Articles: emergency-services.
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Southern medical journal · Sep 2024
Characteristics of Admissions from the Pediatric Emergency Department Observation Unit.
Emergency department observation units (EDOUs) are used to manage common pediatric illnesses and reduce the admission rate to the hospital. Most of these patients require a short duration of observation before a determination can be made whether they need to be admitted to the hospital or safely discharged home. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of admissions from a pediatric EDOU for the top 10 diagnoses admitted to the unit. This will help standardize the disposition of such types of patients from the ED, hence improving the efficiency of the unit. ⋯ The characteristics of admissions from the EDOU may help us to understand historical experience regarding diagnoses, timing, and indications of deterioration, resource utilization, and other metrics that resulted in transfers of EDOU patients to the intensive care unit/operating room/inpatient units.
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Workplace violence is a pervasive, perpetual, and underreported problem in the emergency department. Nurses experience devastating physical and psychological consequences owing to workplace violence exposure. Understanding workplace violence is challenging due to nurse underreporting. Improvement in capturing workplace violence cases can help drive data-informed, sustainable solutions to workplace violence prevention. The purpose of this project was to better capture the full extent of workplace violence in the emergency department through enhanced nurse workplace violence reporting. ⋯ A multi-interventional approach, coupled with a feasible, readily available electronic reporting instrument, enhanced ED workplace violence reporting and facilitated a better capture of ED workplace violence. Although nurse underreporting is still likely occurring, an emergence of workplace violence data trends can provide data-driven solutions in workplace violence prevention. Continued efforts to reduce the barriers that inhibit reporting are needed to foster a safe and supportive culture surrounding workplace violence reporting.