Australasian emergency nursing journal : AENJ
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Australas Emerg Nurs J · Nov 2014
Multicenter StudyManagement of patients on chemotherapeutic treatment for advanced cancer with acute conditions in the emergency department.
Chemotherapy is increasingly used in people with advanced cancer to palliate symptoms and improve survival. New Zealand provides medical oncology services in a Hub and Spoke model, with an increasing emphasis on delivering treatment at out-patient spoke services, where after hours and urgent care is provided by the Emergency Department (ED). This study sought to describe the factors that influenced the care and clinical decision-making of this group of patients in the ED. ⋯ A more collaborative relationship between Oncology and ED nurses may support the provision of emergency care within the context of active cancer treatment.
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Australas Emerg Nurs J · Nov 2014
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyA comparison of emergency triage scales in triaging poisoned patients.
Triage of toxicology patients presents a challenge due to their complexity, underlying psychosocial issues, and additional pharmacological considerations. Two emergency department triage systems used in Australia, the Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) and the Manchester Triage System (MTS), were compared in triaging patients presenting with poisoning and envenoming. ⋯ When compared to the ATS, MTS gave a lower acuity triage score for all common and rarely encountered poisoning scenario groups, which included highly toxic ingestions that appear well at triage but may progress to severe poisoning. Triage nurses should refer to information on highly toxic exposures and envenomation guidelines during their triage risk assessment.