Pulling It All Together: Case Studies on ECG Monitoring

Advanced practice nurses and expert staff nurses are in a position to improve the way patients’ electrocardiograms (ECGs) are monitored in hospital units. Recently published practice standards recommend the best practices for arrhythmia, ischemia, and QT-interval ECG monitoring. Two case studies are presented here to illustrate how expert nurses can teach staff to incorporate the practice standards into their clinical practice. As nurses become more expert in ECG monitoring, it is expected that they will detect ECG abnormalities earlier, and patients will have more timely treatment and better outcomes.