Nursing in critical care
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Nursing in critical care · Sep 2012
Partners' ambivalence towards cardiac arrest and hypothermia treatment: a qualitative study.
The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of partners of patients who had cardiac arrest and subsequent hypothermia treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ Nurses play a pivotal role in providing partners with information and in nurturing hope and feelings of security. Partners need to fully understand the reason for hypothermia treatment to enable them to accept the cold body as part of a life-saving process. We recommend follow-up after discharge. This may increase the partners' sense of security and control.
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Critical care patients experience deranged sleep for a number of reasons including noise, environment, severity of illness and care activities. This service evaluation was prompted by the concern that patients were not getting enough sleep because of excessive noise levels in our unit. ⋯ Earplugs and eye masks are a useful adjunct to strategies promoting sleep in critical care areas.