The Emergency Practitioner's Handbook For All Front Line Health Professionals

The development of urgent care centres within emergency departments and the proliferation of minor injury units and walk in centres in recent years has led to a parallel rise in Emergency Practitioners (EPs) whose professional backgrounds range between nursing, physiotherapy and paramedical sciences with nurses being the predominant group. These hybrid groups of clinicians combine nursing and medical knowledge to deliver timely effective care to patients presenting with a wide range of injuries and illness. This handbook is an ideal companion and aide memoire for daily practice, and an essential tool for EPs - enabling them to assess, diagnose, treat and discharge or refer the patient effectively. Written by emergency nurse practitioners who understand the thought processes and complexities of clinical decision making, this guide offers straightforward practical advice, particularly for those in isolated nurse led units or those working in a pressurised environment of the emergency department. General Practitioners and foundation year 2 doctors also increasingly work in emergency/urgent care settings and will find this guide invaluable for current, easy to access information.

About the author. List of contributors. Acknowledgements. Foreword. Introduction. Chapters. Section 1: General issues. Practice advice. Avoiding pitfalls. Prescribing. X-rays. Documentation. Police statements. Paediatric considerations. Section 2: Musculo-skeletal. Assault. Head. Face. Neck. Chest. Back. Shoulder. Upper arm. Elbow. Wrist and forearm. Hand. Hip and pelvis. Knee. Ankle. Foot. Toes. Paediatric fractures. Limping child. Section 3: Skin. Skin trauma. Burns and scalds. Animal and human bites. Skin infection. Section 4: Ophthalmology. Eyes. Section 5: Primary care. Respiratory Sore throat. Nose. Ears. Urinary infection. Emergency contraception. Suspected deep venous thrombosis.

Professional Practice & Development

Mary Dawood Nurse Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Imperial College Healthcare Trust London