The Capital Project
The Capital Purchase
Suzanne Hrubes RN, BSN
January 14, 2013
The Emergency Room
The Emergency Room at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center (GSHMC) is one of the busiest on Long Island. GSHMC maintains the prestigious status of being a Magnet designated hospital as well as a level two trauma center (Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center [GSHMC], 2012). GSHMC has five hundred and thirty seven beds and is a not-for-profit hospital. The Emergency Room sees over one hundred thousand patients per year (GSHMC, 2012). The patient population is mainly from the South Shore of Long Island, NY. The services provided at GSHMC cover all aspects of patient care and medical disciplines including Pediatrics. Presently the pediatric population includes infants, children, adolescents, and young adults up to twenty one years of age. GSHMC has the only Pediatric Emergency Room in the Suffolk County area (GSHMC, 2012).
The Pediatric Trauma Room
The Pediatric Trauma Room is armed with state of the art life-saving equipment that is used daily in the treatment of emergent and critical patients. The pediatric population differs from the adult population primarily because treatments and medication dosages are based on the patient’s weight (Emergency Nurses Association [ENA], 2012). Recording incorrect weights for the pediatric population in the Emergency Room can cause harm and can potentially cause death or permanent damage beyond that of their original emergent ailment/ incident. Pediatric medication errors are considered the most common and also the most avoidable (ENA, 2012). Obtaining the pediatric patient’s correct weight is considered an integral and mandatory element of the nursing assessment (ENA, 2012). The ability to obtain that weight quickly and accurately is of the upmost importance in an emergent situation. Presently a length-based tool called the Broselow Pediatric Emergency Tape is utilized to estimate the pediatric patient’s weight in emergent
Suzanne Hrubes RN, BSN
January 14, 2013
The Emergency Room
The Emergency Room at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center (GSHMC) is one of the busiest on Long Island. GSHMC maintains the prestigious status of being a Magnet designated hospital as well as a level two trauma center (Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center [GSHMC], 2012). GSHMC has five hundred and thirty seven beds and is a not-for-profit hospital. The Emergency Room sees over one hundred thousand patients per year (GSHMC, 2012). The patient population is mainly from the South Shore of Long Island, NY. The services provided at GSHMC cover all aspects of patient care and medical disciplines including Pediatrics. Presently the pediatric population includes infants, children, adolescents, and young adults up to twenty one years of age. GSHMC has the only Pediatric Emergency Room in the Suffolk County area (GSHMC, 2012).
The Pediatric Trauma Room
The Pediatric Trauma Room is armed with state of the art life-saving equipment that is used daily in the treatment of emergent and critical patients. The pediatric population differs from the adult population primarily because treatments and medication dosages are based on the patient’s weight (Emergency Nurses Association [ENA], 2012). Recording incorrect weights for the pediatric population in the Emergency Room can cause harm and can potentially cause death or permanent damage beyond that of their original emergent ailment/ incident. Pediatric medication errors are considered the most common and also the most avoidable (ENA, 2012). Obtaining the pediatric patient’s correct weight is considered an integral and mandatory element of the nursing assessment (ENA, 2012). The ability to obtain that weight quickly and accurately is of the upmost importance in an emergent situation. Presently a length-based tool called the Broselow Pediatric Emergency Tape is utilized to estimate the pediatric patient’s weight in emergent
References: American Nurses Association. (2011, December 20). Nurse staffing plans & ratios. Nursing World. Retrieved from http://nursingworld.org Duke University Medical Center Emergency Nurses Association. (2012). Weighing pediatric patients in kilograms. Retrieved from http://www.ena.org Frush, K Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center. (2012). Good Sam. Great Choice. Retrieved from http://goodsamaritan.chsli.org Harris, J Hospitals & Health Networks. (2007, November). Improving patient flow, patient satisfaction and patient safety. Hospitals and Health Networks, 81(11), 28-29. Retrieved from http://www.ehis.ebsochost.com Krulikowski, P Liebert, M. (2007, March). Caregiver injury and safe patient handling. Bariatric Nursing and Surgical Patient Care, 2(1), 7-16. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com Menzel, N National Conference of State Legislatures. (2011). Health cost containment and efficiencies. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org Stryker Swift, D. (2011, April 7). Transport of the intubated patient. Advance for Respiratory Care & Sleep Medicine. Retrieved from http://respiratory-care-sleep-medicine.advanceweb.com