Nursing in critical care
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Nursing in critical care · May 2017
Attitudes, knowledge and practices concerning delirium: a survey among intensive care unit professionals.
Delirium is a common form of vital organ dysfunction in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and is associated with poor outcomes. Adherence to guideline recommendations pertaining to delirium is still suboptimal. ⋯ Identification of implementation barriers for adherence to guidelines pertaining to delirium is feasible with a survey. Results of this study may help to design-targeted implementation strategies for ICU delirium management.
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Nursing in critical care · May 2017
Development and psychometric evaluation of a questionnaire on nurses' clinical competence eye care in intensive care unit patients.
Given the high prevalence of eye disorders in intensive care units, evaluating critical care nurses' competence in providing standard eye care is a matter of utmost importance. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no valid questionnaire for measuring nurses' competence to undertake eye care. ⋯ A complication of sedation and coma is that some patients are unable to maintain effective eyelid closure. These patients present a higher risk of eye complications. Development of tools for evaluating nurses' competence in providing standard eye care is a fundamental prerequisite for improving the quality of eye care.
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Nursing in critical care · Mar 2017
ReviewNurses' communication with families in the intensive care unit - a literature review.
This review examined the literature across 12 years that explored nurses' perceptions of their role when communicating with families in adult intensive care units (ICUs). The objectives were: (1) to describe how ICU nurses facilitated communication with families; (2) the perceived barriers to that communication; (3) strategies to improve their skills. ⋯ This review summarizes nurses' perceptions of the means and barriers for communicating with families in ICUs. Intensive care nurses need skills and knowledge in how to communicate effectively with families. This skill can be learnt formally, or acquired from role modelling of more experienced peers.
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Nursing in critical care · Mar 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of aromatherapy on sleep quality and anxiety of patients.
In intensive care units (ICUs), patients cannot sleep well. Aromatherapy is used for depression, anxiety, relaxation and disorders related with sleep and stress. ⋯ As a non-invasive, cheap, easily applicable, cost-effective, independent nursing intervention and appropriate for cardiac patients, lavender essential oil could be applied in ICUs.
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Nursing in critical care · Mar 2017
Intensive care unit patients' experience of being conscious during endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation.
There is a change in paradigm in intensive care units with trends towards lighter sedation. Light or no sedation protocols are, however, a radical change for clinical practice and can cause challenges for the patients. Undergoing mechanical ventilation when conscious can be a distressing experience for the patients. Receiving a tracheostomy increases patient comfort, but some patients still undergo prolonged endotracheal intubation during mechanical ventilation. The experience of being conscious during endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit has not previously been described. ⋯ The study suggests that clinical nursing practice may have to be further developed to accommodate the patients' needs, e.g. communicating and participating as well as optimizing nursing interventions towards thirst, pain and tube management. Furthermore, the intensive care unit setting may need revision, providing space for the patient and sensory meaningful inputs in the technologically intense environment.