Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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No clear consensus exists regarding the most appropriate approach to reducing repetitive ED visits for pain complaints. These visits create a burden on health care resources and may contribute to inappropriate and excessive use of opioid medications. The purpose of this study was to examine the pain management program in 1 emergency department (1) to determine whether ED visits significantly decreased among program enrollees; (2) to quantify program interventions applied to enrollees; and (3) to explore relationships between enrollee characteristics (sex, age, comorbidities, health coverage plans) and the program's interventions and outcomes. ⋯ This study supports existing evidence that patients with an excessive number of ED visits for pain-related complaints can be managed with a proactive pain care management program that includes coordination with a primary care provider and a supportive ED medical staff.
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Many patients utilize hospital emergency services for non-emergent care. The lack of access to primary care providers, lack of insurance, and lack of information about when to use the emergency department have contributed to the crowding of emergency departments with non-emergent cases. Crowding has created longer wait times and an increased number of people leaving without a medical screening examination. ⋯ One identified need was the development of a protocol that addressed the timely staffing of the satellite area to improve stable patient flow. A volume-driven protocol was developed and implemented through the use of published evidence focused on essential endpoints of measurement. The process used for the development, implementation, and evaluation of the protocol was the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice.