The Nursing clinics of North America
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Nurs. Clin. North Am. · Mar 1995
Comparative StudyWhere does it hurt? An interdisciplinary approach to improving the quality of pain assessment and management in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Identifying a premature infant's response to noxious stimuli and knowing when it is appropriate to intervene are major issues for the caregiver. After completing a pilot study, the staff of a 42-bed neonatal intensive care unit targeted improved pain assessment and management for further analysis. Using a series of Plan, Do, Check, and Act cycles they designed a stepwise set of interventions that resulted in the improved assessment and management of the neonate in pain.
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Nurs. Clin. North Am. · Mar 1995
Improving the admission process from the emergency department to the critical care areas.
The CCU and CSU successfully established an interdisciplinary QI team. Through the implementation of the QI process the group focused on an indicator that influenced patient satisfaction. ⋯ The QI process and methodology were effectively implemented to address a complex problem. The results will serve as a foundation for the new process improvement committee focusing on the unstable angina population.
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The resurgence of tuberculosis (TB), especially the new multi-drug-resistant strain of TB, is a potential health hazard for caregivers in hospital settings. This article discusses the comprehensive multidisciplinary evaluation of one medical center's policies and procedures related to the control of infectious airborne pathogens.
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Nurs. Clin. North Am. · Mar 1995
Contracted visiting hours in the coronary care unit. A patient-centered quality improvement project.
As critical care technology advances, the need to provide patient-centered care becomes increasingly critical. Grandstrom states that patients and families want "more." They have greater expectations and demand greater knowledge and involvement, vis-à-vis the hospital experience. Rather than indicating a desire to observe procedures or equipment, these expectations reveal a more personal and human need--the desire of patients and families to maintain contact and interact with one another. ⋯ It is believed that implementation of flexible visiting hours has increased the staff's awareness of the patient and family as consumers. In today's competitive health care environment, Artinian proposes that "strengthening relationships with families may make the critical difference related to patients' and families' choices about whether a health-care setting meets their needs." By implementing flexible visiting hours these relationships are enhanced and consumer satisfaction is influenced. Also, the institutional goal of patient-centered care, and ultimately quality patient care, is promoted.