American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Improved recognition of patient-ventilator asynchrony may reduce duration of mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Clinicians' test scores increased significantly after patient-ventilator synchrony lectures. Mean duration of mechanical ventilation decreased by 0.6 days and health evaluation scores were marginally higher after the lectures.
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Clinical nurses attend family conferences in the intensive care unit, but their role during these meetings is not yet fully understood. ⋯ The clinical nurse is often absent or silent during family conferences in the intensive care unit, despite the important roles they want to play in these settings. Strategies to improve both the physical and verbal participation of clinical nurses during the family conference are suggested, especially in the context of previous research demonstrating the need for more attention in family conferences to social-emotional support and patient advocacy.
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Observational Study
Prognostic Importance of Sleep Quality in Patients With Heart Failure.
Poor sleep quality is common and is associated with poor quality of life and health status in patients with heart failure. However, few investigators have focused on the impact of impaired sleep quality on survival in heart failure. ⋯ Impaired sleep quality was prevalent in patients with heart failure and was associated with poor cardiac event-free survival. Clinicians should assess and manage sleep quality in patients with heart failure to improve outcomes.
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Despite emphasis on identifying personal and clinical characteristics that place patients at higher risk for posttraumatic stress syndrome after intensive care, the extent of screening for the syndrome in intensive care patients is unknown. ⋯ The majority of intensive care patients most likely are not being screened for posttraumatic stress syndrome despite a higher risk for the syndrome in these patients than in the general population.