Independent Study in Emergency Room - Need Help on Ideas for Topic!

[seconddegreebsn]

I was given an independent study this semester and the opportunity to shadow in a department where I'd like to work someday. Ideally, I'd like to go into Emergency Medicine, and I have the opportunity to spend time in a very large, urban, level one trauma unit (which I would love to see but probably can't use for this study since there's no promise of a case coming in during my time on the floor). I am only given 20-30 hours on site to collect data for the paper and presentation I need to do on this topic. I will get to shadow a nurse for those hours, but I need to focus so I can collect the data I'll need for the paper, so I can't go too broad on this topic.

I thought about focusing on discharge teaching and recidivism rates but it seems that someone else has already grabbed that idea. I'd like to take on something that's a "hot button" topic right now, instead of the usual topics that get raked over every semester. I don't have a lot of ED experience (and I'm still quite early in my nursing school career - to make matters worse, we don't get a rotation in the ED so I don't know that specific unit all that well, nor have we gotten into the topic yet in class). Does anyone have any recommendations on topics that you've encountered that you think might make for an interesting study? So far I've come up with:

- Recidivism rates in patients with chronic pain who are given pain medication vs. those who are not

- Communication between EMS and ED staff in triage and the effects on patient outcomes

- The effects of triage on alleviating overcrowding in the ED (this hospital recently opened a "fast track" area last fall) and the effects of triage care on patient outcomes and satisfaction

Sorry if I'm retreading old ground here - unfortunately none of my professors have worked in ED, and they haven't offered any guidance.

I appreciate any guidance students or nurses who have spent time in the ED can provide - thank you in advance!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

What is the "deliverable" for this? Your timeframe is extremely unrealistic for attempting any sort of data-driven research. I would encourage you to focus on something that could be easily observed, then write it up as a mini-phenomenological study. Here's a great description. http://www.sld.demon.co.uk/resmethy.pdf

You could describe some specific aspect of communication that is probably going to happen in each and every patient encounter... maybe how staff introduce themselves (use of title, first name, last name, etc) and then apply a conceptual framework to derive meaning from it. Another thought - you could focus on the nurse's approach to the patient & family; attempt to describe principles or concepts that serve as guidelines for him/her.

Keep in mind that if you approach any patient or use any patient information, you will have to first go through that facility's IRB or your school's IRB. These rules are pretty strict, violation could easily jeopardize your school's relationship with that facility. This process can be very complicated and lengthy - I'm pretty sure this is not what your instructor has in mind for your independent study.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

Count the times people give medication history and leave out vitamins and supplements. Dangerous