Dimensions of critical care nursing : DCCN
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Mar 2012
ReviewPrevention of posttraumatic stress disorder in intensive care unit patients.
The need for critical care and the experience of being treated in the intensive care unit may be a traumatic event with long-lasting psychological consequences for the patient and family. Research has identified patients who are at risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder after an intensive care unit stay. This article reviews pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies, including the use of diaries or journals, that have been shown to prevent posttraumatic stress disorder in intensive care unit patients and their families.
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Mar 2012
Translating guidelines into practice: ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention strategies in an acute rehabilitation unit.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia has significant mortality (33%-50%). The highest risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia is early in mechanical ventilation with an increase in morbidity and mortality seen with late-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia. Prevention strategies have been recommended for acute care facilities, but there is lack of evidence-based data and recommendations for acute rehabilitation units. ⋯ Education of rehabilitation staff and implementation of the protocol were done. Results showed that the ventilator-associated pneumonia rate decreased from 7.5 to 0 per 1000 patient ventilator days. Translating evidence-based guidelines into practice can be accomplished using a multidisciplinary team.