Heart & lung : the journal of critical care
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To determine the retention of Advanced Cardiac Life Support training of internal medicine residents as a function of the time since successfully completing ACLS training. ⋯ The error rate found was lower than in previous studies evaluating retention of ACLS education. It is important to have regular updates in ACLS to ensure proper protocol use.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The effects of music interventions on anxiety in the patient after coronary artery bypass grafting.
To examine the influence during the early postoperative period of selected nursing interventions on mood and anxiety of patients undergoing heart surgery. ⋯ Although none of the three interventions was overwhelmingly superior, the overall response by all intervention groups demonstrated a generalized relaxation response. It is also important to note that there was reduced anxiety and improved mood within all three groups.
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To identify and describe a range of functional health outcomes in a sample of sudden cardiac death survivors. ⋯ Despite significant decreases in physical functioning and reports of mild to moderately severe cognitive impairments, only a minority of sudden cardiac death survivors are severely psychologically distressed. Illness severity is a strong predictor of physical functioning, but its contribution to psychologic distress is indirect, acting largely through the aegis of poor physical functioning and loss of prearrest work status.
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Clinical judgment in critical care is supported by a rich social network of care providers. The purpose of this study was to describe the social context in which the process of critical care clinical judgment occurs from the nurse's perspective. ⋯ Nurses and physicians were organized in hierarchies of nurse manager, resource nurse, charge nurse, and staff nurse or attending surgeon, fellow, chief resident, and resident. These parallel hierarchies allowed for checks on judgment both within and across professional lines. Rituals, such as nursing report, physician rounds, and flow sheet use, provided a context for a critique on judgment processes. Communication of judgment was frequently a casual, open conversation. At other times, differences in perspective could result in conflict. Communication between nurses and physicians has been associated with better patient outcomes. Critical care unit directors and managers can use an analysis of communication patterns to develop supports to clinical judgment.