Intensive & critical care nursing : the official journal of the British Association of Critical Care Nurses
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Oct 2011
ReviewDoes witnessing resuscitation help parents come to terms with the death of their child? A review of the literature.
The aim of this review is to determine if witnessed resuscitation helps parents come to terms with the death of their child. Witnessed resuscitation is a controversial subject. There is disagreement in the literature and the opinions of healthcare professionals, as to whether parents should be present during the resuscitation of their children. ⋯ All but one parent believed witnessing resuscitation should be the choice of the parent and all but one parent who was present would do so again indicating that witnessed resuscitation is beneficial to parents. Effective parental support is needed whatever their choice and policies need to be in place to support witnessed resuscitation. More research is required to establish the long term outcomes of witnessed resuscitation as no randomised controlled trials have yet been completed.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Oct 2011
Comparative StudyThe characterisation of workloads and nursing staff allocation in intensive care units: a descriptive study using the Nursing Activities Score for the first time in Norway.
This study compares the Nine Equivalents of Nursing Manpower Use Score (NEMS) to the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) in terms of characterising the nursing workload by examining and calculating the per-nurse NAS% over a 24-h period. ⋯ The study suggests that the actual numbers of nurses might explain the calculated NAS of 75-90% per nurse.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Oct 2011
The factors which influence nurses when weaning patients from mechanical ventilation: findings from a qualitative study.
The aim of the study was to describe the factors that influence critical care nurses when deciding to wean patients from mechanical ventilation. The study adopted a qualitative methodology, using semi-structured interviews and a vignette. An invited sample of critical care nurses (n=24) from one Irish intensive care unit was employed. ⋯ The findings were analysed using thematic content analysis. Six major themes influencing nurses' decision to wean emerged, as follows: physiological influences; clinical reassessment and decision making; the nurse's experience, confidence and education; the patient's medical history and current ventilation; the intensive care working environment; and use of protocols. The findings highlight the complex nature of weaning patients from mechanical ventilation and the major role of the nurse in this process.