Analysis of Characteristics of Thoracic Injury Patients and Nursing Interventions Using Nursing Intervention Classification by Emergency Room Type

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to analyze the content of nursing interventions applied to patients with thoracic injury who visited a trauma emergency room (TER) or an emergency room (ER). @*Methods@#Of 3,938 trauma patients admitted to this hospital between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020, 320 adult patients with thoracic injury (94 to TER, 226 to ER) who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Patients’ data were acquired from their electronic medical records. General and clinical characteristics of these subjects along with nursing interventions were analyzed. @*Results@#There were statistically significant differences in the length of stay, treatment outcome, and level of consciousness between thoracic injury patients who visited TER and ER. Average thoracic Abbreviated Injury Scale score and average Injury Severity Score of thoracic injury patients who visited TER were 3.13 and 13.54, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of patients who visited ER. The numbers of nursing actions applied was 4,819 for TER and 3,944 for ER, which were classified into five domains, 18 classes, and 56 interventions. The most domain of interventions carried out in both TER and ER was physiological: complex. Classes including Crisis management and Thermoregulation were not carried out in ER. On average, 16 more types of interventions were carried out in TER than in ER. @*Conclusion@#This study demonstrated characteristics of thoracic injury patients and nursing interventions by emergency room type. Based on results of this study, standardized nursing interventions need be applied to thoracic injury patients visiting TER and ER.