O'Connell Beverly, Hawkins Mary, Considine Julie, Au Catherine
Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 2. Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Contemp Nurse. 2013 Oct;45(2):228-33. doi: 10.5172/conu.2013.45.2.228.
This research aimed to describe the number and type of residents admitted to emergency departments (EDs) over 2 years; and to explore nurses' perceptions of the reasons why residential aged care facility (RACF) residents are referred to EDs. The research objective was addressed in a retrospective exploratory study using data on admissions to EDs from RACFs (N = 3,094) at the participating organisation over a 2-year period, and interview data on seven RACF and four ED nurses' perceptions of the issues involved. Most residents presenting at EDs required urgent medical attention. Major themes identified by RACF and ED nurses included issues related to staff competency, availability of general practitioners, lack of equipment in RACFs, residents and family members requesting referrals, communication difficulties, and poor attitudes towards RACF staff. There is a need to use strategies to detect residents whose conditions are deteriorating and treat them promptly in RACFs.
本研究旨在描述两年内入住急诊科（ED）的养老院居民的数量和类型；并探讨护士对养老院（RACF）居民被转诊至急诊科原因的看法。该研究目标通过一项回顾性探索性研究得以实现，该研究使用了参与机构在两年期间养老院居民入住急诊科的数据（N = 3,094），以及关于七名养老院护士和四名急诊科护士对相关问题看法的访谈数据。大多数到急诊科就诊的居民需要紧急医疗护理。养老院和急诊科护士确定的主要主题包括与工作人员能力、全科医生的可及性、养老院设备不足、居民及其家属要求转诊、沟通困难以及对养老院工作人员态度不佳等相关问题。有必要采用策略来发现病情恶化的居民，并在养老院及时对他们进行治疗。
