Emergency Nurse最新文献

Bowing fractures of the forearm are characterised by numerous micro-fractures on the concave surface of the affected bone(s), usually caused by a fall on an outstretched arm. Children are more susceptible to this type of injury than adults because their long bones have more elasticity. Bowing fractures of the forearm are challenging to diagnose because there are no obvious cortical defects, which can lead to inappropriate management and associated complications, including loss of movement range and loss of function. This article discusses bowing fractures of the forearm in children, including their pathophysiology, diagnosis and management. It aims to enhance emergency nurses' awareness and knowledge of this type of injury in children and of the challenges surrounding diagnosis and management.

Nurses' competence and confidence in raising concerns with senior clinicians is integral to patient safety and the quality of patient care. If nurses do not speak up when needed it can contribute to incidences of failure to rescue. There are many barriers to nurses speaking up in busy emergency departments and complex major trauma patient cases. Assessment and communication tools such as the SBAR (situation, background, assessment, recommendation) approach and communication techniques such as graded assertiveness can help to overcome some of these barriers. This article uses a case study to discuss how nurses can respectfully but efficiently escalate their concerns to the trauma team leader. It describes barriers to nurses speaking up and tools that can support nurses to speak up, with a focus on graded assertiveness.

Most patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) need support from healthcare services to manage their condition, including painful vaso-occlusive crises. Vaso-occlusive crises should be treated as a medical emergency, but the quality of the care patients receive when they present to the emergency department (ED) is often suboptimal. This article reports the findings of a literature review on the views of ED nurses and doctors about patients with SCD. The review included four studies, all of which had been conducted in the US, demonstrating that research on the topic is limited. The review found mostly negative views, including the belief that patients misuse pain medicines and demonstrate drug-seeking behaviours. Racial bias, widely recognised as a negative influence on the care of patients with SCD, was not mentioned in any of the studies. Staff education regarding SCD is required to ensure patients receive the care they need when they present to the ED.

Background: Compassion fatigue can have detrimental effects on emergency nurses and the quality of patient care they deliver. Ongoing challenges such as operational pressures and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have increased nurses' risk of experiencing compassion fatigue.

Aim: To explore and understand emergency nurses' experiences and perceptions of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue.

Method: This study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design comprising two phases. In phase one, the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL-5) scale was used to obtain information on the prevalence and severity of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue among emergency nurses. In phase two, six participants' experiences and perceptions were explored via semi-structured interviews.

Findings: A total of 44 emergency nurses completed the ProQOL-5 questionnaires. Six respondents had a high compassion satisfaction score, 38 had a moderate score and none had a low score. In the interviews, participants revealed different explanations regarding their compassion satisfaction levels. Three main themes were identified: personal reflections; factors identified as maintaining stability; and external factors affecting compassion.

Conclusion: Compassion fatigue needs to be prevented and addressed systemically to avoid detrimental effects on ED staff morale and well-being, staff retention, patients and care delivery.