Nursing in critical care
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Nursing in critical care · Mar 2011
ReviewLiterature review of the impact of nurse practitioners in critical care services.
The comprehensive review sought to examine the impact of Critical Care Nurse Practitioner models, roles, activities and outcomes. ⋯ Internationally, Critical Care Nurse Practitioners are demonstrating substantial positive patient, service and nursing outcomes. Critical Care Nurse Practitioner models were cost effective, appropriate and efficient in the delivery of critical care services. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTISE: In Australia, there was minimal evidence of Critical Care Nurse Practitioner impact on adult, paediatric or neonatal intensive care units. The international evidence suggests that the contribution of the role needs to be strongly considered in light of future Australian service demands and workforce supply needs. In Australia, the Critical Care Nurse Practitioner role and range of activities falls well short of international evidence. Hence, it was necessary to scope the international literature to explore the potential for and impact of the Critical Care Nurse Practitioner role. The review leaves little doubt that the role offers significant potential for enhancing and contributing towards more equitable health services.
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Nursing in critical care · Mar 2011
The effect of nursing interventions on the intracranial pressure in paediatric traumatic brain injury.
The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of five selected intensive care nursing interventions on the intracranial pressure (ICP) of moderate to severe traumatic brain-injured children in intensive care. ⋯ Knowledge about the physiological effects of many intensive care nursing interventions is lacking and this is magnified in paediatrics. This study provides a significant addition to the evidence base in this area and allows intensive care nurses to plan, implement and evaluate more effectively their nursing care for brain-injured children.
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Nursing in critical care · Mar 2011
Steering a course towards advanced nurse practitioner: a critical care perspective.
This article is a report of a study of the experiences of expert critical care nurses in their transition to the role of advanced nurse practitioner within an intensive care unit (ICU) setting. ⋯ This study provides an account of the role transition from expert critical care nurse to advanced nurse practitioner, specifically the synthesis of expert nursing practice with traditional medical values. The conceptual model has the potential to be utilized as a framework for others embarking upon similar projects, informing advanced nurse practitioner roles within and out with critical care settings.