Search

Emergency department census rates and manpower gaps have continued to rise over the past decade, creating a demand for well-prepared emergency nurse practitioners (ENPs). The implementation of the consensus model for advanced practice nurses has brought acknowledgment by leading health care, physician, and nursing organizations of the ENP specialty as critical to building a high-quality emergency care workforce. Recognition of the ENP's unique skill set, and therefore need of specialty certification, has led to a growing interest in the expansion of nurse practitioner curricula in emergency care. This article describes a novel approach for ENP education based on an interprofessional training model, with an in-depth discussion of curriculum development and clinical placement, as well as program outcomes and implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This column critiques the findings from a retrospective medical record review, "Doctor, my tooth hurts, the costs of incomplete dental care in the emergency room," by E. Davis, A. Deinard, & E. Maiga (2010). The study was designed to examine characteristics of patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) with dental related problems and their associated costs of care. The study also looked at the frequency of dental related return visits speculated to represent ineffective ED treatment of underlying dental problems. We discuss the findings from this study in the context of growing concern about dental health disparities within the United States, including implications for advanced practice nurse management of dental related problems in the ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chest pain is among the most common presentations in emergency departments worldwide, where a timely diagnosis and proper initial management is challenging but essential for health care providers. This article reviews the diagnostic workup of varying clinical presentations of adult chest pain with a focus on appropriate imaging practices based on current guidelines for risk stratification and care management that can guide the triage and medical decisions of nurses working in emergency and urgent care settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]