AACN advanced critical care
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Burnout is a concern for critical care nurses in high-intensity environments. Studies have highlighted the importance of a healthy work environment in promoting optimal nurse and patient outcomes, but research examining the relationship between a healthy work environment and burnout is limited. ⋯ Findings on associations between healthy work environment standards and burnout suggest the potential importance of implementing the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses' Healthy Work Environment standards as a mechanism for decreasing burnout.
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During creation of the 2017 Society of Critical Care Medicine Guidelines for Family-Centered Care in the Intensive Care Unit, 2 implementation tools were developed to assist intensive care unit clinicians in incorporating the new recommendations into local practice: a gap analysis tool and a work tools document. The gap analysis tool helps intensive care unit teams rapidly develop unit- or organization-specific recommendations to enhance family-centered care and assess local barriers to implementation. The work tools document identifies readily available and tested resources that may further assist with action planning for change. The goal of these implementation tools is to promote rapid translation of the SCCM Guideline recommendations into practice, thereby streamlining the process of enacting meaningful evidence-based practice change.
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In the United States, providing health care to critically ill patients is a challenge. An increase in patients older than 65 years, a decrease in critical care physicians, and a decrease in work hours for residents cause intensivist staffing issues. ⋯ However, successfully integrating nurse practitioners into an intensive care unit team is not adequately discussed in the literature. This gap is addressed and 3 mechanisms to integrate nurse practitioners into the intensive care unit are identified: (1) use of a multidisciplinary staffing model, (2) completion of onboarding programs, and (3) evaluation of nurse practitioner productivity.
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Family-centered care is an important component of holistic nursing practice, particularly in critical care, where the impact on families of admitted patients can be physiologically and psychologically burdensome. Family-centered care guidelines, developed by an international group of nursing, medical, and academic experts for the American College of Critical Care Medicine/Society of Critical Care Medicine, explore the evidence base in 5 key areas of family-centered care. Evidence in each of the guideline areas is outlined and recommendations are made about how critical care nurses can use this information in family-centered care practice.