Application of the Ottawa Ankle Rules to Evaluate Ankle and Foot Injuries by Army Nurse Practitioners

摘要

Ankle injuries are the most common orthopedic injury, which includes during deployment situations. Ankle films account for 10% of all x-rays ordered in emergency departments. Ninety-five percent of all ankle injuries are x-rayed, and less than 15% of those are found positive for a fracture. The U.S. and Canada spend approximately 500 million dollars per year on ankle x-rays alone. The Ottawa Ankle Rules (OAR) have been validated and have been found by eight different research studies to be between 93% and 100% sensitive. Army Nurse Practitioners (ANP) are expected to be prepared for deployment, to practice judicious use of resources, and provide quality patient care. During deployment, the ANP should expect to care for male and female soldiers. Therefore, this study is relevant to Adult, Family, and Women s Health Nurse Practitioners. The study was conducted via a survey, which was designed by the researcher using the Ottawa Ankle Rules as a guideline. The exploration of the utilization of the Ottawa Ankle Rules by Army Nurse Practitioners was accomplished in this study through a quantitative, descriptive research methodology. The population included all active duty Army Adult, Family, and Women s Health Nurse Practitioners. Experts reviewed the tool. The total population of 105 was included in the mailing of the survey, and 90 surveys were returned. Data was analyzed using the comparative method, and reported in order to describe the population, and the tendencies of that population to use the Ottawa Ankle Rules.