International journal of nursing studies
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Review Meta Analysis
Effectiveness of emergency nurses' use of the Ottawa Ankle Rules to initiate radiographic tests on improving healthcare outcomes for patients with ankle injuries: A systematic review.
The Ottawa Ankle Rules provide guidelines for clinicians on the recommendation of radiographic tests to verify fractures in patients with ankle injuries. The use of the Ottawa Ankle Rules by emergency nurses has been suggested to minimise unnecessary radiographic-test requests and reduce patients' length of stay in emergency departments. However, the findings of studies in this area are inconsistent. ⋯ The results of the systematic review suggested that a nurse-initiated radiographic test protocol should be introduced as standard practice in emergency departments.