Intensive & critical care nursing : the official journal of the British Association of Critical Care Nurses
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Apr 1999
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialImmediate effects of a five-minute foot massage on patients in critical care.
Critical care can be considered to be a stressful environment at both physiological and psychological levels for patients. In this article, a research study in which a five-minute foot massage was offered to 25 patients (68 sessions in total) as a stress-reduction intervention is described. A quasi-experimental repeated measures design was used to collect data before, during and after the intervention. ⋯ Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated there was no significant effect from the intervention on peripheral oxygen saturation. However, a significant decrease in heart rate, blood pressure and respirations was observed during the foot massage intervention. Results indicated foot massage had the potential effect of increasing relaxation as evidenced by physiological changes during the brief intervention administered to critically ill patients in intensive care.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Apr 1999
Taiwanese nurses' appraisal of a lecture on spiritual care for patients in critical care units.
The purpose of this study is to develop a lecture on spiritual care for adult critical care trainees, and to evaluate the trainees' appraisal of the effectiveness of this lecture in preparing them to provide spiritual care for their clients in a critical care setting. A between-method triangulation research design encompassing a questionnaire and descriptive qualitative content analysis was used. A convenience sample consisting of 64 registered nurses who attended an adult critical care nurse training programme in a leading medical centre in northern Taiwan were invited to participate in this study. ⋯ Three types of help were identified by the subjects: (1) help in clarifying the abstract concepts related to spiritual care (86%); (2) help in self-disclosing the nurses' personal beliefs and values regarding life goals, nursing, and spiritual needs (67%); (3) help in learning how to provide spiritual care to patients in a critical care setting (34%). Twenty per cent of the subjects thought that inclusion of the following content in the lecture would have been helpful to provide a more comprehensive picture of spiritual care: religious practices and rituals (11%); the culturally bonded nursing care plan (9%); the development of human spirituality (3%); patients' families' spiritual needs in the ICU (3%); and resources for nurses in providing spiritual care (2%). Thirteen per cent of the subjects suggested that the instructor might employ the following strategies to improve the quality of teaching: providing more empirical examples (5%); discussion with the students in classes of smaller size following the lecture or extending the instruction time (5%); and providing a syllabus with detailed information (3%).
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Apr 1999
Case ReportsIatrogenic drug dependence--a problem in intensive care? Case study and literature review.
Use of sedative and analgesic pharmacological agents is a widespread practice in intensive care units (ICUs). Mainly, this involves opioid and benzodiazepine analogues, both known to induce dependence/tolerance states. This paper is based on a clinical scenario in which a patient treated with these agents developed problems when they had been discontinued, and exploration of the extent of such problems generally. ⋯ Although there may be a recognition that these drugs can typically cause dependence problems, little emphasis has traditionally been given to assessing these problems in ICUs. Yet the ICU may be an area where these drugs are used in high volumes. The recognition, physiology, management and prevention of iatrogenic drug dependence/tolerance in critical care environments is elucidated, with reference to relevant literature.