Hurried discharge of patients from emergency departments occurs at an overwhelming
rate because teams are dedicated to reducing turnaround times and lessening overcrowding
burdens. This practice, however, does not go without risk, because a growing body
of evidence suggests that patients discharged from the emergency department with abnormal
vital signs are at significantly greater risk for return to the emergency department,
return with admission, or unexpected death.
1
,
2
The response to this alarming trend necessitates re-evaluation of discharge processes
in the ED setting. By hardwiring patient safety mechanisms that promote rapid discharge,
an additional layer of safety can be built for the patient, and risk is immediately
reduced for the entire ED team.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of Emergency NursingAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Unanticipated death after discharge home from the emergency department.Ann Emerg Med. 2007; 49: 735-745
Tavernero T. Vital signs project. Presented at the Teamhealth’s 2008 Medical Directors’/Nurse Managers’ Leadership Workshop; April 2008; Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Biography
Susan E. Domagala, Member, Manasota Chapter, is Director of Critical Care Services, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, Bradenton, FL.
Article info
Footnotes
Earn Up to 7 CE Hours. See page 178.
Section Editors: Reneé Semonin-Holleran, RN, PhD, CEN, CCRN, CFRN, CTRN, FAEN, and Andrew Harding, RN, MS, AIF, CEN, NEA-BC
Submit descriptions of procedures in emergency care and/or quick-reference charts suitable for placing in a reference file or notebook to
Reneé Semonin-Holleran, RN, PhD, CEN, CCRN, CFRN, CTRN, FAEN
or
Andrew Harding, RN, MS, AIF, CEN, NEA-BC
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier. All rights reserved. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
