Extended Wait Times in Pediatric Emergency Care

Determining a Facility Problem

1. What was your method for determining your facility problem?

My method of determining the problem in the level one Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) at University of Mississippi Medical Center was to meet with the nurse manager. We determined that the biggest problem was the extended wait time for patients.

2. How is EBP information currently distributed and utilized in your place of employment?

In the PED we have an intake nurse who uses the pediatric triangle, which is an assessment method used by healthcare professionals to rapidly evaluate the overall well-being of a child. It involves assessing the child\'s activity level, respiratory effort, and color (Ma et al., 2020). The activity level is assessed by observing the child\'s movements and muscle tone. Respiratory effort is assessed by observing the child\'s breathing and chest movement. Color is assessed by observing the child\'s skin color, including the lips and nail beds. By looking at these three areas, healthcare professionals can quickly determine if a child is in distress and take appropriate action. We also have an acuity chart that is based on which patient should be seen first and that looks at how many resources the patient will need during the visit.

3. What evidence-based nursing practice model have you chosen to use? (Stetler, IOWA,

or Model for Evidence-Based Practice Change)

I chose the IOWA Model.

4. Why did you choose this model?

The Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice to Promote Quality Care (IOWA Model) is an evidence-based nursing practice model that can be applied to the pediatric triangle assessment. The IOWA Model is a structured process for implementing evidence-based practice in the clinical setting (Cullen et al., 2022). Using the IOWA Model, healthcare professionals can ensure that they are using the best available evidence to make clinical decisions related to the pediatric triangle assessment, which can ultimately improve the quality of care for children.

5. How do you feel it best suits your facility?