Critical care nurse
-
Critical care nurse · Dec 2016
Measuring Family Satisfaction With Care Delivered in the Intensive Care Unit.
In our competitive health care environment, measuring the experience of family members of patients in the intensive care unit to ensure that health care providers are meeting families' needs is critical. Surveys from Press Ganey and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are unable to capture families' satisfaction with care in this setting. ⋯ Although patients' family members reported being satisfied with their experience in the intensive care unit, there is room for improvement. Effective communication among the health care team, patients' families, and patients will be targeted for quality improvement initiatives.
-
Critical care nurse · Dec 2016
Norwood Procedure for Palliation of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: Right Ventricle to Pulmonary Artery Conduit vs Modified Blalock-Taussig Shunt.
Patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome undergo a series of operations to separate the pulmonary and systemic circulations. The first of at least 3 operations occurs in the newborn period, with a stage I palliation. ⋯ Advances in surgical techniques and intraoperative and postoperative care have helped decrease morbidity and mortality for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome who have the stage I Norwood operation, but the patients continue to be at increased risk for hemodynamic collapse and adverse outcomes. This article discusses risk factors, surgical approach, postoperative nursing and medical management strategies, differences between and outcomes for the Norwood operation with the right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit and the Norwood operation with a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt.
-
As demand for nurse practitioners in all types of intensive care units continues to increase, ensuring successful integration of these nurses into adult and pediatric general and specialty intensive care units poses several challenges. Adding nurse practitioners requires strategic planning to define critical aspects of the care delivery model before the practitioners are hired, develop a comprehensive program for integrating and training these nurses, and create a plan for implementing the program. Key strategies to ensure successful integration include defining and implementing the role of nurse practitioners, providing options for orientation, and supporting and training novice nurse practitioners. Understanding the importance of appropriate role utilization, the depth of knowledge and skill expected of nurse practitioners working in intensive care units, the need for a comprehensive training program, and a commitment to continued professional development beyond orientation are necessary to fully realize the contributions of these nurses in critical care.
-
Critical care nurse · Dec 2016
The Need for an Effective Process to Resolve Conflicts Over Medical Futility: A Case Study and Analysis.
The issue of medical futility requires a well-defined process in which both sides of the dispute can be heard and a resolution reached in a fair and ethical manner. Procedural approaches to medical futility cases provide all parties involved with a process-driven framework for resolving these disputes. Medical paternalism or the belief in the absolute rightness of the medical model will not serve to resolve these disputes. ⋯ The hope is that through a review process that meets legal criteria, the issue can be resolved without the need for court proceedings. If resolution cannot be obtained through this process, surrogates still have the right to seek court intervention. This issue is of relevance and importance in critical care nursing because of the role and position of critical care nurses, who have direct contact with patients and patients' families, the potential for moral distress in cases of possibly futile treatment, and the expanding roles of nurses, including critical care nurses and advanced practice nurses, in management and policy development.