Effectiveness of emergency nurses' use of the Ottawa Ankle Rules to initiate radiographic tests on improving healthcare outcomes for patients with ankle injuries: A systematic review

摘要

Background: The Ottawa Ankle Rules provide guidelines for clinicians on the recommendation of radiographic tests to verify fractures in patients with ankle injuries. The use of the Ottawa Ankle Rules by emergency nurses has been suggested to minimise unnecessary radiographic-test requests and reduce patients' length of stay in emergency departments. However, the findings of studies in this area are inconsistent.