Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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Review
Rethinking Traditional Emergency Department Care Models in a Post-Coronavirus Disease-2019 World.
As the nursing shortage in United States emergency departments has drastically worsened since the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, emergency departments have experienced increased rates of inpatient onboarding, higher rates of patients leaving without being seen, and declining patient satisfaction scores. This paper reviews the impacts of the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic on the current nursing shortage and considers how various medical personnel (emergency nurse-extenders) can ameliorate operational challenges by redesigning emergency department systems. ⋯ Health care workers who can be trained to augment the existing emergency department workforce include paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians, emergency department technicians, ancillary staff, scribes, and motivated health sciences students. Utilizing non-nurse providers to fulfill tasks traditionally assigned to emergency nurses can improve emergency department flow and care delivery in a post-coronavirus disease-2019 world.
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Neurogenic shock is a life-threatening emergency associated with spinal cord injuries. Early cervical spine immobilization to reduce the risk of neurogenic shock is imperative. In addition, early recognition and treatment of neurogenic shock are essential to prevent hypoperfusion-related injuries and death. ⋯ It is important for emergency nurses to quickly identify the risk factors for cervical spine injuries and maintain cervical spine immobilization to minimize the risk of neurogenic shock.