Nurses Feel More Prepared After Active Shooter Simulation
Nurse Leader Insider, August 30, 2018
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Nurse Leader Insider!
By Jennifer Thew
An active shooter incident is something no nurse wishes to experience. Unfortunately, these situations can, and do, happen at healthcare organizations across the country.
Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital, in fact, was on lockdown Wednesday following a threat of a shooting on its campus, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.
To prepare emergency department staff to effectively handle these types of incidents, active shooter training and simulations are a must, according to a new practice improvement initiative and study in the Journal of Emergency Nursing.
The goal that drove the initiative was to develop and successfully implement a safety strategy that increased the ability of a large pediatric emergency department staff to effectively respond to an active shooter in their hospital.
Survey results showed that of the 202 emergency nurses and ancillary staff members who participated in active shooter training:
- 92% felt better prepared to respond if a shooting occurred at their facility.
- 70% of participants reported an increase in knowledge and readiness.
- Participants reported their first response to an active shooter incident would be:
- Flee the scene (66%)
- Protect patients (15%)
- Hide (7%)
- Fight (6%)
- Call 911 (4%)
"We are in the infancy stage of this conversation," says study co-author and Emergency Nurses Association member Mary Baker, BSN, RN, of active shooter training in hospitals. "As emergency nurses, we practice our ACLS and PALS a lot. We've gotten very proficient at it because it's always top of mind. But when it comes to preparing for a catastrophe such as an active shooter in our own emergency department, most nurses have no idea how we'd react because we aren't preparing for it."
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Nurse Leader Insider!
Related Products
-
Strategies for Nurse Managers
Strategies for Nurse Managers is a 12-page monthly how-to newsletter that was created exclusively to help you save time...
-
Strengthening Nurse-to-Nurse Relationships:
This educational video will help nurses at all levels understand the issue of horizontal hostility. It provides the expert...
-
Nurse Leader Insider
Our informative free e-mail newsletter for nursing professionals delivers helpful tips and advice each week!
-
Core Skills for Nurse Managers
Turn to this ready-to-use and effective training program to equip new nurse managers--and experienced nurse managers who may...
-
Nursing Orientation Program Builder:
This binder and CD-ROM walk you through each step of a well-run orientation program so you can incorporate field-tested...
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- FDA says to decrease reuse of devices, CMS removes some blanket waivers
- Don't forget the three checks in medication administration
- Note similarities and differences between HCPCS, CPT® codes
- Practice the six rights of medication administration
- Nursing responsibilities for managing pain
- Prevent dehydration with nursing interventions
- Q&A: Primary, principal, and secondary diagnoses
- Steps for maintaining patient privacy
- The consequences of an incomplete medical record
- Know the medical gas cylinder storage requirements
- E-mailed
-
- FDA says to decrease reuse of devices, CMS removes some blanket waivers
- Understand the spine to code back procedures correctly
- Refine the terms: Understand unbilled accounts and DNFB
- Q/A: Correct use of modifier -PT
- Q/A: Coding for wound care with no-cost skin substitute
- Q&A: Use yes/no queries to resolve surgical complication questions
- Proper coding for polyp removal
- Expirations on standing orders
- Developing a Fall-Prevention Program
- Clinically Speaking: Check CDI efforts related to functional quadriplegia
- Searched