Hackensack University Medical Center Adult Emergency Department

Hackensack, New Jersey

After an incident in the ED, staff took proactive steps to enhance safety measures, collaborating with security staff to implement intake processes using metal detector wands and increased security presence at entry points. Additionally, Hackensack University Medical Center incorporated validated screening tools into its electronic medical records and invested in technology to detect weapons across campus. A pilot program to provide staff with wearable panic alarms is underway. The organization and leadership teams have focused on creating a safer environment so that staff can concentrate on delivering optimum patient care in the 65-bed ED that had more than 100,000 visits last year.

Furthermore, nurses have developed a comprehensive disaster preparedness plan, which includes monthly training and interdisciplinary drills. Staff receive real-time feedback while using decontamination equipment in a tent. Some of ED nurses are Stop the Bleed instructors who provide training for colleagues and community members, with kits stored throughout the department. The staff’s success has been recognized at the network level, leading to the replication of its programs at other sites across the state, which HUMC ED nurses manage. Two of the ED nurses have been invited to present part of their curriculum at Emergency Nursing 2024.