Evidence and Practice
Staff education by the critical care outreach team: evaluating the effect of a study day on nurses’ knowledge levels
Screening and management of unintentional low-level carbon monoxide exposure in the...
The effect of post-traumatic stress on quality of life of pre-hospital emergency staff
Clinical
Staff education by the critical care outreach team: evaluating the effect of a study...
Why you should read this article: • To refresh your knowledge of the history of, and rationale for, critical care outreach teams • To increase your awareness of the evidence on the effects of critical care outreach teams • To read about educational sessions provided by a critical care outreach team in an acute NHS trust Critical care outreach teams were developed in the UK from the early 2000s onwards in response to evidence that the management of severely ill patients on hospital wards before admission to the intensive care unit was frequently suboptimal. Most hospitals in the UK have some form of CCOT, which is usually composed of senior nurses with extensive critical care experience. One of the goals of CCOTs is to provide educational support to staff to enhance their skills at recognising and managing deteriorating patients. However, the evidence regarding the effects of CCOTs is conflicting. This article describes a service evaluation conducted at an acute NHS trust in England to assess the effects of educational sessions designed and delivered by the local CCOT. The CCOT offered a study day on non-invasive ventilation for patients with type 2 respiratory failure to a group of ten nurses from different clinical areas. A pre-and post-study day questionnaire showed that all participants had increased knowledge levels at the end of the study day. If positive effects of CCOT-led study days on nurses’ knowledge were consistently demonstrated, these study days could be considered as a practical and effective method of meeting the learning needs of nurses.
Screening and management of unintentional low-level carbon monoxide exposure in the...
The pathophysiology, signs and symptoms of patients with low-level carbon monoxide exposure
The effect of post-traumatic stress on quality of life of pre-hospital emergency staff
Determining the relationship between symptoms of PTSD and professional quality of life
Outcomes of ondansetron use in children with gastroenteritis in the emergency...
Findings of a literature review of outcomes of ondansetron use in children with gastroenteritis
Evaluating a new trauma and critical care management course for nurses
Developing the course and a discussion of the course evaluation findings
Hand injury: investigating the accuracy of referrals to a specialist trauma centre
Report on a service improvement project aiming to determine accuracy of hand injury referrals
CPD articles
How to get care right for people with learning disabilities in the emergency department
To get care and treatment right it is essential to ‘ask and engage’ people
Meeting the needs of homeless people attending the emergency department
The care needs of homeless people attending EDs are frequently misunderstood
Mallet finger injuries: the signs, symptoms, diagnosis and management
CPD article on the pathophysiology, signs, symptoms, diagnosis and management of mallet finger injuries
Sepsis: an overview of the signs, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and pathophysiology
Sepsis is a medical emergency that should always be considered in acutely unwell patients
Nursing patients with acute aortic dissection in emergency departments
This article aims to increase emergency nurses’ knowledge of acute aortic dissection
Nursing management of paediatric asthma in emergency departments
Childhood asthma is a complex disease which may be resistant to treatment and varies in its clinical presentation. The number of children admitted to emergency departments (EDs) with acute exacerbation of asthma is high and many are managed solely in the department. The correct assessment of the severity of an exacerbation can be achieved through competent history taking, examination and accurate recording of observations. Nurses working in EDs should be able to recognise the clinical signs and symptoms of acute asthma, assess severity and advise on appropriate management. Nurses should have some knowledge of first-line management and how and when to help deliver these therapies. They should also be able to guide patients in discharge and follow-up care, develop a rapport with families and educate them on topics such as trigger avoidance. The assessment and management of these patients as outlined in this article is based on the British Thoracic Society/Scottish Intercollegiate Network guidelines ( BTS/SIGN) (2016) .
How to
How to improve patient care by learning from mistakes
Mistakes made in healthcare settings and the challenges to staff that arise from them can harm service users, consume time and money, and often receive bad publicity. However, by learning from these mistakes and meeting these challenges, practitioners can improve the quality of the care they provide. This article explores what is meant by mistakes and challenges in the context of health care. It suggests that front line managers are best placed to prevent and learn from mistakes, and thereby improve care for patients.