Preventing Missed Basic and Supportive Care in Emergency Departments: Joint Roles of Nurses, Emergency Medical Technicians, and Health Care Assistants
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22399/ijcesen.4765Keywords:
Missed nursing care, basic supportive care, emergency department, overcrowding, interprofessional collaboration, registered nurseAbstract
Preventing missed basic and supportive care (MBSC) in the overcrowded, high-pressure environment of the emergency department requires a fundamental shift from siloed practice to a model of deliberate, interprofessional collaboration. This approach strategically leverages the unique and complementary skills of the core frontline triad: the Registered Nurse (RN) as the holistic assessor, care coordinator, and patient advocate; the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) as the technical expert managing procedures, monitoring, and logistics; and the Health Care Assistant (HCA) as the guardian of fundamental care and continuous presence, ensuring dignity, comfort, and hygiene. Effective prevention is achieved by moving beyond role ambiguity to establish clear, shared accountability through structured frameworks like TeamSTEPPS for communication, standardized care bundles for common needs, and interprofessional rounding. Sustainable implementation demands committed leadership to foster a culture that values this care as a critical safety indicator, alongside targeted interprofessional education, technological enablers, and rigorous measurement of MBSC itself. Ultimately, integrating the joint capabilities of RNs, EMTs, and HCAs builds a resilient defense against the omission of essential care, safeguarding patient outcomes, preserving dignity, and upholding the humane core of emergency medicine amidst chaos.
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