ENA Issues Statement Asking for ACEP to Pause ED Accreditation Program

ENA has issued a statement regarding an ED accreditation program developed by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

ENA specifically said in the statement that “the framework announced by ACEP for its accreditation program falls short of being comprehensive and collaborative to achieve our common goals.” Despite ostensibly aiming to elevate “the practice of emergency medicine and the role of emergency physicians,” ENA President Chris Dellinger points out that it “makes no references to the vital ways emergency nurses, nurse practitioners and advanced practice nurses contribute to the successful operation of an emergency department.”

ENA also lays out other concerns, including their opinion that it is short-sighted for an “ED accreditation program to be solely led by, or subjectively based on standards of, emergency physicians.” It also writes that the program “does not allow nurse practitioners to work to their full scope of practice.” Additionally, ENA sees “unanswered questions about the program’s impact on emergency nurses, ED operational standards, quality measures or actual benefits of this accreditation in terms of patient care or emergency department improvements.” The agency also sees the potential for “confusion for EMS and the public due to similarities with trauma center designations.”

ENA concludes by asking ACEP to “pause its roll out of this initiative until such time as an interdisciplinary group within the emergency care team is consulted on the framework and goals of this accreditation program.”