Intensive & critical care nursing : the official journal of the British Association of Critical Care Nurses
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Feb 2015
Review Comparative StudyAdministration of enteral nutrition to adult patients in the prone position.
To examine the safety and efficacy of administering enteral nutrition (EN) to patients in the prone position. ⋯ There is limited evidence proving the safety and tolerability of EN administered to patients in the prone position; however, it does not substantially increase the rate of complications when compared to EN administered in the supine positioning.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Feb 2015
ReviewMonitoring and optimising outcomes of survivors of critical illness.
Recovery after critical illness can be protracted and challenging. Compromise of physical, psychological, cognitive and social function is experienced by some patients and may persist for a number of years. Measurement of recovery outcomes at regular time points throughout the critical illness and recovery pathway is necessary to identify problems and guide selection of interventions to prevent, minimise or overcome that compromise. ⋯ There must be agreement of appropriate measures and measurement timeframes alongside relevant education and training to ensure optimal assessment and use of the information gained. Assessment outcomes need to be communicated to interdisciplinary team members across the critical illness and recovery trajectory. Adequate resourcing for both the assessment activities and subsequent care is essential to improve patient outcomes after critical illness.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Feb 2015
Families' experiences of their interactions with staff in an Australian intensive care unit (ICU): a qualitative study.
Nursing is characterised as a profession that provides holistic, person-centred care. Due to the condition of the critically ill, a family-centred care model is more applicable in this context. Furthermore, families are at risk of emotional and psychological distress, as a result of the admission of their relative to intensive care. The families' experiences of their interactions in intensive care have the potential to enhance or minimise this risk. This paper presents a subset of findings from a broader study exploring families of critically ill patients' experiences of their interactions with staff, their environment, the patient and other families, when their relative is admitted to an Australian intensive care unit. By developing an understanding of their experience, nurses are able to implement interventions to minimise the families' distress, while providing more holistic, person- and family-centred care. ⋯ Facilitating communication and interacting in supportive ways should help alleviate the anxiety and distress experienced by families of the critically ill in the intensive care unit.