Care planning in the emergency department.

There are many demands placed on staff working in emergency departments such as the currently witnessed overcrowding, bed shortages and long waiting times for patients. Despite these demands nursing care needs to be carefully assessed, planned and documented. This study aimed to examine attitudes of staff towards the use of a nursing care plan in the emergency department. The sample comprised the total population (n=38) of all nursing staff working in an emergency department at one regional general hospital in the Republic of Ireland. The method adopted was a survey approach which employed the use of standardised questionnaires comprising both open and closed questioning styles. Raw statistical data were analysed using SPSS for Windows while the qualitative data arising from the open-ended questions were manually analysed for themes. The data obtained in this study identified that care plans were valued by respondents, stating that they contribute to holism, increased nurse/patient contact time and better communication. The findings also identified that there is a need for continuing education, further research and a need to address issues in relation to specific patient groups, including paediatrics, minor injuries, mental health and the elderly attending the emergency department.

Dunnion ME ，Griffin M 《-》

From the emergency department to home.

Dunnion ME ，Kelly B 《JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING》

Caring for older patients at an emergency department -- emergency nurses' reasoning.

Kihlgren AL ，Nilsson M ，Sørlie V 《JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING》

An examination of emergency department nurses' attitudes towards deliberate self-harm in an Irish teaching hospital.

The purpose of this study was to examine emergency department (ED) nurses' attitudes towards individuals presenting with deliberate self-harm (DSH), including the relationship between attitudes and factors such as age, academic achievements, length of experience, and self-harm education. The study adopted a quantitative descriptive and correlational design. ED nurses' attitudes, working in a level 1 trauma ED in the Republic of Ireland, were surveyed, using an amended version of McAllister's et al. [McAllister, M., Creedy, D., Moyle, W., Farrugia, C., 2002. Nurses' attitudes towards clients who self-harm. Journal of Advanced Nursing 40(5), 578-586.] Attitude Towards Deliberate Self-Harm Questionnaire (ADSHQ). The survey yielded an 85% (n=68) response rate. The study found that ED nurses held positive attitudes towards individuals presenting with DSH. No correlation was found between total scores and gender, ED experience, or a history of self-harm education, although older nurses and hospital trained nurses had less positive attitudes. Age and length of clinical experience produced a trend in which attitudes increased, reached a peak and then declined. Although ED nurses in this study hold positive attitudes, ongoing continuing education, which was identified as a key theme in the study, remains an important strategy to maintain and further improve attitudes. The need for research into aspects of care such as knowledge, awareness and empathy is recommended, as is the need to evaluate the extent to which the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention 2005-2014 recommendations [Department of Health and Children, Health Service Executive, National Suicide Review Group 2005. Reach Out - Irish National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention 2005-2014. <http://www.nosp.ie/reach_out.pdf> (accessed 22.02.08)] have been implemented.

McCarthy L ，Gijbels H 《-》

Strategies used by nurses to recover medical errors in an academic emergency department setting.

Henneman EA ，Blank FS ，Gawlinski A ，Henneman PL ... -  《APPLIED NURSING RESEARCH》