International emergency nursing
-
To estimate the inter- and intra-rater reliability of triage ratings on Emergency Centre patients by South African nurses and doctors using the South African Triage Scale (SATS). ⋯ This study indicates good inter- and intra-rater reliability among nurses and doctors using the SATS. It suggests that the SATS is reliably applied, and supports the feasibility of further implementation of the SATS in similar settings.
-
The aims of this study were to (1) explore the clinical handover processes between ambulance and ED personnel of patients arriving by ambulance at one hospital and (2) identify factors that impact on the information transfer to ascertain strategies for improvement. ⋯ Clinical handover between two organisations with different cultures and backgrounds may be improved through shared training programmes involving the use of guidelines, tools such as a whiteboard and a structured communication model such as MIST. Future participatory research to evaluate new handover strategies is recommended.
-
We developed a stream system to the current triangle system in order to manage patient flow at the emergency department and to clarify ENP role boundaries. ⋯ This study showed excellent correlation between the ENP-streaming and patients' injury severity and resource utilisation, suggesting high internal validity of our triage streaming system. It clarifies the ENP role, minimising the subjectivity of patient allocation.
-
The article examines the evidence for giving oxygen routinely to patients with suspected myocardial infarction, and addresses the challenges in changing practice. ⋯ A systematic review of studies did not confirm that the use of routine oxygen in the acute stages of a myocardial infarction reduces myocardial ischemia. In reality, some evidence suggests that oxygen may even increase myocardial ischemia. Therefore it is crucial that emergency care nurses/practitioners across the world use observation skills and monitoring such as pulse oximetry to recognise the clinical need for supplementary oxygen to be given to a patient.