Effective Emergency Splinting

Abstract

WHEN an emergency occurs in a limited or local area, the extent to which the nurse lends a hand or shoulders an independent responsibility is highly variable, but in all plans for medical care in a major disaster the scope and responsibility of nursing must be greatly expanded. Moreover, we do not have to limit our attention to major disasters to justify the study of emergency procedures. One overturned carload of teenagers or even a single accident victim with multiple severe injuries can swamp the emergency room. Whatever preparations you make for your role in a major disaster will pay off directly when you are called upon to help out in an emergency situation. Whenever casualties occur in such numbers that the demand for treatment exceeds that which can be supplied by the available physicians, then effective medical treatment obviously depends on extending the supply of medical care by any feasible means. The dilemma can be best resolved by having the physician direct his efforts toward the care of the serious and complicated cases who require his judgment and skill in order to survive. This means he has the primary concern for abdominal, chest, and head wounds. The nurse's primary responsibility will be to care for those wounds which are more readily accessible and which are generally more amenable to simpler surgical measures-that is, wounds of the extremities.