Can nurses, working in the emergency department, independently clear cervical spines?: a review of the literature.
The prompt clearance of a patient's cervical spine is extremely beneficial both to the patients and the department however correct guidelines and education must be established before this can be undertaken safely. This paper examines whether nurses given the appropriate training and education using appropriate diagnostic and clinical criteria can safely, effectively clear cervical spines without consulting a medical practitioner. The paper explores the use of the Nexus Guidelines [J.R. Hoffman, W.R. Mower, A.B. Wolfson, New England Journal of Medicine 343 (2) (2000) 94-99] as a clinical prediction tool and presents evidence for its use.
Charters
Alan
A
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Queen Alexandra Hospital, Southwick Hill Road, Cosham, Portsmouth PO6 3LY, UK. Alan.Charters@porthosp.nhs.uk
D000465:Algorithms; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003663:Decision Trees; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods*; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D007103:Immobilization; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000451:nursing; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing*; D014218:Triage / Q000379:methods