Nursing in critical care
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The changing use of sedative agents, is reviewed. Tools to guide sedation assessment are identified, although only one appears to assess level, quality and depth of sedation. Several issues concerning reliability and validity of sedation assessment tools are discussed. Recommendations for practice are made, which highlight the criteria that sedation assessment tools need to address and the research directions needed for future tool development.
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Nursing in critical care · Jul 1996
A phenomenological study of ethical decision-making experiences among senior intensive care nurses and doctors concerning withdrawal of treatment.
The study compared and contrasted the experiences of senior doctors and nurses ethical decision making concerning the withdrawal of treatment. Doctors generally took the primary role in ethical decision making, leaving nurses acting as information brokers. ⋯ Doctors and nurses needed to come to terms with withdrawal of treatment. A model of communication which will enhance collaborative, multidisciplinary ethical decision making is suggested.
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Nursing in critical care · Jul 1996
Do nurses perceive that there is a need for defusing and debriefing following the resuscitation of a patient in the accident and emergency department?
Defusing and debriefing are techniques that have been used to prevent staff developing psychological problems such as post traumatic stress disorder (Mitchell, 1988). It has been identified that nurses may be susceptible to a form of post-traumatic stress disorder known as prolonged duration stress disorder (Scott and Stradling, 1994). This study employs a non-experimental survey to identify the current practice of defusing and debriefing in an accident and emergency department and explores nurses' perceptions of the need for defusing and debriefing following the resuscitation of a patient. A theoretical framework of cognitive therapy is utilised to structure the study.