Intensive & critical care nursing : the official journal of the British Association of Critical Care Nurses
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Apr 2013
Implementation of a validated delirium assessment tool in critically ill adults.
To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the validated Confusion Assessment Method-ICU (CAM-ICU) delirium screening tool in a critical care unit. ⋯ This service evaluation has shown that implementation of a delirium screening tool into daily nursing practice is achievable within a relatively short time period. A simple, educational intervention incorporating written and video information improved the capacity of critical care nurses to perform delirium assessments in a standardised way and reduced the discordance between the perceived importance of delirium and the practice of its evaluation. Such data is especially important since delirium assessments had not traditionally been part of daily nursing care.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Apr 2013
Patients' interactions in an intensive care unit and their memories of intensive care: a mixed method study.
The aim of this study was to describe the interaction between intensive care patients and the intensive care unit (ICU) environment from the perspective of the hospital bed and patients' memories of the ICU. ⋯ The patient's day in ICU is occupied with episodes of brief contact with nursing staff in an environment that the patient experiences as confusing or incomprehensible. The day and night rhythm is disturbed while the patient's opportunities for rest or concentration are limited. Most interactions affect the patient and it is important for staff to be aware of the impact of potentially unsettling events.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Apr 2013
Nursing workload in neurological intensive care units: cross-sectional study.
Nursing workload has been associated with quality of patient care. Thus, it is important to measure nursing workload in neurological intensive care units (neuro-ICUs). ⋯ The present results are important for the effective planning and use of nursing resources according to the care needs of patients in neuro-ICUs.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Feb 2013
Impact of a preventive programme on the occurrence of incidents during the transport of critically ill patients.
Incidents related to transport of critically ill patients have been extensively reported. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of an interdisciplinary preventive programme used by all intensive care unit team members involved in patients' transport on the rate of these incidents. ⋯ A preventive programme applied by all care providers involved in transport of critically ill patients was associated with a reduction of incidents. The application of such a programme should be acknowledged as a standard of care considering the risks inherent to the transportation of ICU patients.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Feb 2013
Case ReportsPulmonary embolism in the emergency department: a Singaporean nursing case review.
The presentation of pulmonary embolism to the emergency department (ED) can prove challenging because of the myriad of potential disease processes that mimic its signs and symptoms. The incidence of pulmonary embolism and indeed the mortality associated with it is relatively high. Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial in off-setting the potential deleterious effects associated with this condition. The aim of this article is to present a nursing case review of a patient presenting to the ED with a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. ⋯ We found the use of case review very enlightening in understanding the disease process and the decision-making that accompanies this. Whilst our patient was successfully rehabilitated home, we learnt a lot from the experience which has been most beneficial in supporting our understanding of pulmonary embolism.