Field observations: Disaster Medical Assistance Team response for Hurricane Charley, Punta Gorda, Florida, August 2004.

The South Florida Disaster Medical Assistance Team was deployed to work with victims of Hurricane Charley in Charlotte County, Fla. Charlotte County was unique because of the higher than average number of elderly residents and the fact that all 4 local hospitals had been damaged. The Disaster Medical Assistance Team was required to modify their response, and the lessons learned from this experience are presented.

The synergy model and the role of clinical nurse specialists in a multihospital system.

The role of clinical nurse specialists was formalized in the 1950s; the goal was to prepare inpatient, bedside nurses who would serve acutely ill patients via consultation and direct care. Clinical nurse specialists were to be expert clinicians, consultants, educators, and researchers. In the early stages of practice development, the focus was the specific needs of the assigned unit or floor.

Evidence-based practice and heat loss prevention in trauma patients.

This article describes a quality management process used to develop an evidence-based protocol for heat loss prevention in trauma patients. The quality management tool applied was the ADDIE process (Assess the problem, Determine the root cause, Design a solution, Implement the solution, and Evaluate the outcome). Use of this process required multiple applications and resulted in the identification of a multifactorial root cause.