Abstract
Nurses in the emergency department often encounter patients exhibiting signs of aggressive
behavior. Nurses need to know the pharmacologic treatment appropriate for the patient
scenario to ensure safety for the patient and the emergency department team. This
case review examines 4 common scenarios where a patient exhibits aggressive behavior.
After each case review is a discussion about the appropriate pharmacologic therapy
for that patient. The cases portrayed are fictional but based on experience and previous
observations.
Key words
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Biography
Tonya Rutherford-Hemming is Clinical Nurse IV, Heart of Carolina Chapter ENA, Emergency Department, University of North Carolina Healthcare, Chapel Hill, NC. ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2573-8442.
Biography
Elizabeth Taber, PharmD, BCPP is Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Medical Center, Chapel Hill, NC.
Biography
Gary Linder is Durham County EMS, Tactical Medic Education Coordinator, Durham, NC.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 31, 2022
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© 2022 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
