural ground and air emergency medical services: a level I trauma center's experience.
We sought to compare differences in patients transported by ground and air emergency medical services directly from the scenes of their injuries to a rural level I trauma facility. Variables examined included age, gender, vital signs, Glasgow Coma Scale score, discharge location, length of stay, and survival metrics. ⋯ Generally, length of stay was longer in air-transported patients, who also had poorer survival metrics with negligible risk of death. Significant differences exist in the markers of physiology such as vital signs, expected survival, and degree of injury.
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One of the leading causes of mortality in the intensive care unit is Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome can occur as a result from multiorgan dysfunction syndrome and sepsis. In the trauma population, ARDS accounts for an increase in mortality as well as morbidity and disability. ⋯ Respiratory treatments such as airway pressure release ventilation and chest physiotherapy are utilized often for ARDS treatment. A lesser used therapy, intermittent prone positioning has also been found to be effective in increasing the pulmonary gas exchange in trauma patients. This article will explain the nursing roles and responsibilities in the initiation, continuation, and cessation of intermittent prone positioning.
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Injured patients are especially prone to developing complications. Using a multidisciplinary standardized approach to complication review is an effective method of evaluating quality improvement in patients on the trauma service. ⋯ Using this consistently, quality improvement strategies can be put in place and tracked for outcomes. This has allowed for better quantification of the problem as well as any change that may result from applying this formal review process and subsequent intervention.