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Biomedical subjects

Mary Ellen Wilson

Publications and source records attributed to Mary Ellen Wilson.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Advanced practice nurses in emergency care settings: A demographic profile.

INTRODUCTION: Very little is known about clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners (advance practice nurses [APNs]) who practice in emergency care settings. The Advanced Practice Committee of the ENA sought to determine a profile of these individuals. METHODS: Surveys were distributed to all registrants at 2 ENA conferences and posted on the ENA Web site. This survey asked 17 questions concerning the demographic characteristics of the APN respondents (eg, education, experience, certification, state recognition, and practice area). The survey was completed by 166 APNs. RESULTS: APNs had considerable experience as ED registered nurses before becoming an APN. They obtained their APN education at the master's degree or post-master's degree level. State recognition was required for 89.2% of the APNs. The majority of APNs (61.4%) obtained their certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Nurse practitioners were predominantly family nurse practitioners (43%), and clinical nurse specialists were either critical care clinical nurse specialists (8.9%) or had other certifications (5.9%). APNs provided services in both the main emergency department and the fast track (45.7%) and were relatively new to their role as an APN. DISCUSSION: Consistent with current educational and certification requirements, the vast majority of APNs held a master's degree. Although relatively new to their role as APNs in emergency care, they were nonetheless very experienced as ED registered nurses. The majority of APNs were certified, even though that is not required for practice in all states. Continued research is needed to identify the most effective utilization of APNs, document their contributions to patient care outcomes, and develop strategies to meet their educational and practice needs.

Certification↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Management of blunt abdominal trauma in children.

TOPIC: Over the last decade non-operative management of children with blunt abdominal trauma has been established as safe and efficacious. PURPOSE: This paper reviews the clinical management and resource utilization patterns in a pediatric trauma center in the mid-Atlantic region. It focuses on the following issues admission to the intensive care unit, safe interval for activity restriction, pre and post imaging with CT, rate of laparotomy and transfusion requirements of children with blunt abdominal trauma. Nursing care and medical management from the initial evaluation through discharge are discussed. SOURCES: Management of blunt abdominal injury in children was restructured using an algorithm suggested by the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) trauma committee to coordinate care at a regional trauma center. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated a decrease in LOS from 6 days to 4 days, and a 20% reduction in total costs.

Abdominal Injuries↗