Dimensions of critical care nursing : DCCN
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Jul 2009
Innovative solutions: optimal patient outcomes as a result of multidisciplinary rounds.
Multidisciplinary rounds have been shown to improve patient outcomes. The use of a standardized tool in one institution led to a pharmacy cost savings of more than 50,000 dollars and a decrease of 1.5 days for patients receiving mechanical ventilation.
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Out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest survival rate is significantly higher when the patient receives cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before the arrival of emergency providers although published data suggest a significantly lower prevalence of CPR training among cardiac patients' family members and bystanders in the United States. This article presents information including attitudes of patients, family members, and the general population toward CPR; the barriers for CPR training among the public; and the most effective method of CPR training for bystanders, so that CPR training for family members can be promoted to improve out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest survival rate.
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Jul 2009
Intensive care unit nurse characteristics impacting judgments about secondary brain injury.
Although intensive care unit nurses have an integral role in preventing secondary brain injury when caring for critically ill traumatic brain injury patients, nursing practice varies and little research has examined if individual nurse characteristics affect judgments about secondary brain injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate how intensive care unit nurse characteristics influence judgments when managing secondary brain injury. ⋯ Nursing shift and number of years in the intensive care unit were significant predictors of judgments. Understanding the role of nurse characteristics is important in future educational and research efforts aimed at evidence-based management of secondary brain injury.