OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the inter-rater agreement among nurses using the triage system RETTS-HEV (rapid emergency triage and treatment system - hospital unit west) in a Danish emergency department (ED). BACKGROUND The use of triage systems in Denmark has been implemented recently together with structural changes in hospital organization. Testing and evaluation is t...

Background: Experimental research shows that laywomen express higher levels of empathy than men to pain suffering behaviors in others and female practitioners interact with and may prescribe different levels of pain medication to patients than male practitioners. Objectives: In this study we conduct a small medical records review to examine the possibility that female emergency department nurse...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published significant data and trends related to the national public health burden associated with trauma and injury. In the United States (U.S.), injury is the leading cause of death for persons aged 1-44 years. In 2008, approximately 30 million injuries resulted in an emergency department (ED) evaluation; 5.4 million (18%) of these pati...

Introduction Overcrowding in U.S. emergency departments (ED) is a critical issue. In a privatized health care system, patients with limited access to insurance benefits (as influenced by challenging socio-economic conditions) often utilize the ED as crucial point of access to care. Non-acute patients seeking primary care in ED facilities can congest operations and contribute to overcrowding. In...

OBJECTIVE Violence is widespread in Australian emergency departments (ED) and most prevalent at triage. The aim of the present study was to identify the causes and common acts of violence in the ED perceived by three distinct groups of nurses. METHODS The Delphi technique is a method for consensus-building. In the present study a three-phase Delphi technique was used to identify and compare w...