EMERGENCY NURSING
Submitted by:
Jeard An Landero
AJ Labordo
Submitted to:
Mrs. Joy Lacson
Emergency Nursing
Florence Nightingale was the first emergency nurse, providing care to the wounded in
the Crimean War in 1854. The Emergency Department Nurses Association (EDNA) was
organized in 1970. A competency-based examination, first administered in 1980, provides
Certification in Emergency Nursing; certification is valid for 4 years. EDNA developed Standards
of Emergency Nursing Practice, published in 1983, to be used as a guideline for excellence and
outcome criteria against which performance is measured and evaluated. In 1985, the
Association name was changed to Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), recognizing the
practice of emergency nursing as role-specific rather than site-specific. Originally ENA aimed at
teaching and networking, the organization has evolved into an authority, advocate, lobbyist, and
voice for emergency nursing. It has 30,000+ members and continues to grow, with members
representing over 32 countries around the world
Deals with human responses to any trauma or sudden illness that requires immediate
intervention to prevent imminent severe damage or death. Care is provided in any setting to
persons of all ages with actual or perceived alterations in physical or emotional health. Initially,
patients may not have a medical diagnosis. Care is episodic when patients return frequently,
primary when it is the initial option for health or preventive care, or acute when patients need
immediate and additional interventions. Emergency nursing is a specialty area of the nursing
profession like no other. Emergency nurses must be ready to treat a wide variety of illnesses or
injury situations, ranging from a sore throat to a heart attack.
Triage classifies emergency patients for assessment and treatment priorities. Triage
decisions require gathering objective and subjective data rapidly and effectively to determine the
type of priority situation present. Emergent situations are potentially life-threatening; they
include such conditions as respiratory distress or arrest, cardiac arrest, severe chest pain,
seizures, haemorrhage, severe trauma resulting in open chest or abdominal wounds, shock,
poisonings, drug overdoses, temperatures over 105°F (40.5°C), emergency childbirth, or
delivery complications
Urgent situations are serious but not life-threatening if treatment is delayed briefly; they include
such conditions as chest pain without respiratory distress, major fractures, burns, decreased
level of consciousness, back injuries, nausea or vomiting, severe abdominal pain, temperature
between 102 and 105°F (38.9 and 40.5° C), bleeding from any orifice, acute panic, or anxiety.
Nonemergency situations are not acute and are considered minor to moderately severe; they
include such conditions as chronic backache or other symptoms, moderate headache, minor
burns, fractures, sprains, upper respiratory or urinary infections, or instances in which a patient
is dead on arrival
Roles of the emergency nurse includes:
Care provider
Educator
Manager
advocate
Reaction:
Emergency nursing is the delivery of specialized care to a variety or ill or injured
patients. Such patients, may be unstable, have complex needs and requires intensive and
vigilant nursing care. Others may have a minor problem. No matter the reason for coming to the
emergency department, all patients feel that their problems are emergency. An emergency
nurse is responsible for making sure that all patients and members of their families receives
close attention and best care possible.
We believe that as an emergency nurse we should have the following roles which
includes Care provider which act to provides comprehensive direct care to the patient and
family. Educator which act to provide patient and family with education based on their learning
needs and the severity of the situation and allows the patient to assume more responsibility for
meeting health care needs. Manager which act to coordinate activities of others in the
multidisciplinary team to achieve the specific goal of providing emergency care. Advocate which
ensures protection of the patient’s rights.
As an emergency nurse we Use triage to determine priorities based on assessment and
anticipation of the patient’s needs. We provide direct measures to resuscitate, if necessary. We
provide preliminary care before the patient is transferred to the primary care area. We provide
health education to the patient and family. We supervise patient care and ancillary personnel
and we provide support and protection for the patient and family.
