Nursing management
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Stat nursing was designed to alleviate short-term workload fluctuations occurring in intensive care units (ICUs). The stat nurses (SNs) "rove" throughout the hospital, using a priority schedule to intervene in short-term staffing crises that include, but are not limited to, code blues, ICU postoperative recoveries, ICU patient transports for radiological procedures, ICU patient admissions, ICU bedside procedures, technical consultation, trouble-shooting equipment and i.v. therapy.
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A recent study of 9,000 dying patients found that improving communications between physicians, patients and families did not improve the quality of the care the patients received. Though provided with up-to-date information about patient prognoses and levels of pain, physicians made no change in their treatment patterns. This article reviews commentators from medicine, philosophy and the media and suggests actions that might improve care of the dying.