Nursing in critical care
-
Nursing in critical care · Nov 2019
Nursing staff's experiences of intensive care unit diaries: a qualitative study.
Diaries as an intervention to aid psychological recovery among intensive care patients have been used for about 20 years, and findings tend to be positive. The provision of a diary directed at the patient may clarify the story of the intensive care unit (ICU) even for the family members and the family members of non-survivors. Members of nursing staff are the primary authors, but how they themselves experience the use of ICU diaries has been minimally explored. ⋯ Nursing staff requested mentoring and group discussions concerning the format, content and communication channels of the diary.
-
Nursing in critical care · Nov 2019
Richards-Campbell sleep questionnaire: psychometric properties of Chinese critically ill patients.
Sleep abnormalities occur frequently in critically ill patients. Nurses are strategically placed, specifically in intensive care units, to promote sleep in such patients. Currently, an effective sleep assessment tool in Chinese is not available for intensive care settings. ⋯ If the validity of this questionnaire is supported in other ICU samples, RCSQ-C could be used as a routine evaluation instrument to distinguish good and poor sleepers and then direct nurses to form corresponding treatment plans to promote sleep.
-
Nursing in critical care · Nov 2019
Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score for the assessment of mortality prediction in the intensive care unit: a single-centre study from Iran.
The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II is still commonly used as an index of illness severity in patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) and has been validated for many research and clinical audit purposes. ⋯ There is a need to create a suitable scoring system to predict the mortality rate of critically ill patients in accordance with the advanced technological equipment and experienced physicians and nurses in that ICU.
-
Nursing in critical care · Nov 2019
Effects of massage on outcomes of adult intensive care unit patients: a systematic review.
The critical care experience is particularly stressful for patients, which can result in a number of physiological and psychological consequences, including haemodynamic instability, increased pain, agitation and delirium, leading to prolonged mechanical ventilation, length of stay and subsequent complications. Massage therapy encompasses different techniques to promote relaxation and to counter stress, therefore potentially affecting several patients' outcomes. ⋯ The results of this systematic review can inform implementation of massage interventions in critical care, which can be challenging as a result of several barriers.
-
Nursing in critical care · Nov 2019
Extent and application of patient diaries in Austria: process of continuing adaptation.
Diaries written for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are offered in many European countries. In Austria, ICU diaries have been relatively unknown, but since 2012, they have started to emerge. ⋯ The implementation of ICU diaries in routine care requires an ongoing adaptive, reflective process. Nurses may experience innovation, leading to the development of their own, feasible adaptions and structures.