Critical care nurse
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Critical care nurse · Oct 2015
Safety First! Using a Checklist for Intrafacility Transport of Adult Intensive Care Patients.
Adult critical care patients in an academic medical center experienced adverse events during intrafacility transport resulting from lack of preparation. An intervention was needed to help keep patients safe during intrafacility transport. ⋯ This tool is suitable for bedside clinicians to use when preparing patients for transport.
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Critical care nurse · Oct 2015
Implementation of a Progressive Mobilization Program in a Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit.
Current literature supports implementation of progressive mobility protocols in intensive care units. Education can help nurses overcome barriers to mobility and increase knowledge about the positive effects of mobility. ⋯ Mobilization education was effective and increased nurses' knowledge about the benefits of mobility for critically ill patients. The educational program also affected how nurses performed mobility interventions. Although provision of education had positive effects on patients' mobility, leadership and coaching are still important components in implementing change.
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What began as a grant-funded demonstration project, as a means of bridging the gap in rural health care, has developed into a critical access hospital system comprising 1328 facilities across 45 states. A critical access hospital is not just a safety net for health care in a rural community. ⋯ Critical access hospitals in more rural areas are often much farther from tertiary care; some of these hospitals are situated within frontier areas of the United States. This article describes the development of critical access hospitals, provision of care and services, challenges to critical care in critical access hospitals, and suggestions to address gaps in research and collaborative care.
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Numerous studies have indicated that therapeutic hypothermia can improve neurological outcomes after cardiac arrest. This treatment has redefined care after resuscitation and offers an aggressive intervention that may mitigate postresuscitation syndrome. ⋯ An interprofessional team within the hospital developed, implemented, and refined a clinical practice guideline for therapeutic hypothermia. In their experience, beyond a protocol, 5 critical elements of success (interprofessional stakeholders, coordination of care delivery, education, interprofessional case analysis, and participation in a global database) enhanced translation into clinical practice.