Emergency department technicians in a university-county hospital: a 15-year experience.
Technicians have assisted physicians in many specialty areas in which a small number of procedures and limited expertise could be quickly mastered and used regularly. We describe a program of training and graded responsibility of emergency department technicians focusing on laceration and wound care, splinting, IV catheter placement, and other procedures for critically ill or injured patients. Infection rates of wounds sutured by technicians are comparable to those reported by physicians using similar techniques. In a time of nursing shortages, technicians are an alternative for supplementing the traditional providers of emergency care.
Sklar
D P
DP
Emergency Department, University of New Mexico Hospital, Albuquerque 87131.
Herring
M
M
Roth
P B
PB
Besante
R
R
D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000193:education; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D009516:New Mexico; D013536:Suture Techniques; D000078329:Workforce; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology