American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is commonly used clinically and scientifically among surrogate decision makers for critically ill patients. The validity of the HADS has been scrutinized, but its use among surrogate decision makers has not been examined. ⋯ Confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence supporting a bifactor structure of the HADS. In this sample, the instrument validly measures psychological distress rather than distinct symptoms of anxiety and depression. Replication of these results is encouraged, and use of alternative measures is recommended when measuring distinct symptoms of anxiety and depression among surrogate decision makers for critically ill patients.
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Critical care nurses experience higher rates of mental distress and poor health than other nurses, adversely affecting health care quality and safety. It is not known, however, how critical care nurses' overall health affects the occurrence of medical errors. ⋯ Hospital leaders and health care systems need to prioritize the health of their nurses by resolving system issues, building wellness cultures, and providing evidence-based wellness support and programming, which will ultimately increase the quality of patient care and reduce the incidence of preventable medical errors.
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Observational Study
Frequency of Clinical Alarms in Intensive Care Units and Nurses' Sensitivity to Them: An Observational Study.
All clinical alarms require nurses to respond even if an intervention is not needed. Nurses are expected to respond appropriately to each alarm and establish priorities among their care practices accordingly. This study was conducted to examine the number and types of clinical device alarms used in intensive care units, the duration of their activation, and nurses' degree of sensitivity to them. ⋯ Nurses' responses to alarms differ depending on alarm type; for alarms that do not require an emergency intervention, nurses tend to respond late or not at all.