CPD articles
Our continuing professional development (CPD) articles are designed to assist with your nursing skills and practice.
Ensuring effective intercultural communication in the emergency department
This can be achieved by nurses developing cultural knowledge and interpersonal skills
Assessing people with sickle cell disease presenting with vaso-occlusive crisis
Understand how to assess and manage patients with vaso-occlusive crisis in the ED
Breaking bad news to patients in the emergency department
Preparing autonomous practitioners to break news of serious and new diagnoses
Health promotion in emergency care: rationale, strategies and activities
Concept of health promotion and its relevance to nurses working in the emergency department
Managing violence and aggression in the emergency department
Featuring a successful small-scale trial of body-worn cameras at an East London ED
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) .
Lyme disease: recognition and management for emergency nurses
Over the past ten years there has been a significant rise in the number of people who present to emergency departments with Lyme disease. Although some patients remain asymptomatic many present with a rash around a previous tick bite and others may present with a range of debilitating symptoms that can be problematic if left untreated. Due to the growing prevalence of Lyme disease in the UK and the US this article gives an overview of the vector-borne condition and provides emergency nurses with information about the pathophysiology, prevention, presenting signs and symptoms and management.