Ekg's

The Techs in our ER handle it.

When all rooms are occupied, as a last resort, the MSE nurse or ED tech do our EKGs in a hallway gurney. Management purchased those portable room dividers to allow for patient privacy. The EKGs are handed to an MD to read. If the EKG is normal/without changes, they go back to the waiting room. If the EKG is abnormal, they stay in the gurney and the workup starts. Meanwhile, the charge RN is triaging out patients from our red rooms for the next patient.

Our ER has never done the EKGs in triage; if the triage nurse feels they need an immediate EKG/or if they have any kind of cardiac complaint, they get walked straight back to the treatment area (whether or not there is a bed available). If there is no space for them, they sit next to the charge nurse desk until a space opens up.

About a year ago, we opened a chest pain screening area staffed with an RN and a tech; now any pt with c/o CP gets triaged, then goes directly to this area, where they get their EKG, IV, labs drawn, and a screening for cardiac risk factors. This process takes about 15 minutes, and then from there they go to the main section of the ER. At least now, when they have to sit and wait for a space, they've had their EKGs and a bedside troponin.