Dimensions of critical care nursing : DCCN
-
Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Jan 2009
Staff nurses' experiences of a change in the care delivery model: a qualitative analysis.
This qualitative study describes the staff nurses' perspective of change in the care delivery model and skill mix in an intermediate care unit. Data were collected in interviews in focus groups with the registered nurses affected by the change. ⋯ This study confirmed that autonomy, control, connection with the patient, and peer and interdisciplinary support and respect are important for the staff nurse. These findings reinforced the value of involving the staff members in change and the importance of giving voice to their perspective through qualitative research.
-
Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Jan 2009
Review Case ReportsEmpowering family members in end-of-life care decision making in the intensive care unit.
Critical care nurses are often faced with working with families during the end-of-life care of a loved one. Often there is indecisiveness in family members of critically ill patients when faced with making these difficult decisions. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe origins of indecisiveness in family members of critically ill patients who are faced with end-of-life care decisions. Strategies to empower family members during this crucial time are also discussed.
-
No death is easy, but we hope to die peacefully, with our loved ones surrounding us, comforted by each other's presence and the knowledge that the right decision has been made. The nurse's actions in the intensive care unit setting can promote hope for a comfortable place to say goodbye for the patient and his/her loved ones and the nursing staff and physicians. When nurses make the intensive care unit a comfortable place for the dying patients and their loved ones, we also make the patients' deaths comfortable for us. The problems encountered in implementing end-of-life care are explored in this article, as well as strategies to instill hope in families.
-
The Emergency Severity Index triage system is a relatively new 5-level mode of operations created in the late 1990s. This system provides an operational model to meet the needs of all patients. This triage process segregates patients into 5 different treatment levels based on a variety of characteristics. This article discusses the Emergency Severity Index, how it works, its advantages and disadvantages, and implications for emergency department nurses.