Evaluation of quality and nursing skills in emergency department

Introduction:‎‏ ‏Nurses are the largest and most important group in health system and play clear ‎role. Nowadays, emphasis on health‏ ‏promotion and considering client as a whole clears ‎attention to quality of nursing care.‎‏ ‏On the other hand increased knowledge of clients ‎regarding health care made the demand for satisfactory nursing services. Therefore, it is ‎necessary for nurses to achieve and improve their nursing skills. Meanwhile, emergency ward ‎nurses must be professional with a wide information and skills, adequate speed in performing ‎techniques, decision making power and also triaging clients.‎ Objective: In attention to the importance of medical and technical skills for nurses in ‎emergency wards, the present study was conducted to determine the level of quality and skill ‎of nurses in emergency wards of selected center in Iran medical university in ‎‏2004‏‎. ‎ Methods: The sample of this descriptive study consisted of employed nurses in emergency ‎ward of Imam Hassan Hospital. The data collection instrument consisted of two check lists ‎related to nursing procedures and following triage in emergency. Data was collected through ‎observation. Scores obtained were classified in four divisions of weak, moderate, good and ‎very good and finally were analyzed through SPSS. ‎ Results: Finding showed that skill in dressing (‎‏94%‏‎), IV start (‎‏92%‏‎),‎‏ ‏NG tube (‎‏94%‏‎) and ‎charting (‎‏93.2%‏‎) were in very good range. But skill in NG tube technique (‎‏84%‏‎) and triage ‎‎(‎‏78.3%‏‎) were in good range and skill in vital sign measurement (‎‏72.3%‏‎) was in moderate ‎range. Also the time for the first nursing service was two minutes.‎  Conclusion: In attention to the importance of proper triage and since this skill was in good ‎range, it is better to improve it through intervention and continuing education because similar ‎studies showed that proper triage effects two level of patient and their families, satisfaction. ‎