Dimensions of critical care nursing : DCCN
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Sep 2007
Intensive care patients' evaluations of the informed consent process.
This study examines the informed consent process from the perspective of intensive care patients. Using the largest single-method database of patient-derived information in the United States, we systematically outlined and tested several key factors that influence patient evaluations of the intensive care unit (ICU) informed consent process. ⋯ Specific actions supportive of ICU informed consent, such as giving patients information on advance directives, patient's rights, and organ donation, resulted in significantly higher patient evaluation scores with large effect sizes. This research suggests that the effectiveness of the informed consent process in the ICU from the patient's perspective can be measured and evaluated and that ICU patients place a high value on the elements of the informed consent process.
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Sep 2007
Distressing situations in the intensive care unit: a descriptive study of nurses' responses.
Moral distress is a significant stressor for nurses in critical care. Feeling that they are doing the "right thing" is important to nurses, and situations of moral distress can make them question their work. ⋯ The questionnaires were then analyzed to assess the nurses' opinions regarding moral distress, how their self-perceived job performance is affected, and what coping methods they use to deal with moral distress. The most frequently encountered moral distress situations involved critically ill patients whose families wished to continue aggressive treatment when it probably would not benefit the patient in the end.
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Although the complications of immobility are well-described in the literature, critically ill patients are often subjected to prolonged periods of bed rest. Nurses, by virtue of their expertise in preventing iatrogenic complications, are in an ideal position to prevent the adverse outcomes associated with immobility. This article describes how nurses can use a mobility protocol to increase the activity of critically ill patients in a timely manner that may prevent the infirmity and suffering that is caused by unnecessarily long periods of bed rest.
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Sep 2007
CommentShould we allow children to visit ill parents in intensive care units? Your responses.
Should children be allowed to visit ill parents in the intensive care unit? This question was posed in the November/December 2006 issue of Dimensions of Critical Care Nurses. The responses of readers are presented in this article.
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Patient transfers from one area to another occur frequently within the inpatient healthcare environment. During transfers, nurses pass on information about patients to one another in a variety of ways. ⋯ The perspectives of both the nursing staff and patients/families illustrate concerns related to patient transfers. The most important aspect of the patient transfer is systematically communicating necessary information to the receiving nurse in such a way that patient safety is not compromised and continuity of care is enhanced.