ANNUAL REVIEW 2004 - St Vincent's University Hospital

www.emed-induction.ie. We continue our commitment to evidence based medicine
and risk management with a robust multi-disciplinary audit programme and a critical
incident monitoring programme. The two specialist registrars have contributed
significantly to the functioning of the emergency department and have participated in
valuable secondments in cardiology and orthopaedics. We are grateful to our
colleagues in these specialities for their support. In September, Mr. Derek Barton
directed a very successful RCSI accredited Advanced Trauma Life Support course in
SVUH. He has also being involved in many ACLS courses.
Mr John Ryan was a member of a Department of Health Influenza Pandemic Expert
Group which helped develop a national strategy for managing a Pandemic outbreak of
Influenza.
Professional Nursing Development, underpinned by the Scope of Professional Practice
continues with Venepuncture and Cannulation Training, and Manchester Triage. Jackie
Brennan and Joanne Farren attended the Leading and Empowered Organisation
Programme. Trauma Nursing Care and Advanced Cardiac Life Support courses were
attended by nursing staff during the year.
Accreditation
The Emergency Departments at SVUH and SMH have explored new ways of
providing emergency health care. These are not once off initiatives, but part of a
concerted forward thinking plan to provide optimal emergency care with the patients’
needs central to the plan. A number of these initiatives have been developed in close
liaison with other specialties. The emphasis has been upon providing the right care for
the right patient, at the right time and by the right person. These initiatives have been
predicated upon rapid access to diagnostic tests, introduction of senior staff earlier in
the decision making process, balancing variations in patient attendance with medical
and nursing rosters and avoiding unnecessary return visits.
These initiatives have been recognised in the Accreditation Peer Review Survey
carried out in May. This survey identified strengths and weaknesses within the
department and allowed us to develop Quality Improvement Plans based on
Performance Indicators. Among these Performance Indicators would be Door to
Catheter Laboratory time, Registration to Health Care Professional time, Door to
Analgesia time and prioritising use of the Rapid Assessment Team. Margaret Boland
and Derek Barton are co-team leaders of the Emergency Medicine/General Internal
Medicine Quality Improvement Team.
Significant Achievements
Jackie Brennan was awarded the Cecil King
Memorial Prize for outstanding
contribution to Emergency Nursing in
February 2004.
Jerry Kearns commenced an MSc in
Nursing Advanced Practice in UCD in
September 2004
Brian Hayes, a 4th year medical student,
won the Watts medal for the best Health
Research Board funded student project in
2004. His project involved developing a
computerised database for the real time
collection of data following out of hospital
cardiac arrest using the Utstein criteria.
Mr John Ryan has been awarded an EEC
grant to develop a distance learning
prototype, using virtual reality training in
disaster management, in collaboration with
a number of other European countries.
Publications
Ryan J,
Emergency Department overcrowding.
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine
2004;6:395
McKenna A, Nordt SP, Ryan J. Acute
Nutmeg Poisoning
Eur J Emerg Med. 2004; 11(4):240-1
Departmental Review
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