the emergency department
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Discussion two,
The purpose of triage in the emergency department (ED) is to prioritize incoming patients and to identify those who cannot wait to be seen. The triage nurse performs a brief, focused assessment and assigns the patient a triage acuity level, which is a proxy measure of how long an individual patient can safely wait for a medical screening examination and treatment (Emergency Severity Index Implementation Handbook, 2012). Having an effective triage system is vital in helping those who are in emergency situations. Having implemented policies and strategies to better serve the public is a great way in having an effective triage. Triage nurses who are professionally trained is an important factor and having experience in the field is another factor in providing efficient and accurate service in need. Furthermore, having triage to provide service before coming in to hospitals or clinics is an essential asset in the medical field and gives patients information that can be used in the future.
Discussion three,
Vulnerable populations can be described as “Any individual, group, or community whose circumstances create barriers to obtaining or understanding information, or the ability to react as the general population. … Circumstances that may create barriers include, but are not limited to age; physical, mental, emotional, or cognitive status; culture; ethnicity; religion; language; citizenship; geography; or socioeconomic status” (Emergency Preparedness for Vulnerable Populations: People with Special Health-care Needs). Knowing this definition you can see why they would be the ones to suffer in an emergency situation. Many of them have limited mobility which can cause issues when trying to evacuate an area. Those with language barriers may not necessarily understand directions that are being told to them, along with those who are hard of hearing may not be hearing instructions correclty. Furthermore, those with mental disabillities may struggle to grasp the gravity of emergency situations and either refuse to leave, or become violent with first resonders due to fear of the unknown. With the possiblity of all of these issues emergency planning must be done in great detail to ensure the safety of the vulnerable populations, along with the safety of those responding to them.
