Yanli Zhou,1,* Linxia Zhou,2,* Xianxiang Chen1 

1Department of Emergency Medicine The Second People’s Hospital of Hunan Province (Brain Hospital of Hunan Province), Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Operating Room, The Second People’s Hospital of Hunan Province (Brain Hospital of Hunan Province), Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Xianxiang Chen, Department of Emergency Medicine The Second People’s Hospital of Hunan Province (Brain Hospital of Hunan Province), No. 427, Furong Middle Road Section 3, Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China, Email XianxiangChen6@163.com

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of both disability and death, frequently necessitating treatment in emergency departments (ED). Integrated nursing interventions are critical in the management of TBI patients, but limited research has been conducted to evaluate their effectiveness in this setting. The aim of this article is to investigate and evaluate the impact of integrated nursing interventions on the management of TBI patients in the ED.
Method: A retrospective study was conducted among 216 patients with TBI who came to the ED between January 2022 and December 2022, of whom 120 were treated with nursing interventions and 96 were not treated with nursing interventions. The integrated interventions included rapid triage, continuous monitoring of neurological status, early rehabilitation involvement, patient and family education, and interdisciplinary care coordination. The medical records were reviewed to assess the utilization of nursing interventions and analyze the impact of these interventions on the short-term and long-term prognosis of TBI patients. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis.
Result: Among the 216 TBI patients, 96 (44.4%) received nursing interventions as part of their ED care. These patients had significantly lower rates of adverse events such as intracranial hemorrhage (3.3% vs 12.5%, P=0.018) and hospital stays (7 ± 2 days vs 10 ± 4 days, P< 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that nursing interventions were significantly associated with a decreased risk of adverse events (OR=0.25, 95% CI=0.10– 0.63, P=0.003).
Conclusion: Integrated nursing interventions are essential in the care of TBI patients in the emergency department. Early detection, swift treatment, continuous monitoring, assessment, and education for both patients and their families can enhance recovery and minimize the likelihood of complications. Implementation of nursing interventions should be encouraged in EDs to improve the quality of TBI care. Further studies are needed to investigate the optimal strategies and cost-effectiveness of nursing interventions in TBI management in the ED.

Keywords: traumatic brain injury, emergency department, nursing interventions, adverse events, prognosis, patient management