Advanced practice in emergency care : the paediatric flow nurse

Children admitted to emergency departments (EDs) in Australia are often placed in an environment better suited to the treatment of adult patients. This can lead to problems because ED staff are unfamiliar with specialist paediatric care and children often find adult EDs frightening. The development of the paediatric flow nurse (PFN) role at Caboolture Hospital has meant children are treated and supported by a trained paediatric nurse and triaged and treated quickly and effectively. The PFN team collaborates with ED nursing and medical staff to start treating patients and to help move children from the ED to the paediatric emergency short stay unit or inpatient paediatric beds. Each week, the PFN team sees about 30-50 children, many of whom are cared for and discharged directly from the ED.