Critical care nursing quarterly
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At least 1 in 5 Americans die while using intensive care service-a number that is expected to increase as society ages. Many of these deaths involve withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining therapies. In these situations, the role of intensive care nurses shifts from providing aggressive care to end-of-life care. ⋯ Colaizzi's steps for data analysis were used to identify themes within the context of nursing. Three major themes consisted of (1) barriers to optimal care, (2) internal conflict, and (3) coping. Providing terminal care creates significant personal and professional struggles among ICU nurses.
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Emergency department registered nurses treat victims of violent acts because the emergency department is usually the initial area of treatment. The nursing care of gunshot wound victims includes not only physical and immediate needs but also forensic and anticipated needs. The purpose of this article is to describe 3 types of gunshot wound forensic evidence and the nurses' roles when treating victims of gunshot wounds.
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A professional nurse engages in lifelong learning that will influence practice and ultimately impact the quality of care that a patient receives. The technical skills and critical thinking acumen demonstrated by the critical care nurse at the bedside are not enough to sustain an evidence-based practice environment. Nurses need to cultivate and internalize a passion for learning throughout their careers. ⋯ Research findings to illustrate the significance of professional development will be presented. The integration of passion for learning that provides a foundation for excellence in practice will be addressed. Finally, a variety of strategies that can be used to participate in and develop interactive CE programs to meet the needs of savvy professional nurse consumers will be explored.
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Clinical Trial
Facilitated sensemaking: a feasibility study for the provision of a family support program in the intensive care unit.
Family members of intensive care unit patients may develop anxiety, depression, and/or posttraumatic stress syndrome. Approaches to prevention are not well defined. Before testing preventive measures, it is important to evaluate which interventions the family will accept, use, and value. ⋯ Operational issues to improve services were identified. As proposed in the Facilitated Sensemaking model, family members welcomed interventions targeted to help make sense of the new situation and make sense of their new role as caregiver. Planned supportive interventions were perceived as helpful.
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Emergency department (ED) nurses care for victims of trauma almost daily. Although preservation of evidence is crucial, the ED is chaotic when a trauma patient arrives and staff members must do everything possible to save the patient's life. However, an integral responsibility of the staff nurse is collection and preservation of forensic evidence. ⋯ Training was designed to specifically address the roles of three major groups of staff: patient representatives and emergency and trauma nurses. Educational topics included evidence recognition, handling of clothing, gross/trace evidence, documentation, packaging of evidence, and use of the "chain-of-evidence" form. Practice modifications included development of a new "chain-of-evidence" form, a forensic cart in the operating room, and use of a collapsible plastic box for collection of clothing in the ED.