Centre for Health and Social Practice, WINTEC, Private Bag 3036, Waikato Mail Centre, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.
Int Emerg Nurs. 2020 Nov;53:100854. doi: 10.1016/j.ienj.2020.100854. Epub 2020 Apr 1.
Violence is a major public health problem worldwide. Emergency nurses are often in a unique position to identify, assess, evaluate, and treat these patients, but there is limited forensic knowledge and skills to enable emergency nurses to feel confident to guide their practice in New Zealand. The purpose of this study was to establish the level of forensic knowledge and skills currently known and used by nurses in clinical practice working in New Zealand District Health Boards (DHB)'s emergency departments. The study aimed to develop a tertiary education course based on the needs and the knowledge required, to enable nurses to practice confidently and safely with Forensic patients in the emergency department setting.
A descriptive approach using online questionnaires including both quantitative and qualitative components was sent to all emergency departments in New Zealand DHB's as well as the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) emergency nurses' section. Open-ended questions were analysed by thematic analysis. Closed questions were analysed by SPSS version 15 data analysis software (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL). Themes identified focused on the knowledge and skills emergency nurses currently possess and the level of specialist education required to ensure patients receive the best medicolegal care.
Results of the questionnaire revealed limited knowledge in being able to correctly identify all forensic patients, insufficient knowledge around evidence preservation and collection and limited knowledge around legislation or legal processes governing clinical care were discovered. However, 84% of all participants felt that having forensic knowledge was important for their practice, indicating a need for increased forensic education. Practice implications indicate that forensic education is warranted, needed and desired among ED nurses within the clinical setting.
As forensic patients generally require emergency medical attention, it is important that nurses as part of the front-line first responders have forensic knowledge around preservation and collection of evidence during the provision of medical care. It was found that, emergency nurses do not have enough knowledge around forensic issues indicating that forensic education is warranted, needed and desired among ED nurses within the clinical setting. The study also provides support for the implementation of tertiary forensic science nursing postgraduate study in New Zealand.
暴力是全球范围内的一个主要公共卫生问题。急诊护士通常处于独特的位置，可以识别、评估、评估和治疗这些患者，但他们在法医知识和技能方面存在局限性，无法使急诊护士有信心指导他们在新西兰的实践。本研究的目的是确定目前在新西兰地区卫生委员会（DHB）急诊部门工作的护士在临床实践中已知和使用的法医知识和技能水平。该研究旨在根据需求和所需知识开发一门高等教育课程，使护士能够在急诊环境中自信、安全地为法医患者提供护理。
使用包括定量和定性部分的在线问卷采用描述性方法，向新西兰 DHB 的所有急诊部门以及新西兰护士组织（NZNO）的急诊护士分部发送问卷。对开放式问题进行主题分析。使用 SPSS 版本 15 数据分析软件（SPSS Inc，芝加哥，IL）分析封闭式问题。确定的主题侧重于急诊护士目前拥有的知识和技能，以及确保患者获得最佳法医护理所需的专业教育水平。
问卷结果显示，能够正确识别所有法医患者的知识有限，证据保存和收集方面的知识不足，以及管理临床护理的立法或法律程序方面的知识有限。然而，84%的参与者认为拥有法医知识对他们的实践很重要，这表明需要增加法医教育。实践影响表明，在临床环境中，ED 护士需要、需要和期望法医教育。
由于法医患者通常需要紧急医疗护理，因此作为一线急救人员的护士在提供医疗护理时，围绕证据保存和收集的法医知识非常重要。研究发现，急诊护士在法医问题方面的知识不足，这表明在临床环境中，ED 护士需要、需要和期望法医教育。该研究还为在新西兰实施法医科学护理研究生学习提供了支持。
