Nursing in critical care
-
Nursing in critical care · Jan 2008
ReviewDiabetic ketoacidosis and hyperglycaemic hyperosmolar syndrome - clinical guidelines.
The aim of this study was to establish a standardized approach to the initial care of patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperglycaemic hyperosmolar syndrome (HHS). DKA and HHS are metabolic emergencies. Effective and efficient management is the responsibility of the multidisciplinary team. The admission of patients to the intensive care unit (ICU) with DKA and HHS is rare, and management of patients' diverse problems is prone to error because of a lack of familiarity. ⋯ Effective treatment requires a rapid initial assessment of the patient based on current medical history and clinical presentation. To this end, a quick reference algorithm and guide to management were also developed. Key criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of treatment are provided and complications of treatment are addressed. The formation of the practice development group that led to this innovation is outlined, and in conclusion, the success of the group is reflected upon.
-
Nursing in critical care · Jan 2008
Multicenter StudyDevelopment of a new risk assessment scale for predicting pressure ulcers in an intensive care unit.
The study aimed to evaluate the predictive validity and accuracy of a new pressure ulcer risk assessment scale in two Indonesia intensive care units (ICUs). ⋯ The S.S. scale was found to be a valid risk assessment tool to identify the patients at risk of developing pressure ulcers in Indonesia ICU.
-
Nursing in critical care · Jan 2008
ReviewVentilator-associated pneumonia: prevention is better than cure.
The prevention of ventilator Assisted Pneumonia (VAP), a hospital acquired infection, among intensive care patients is a major clinical challenge. It is a condition that is associated with high rates of morbidity, mortality, length of stay and hospital costs. ⋯ Targeted strategies aimed at preventing VAP, should be implemented to improve patient outcome and reduce length of intensive care unit stay and costs. Front-line critical care nurses need to understand the factors which place their patients at risk of developing VAP and, institute evidence-based interventions that will compromise the patients' survival and recovery.
-
Nursing in critical care · Jan 2008
Comparative StudyPerception of night-time sleep by surgical patients in an intensive care unit.
The night-time sleep of patients hospitalized in intensive care is a very important feature within the health or disease process, as it has a direct repercussion on their adequate recovery. ⋯ Surgical patients' perceptions of their sleep in the ICU suggest that this is inadequate. Nurses' perceptions of patients' sleep partially coincides with the latter's perception, but we have also found that the former frequently overestimate patients' sleep.
-
Nursing in critical care · Nov 2007
Multicenter StudyAn exploration of the handover process of critically ill patients between nursing staff from the emergency department and the intensive care unit.
The transfer of information between nurses from emergency departments (EDs) and critical care units is essential to achieve a continuity of effective, individualized and safe patient care. There has been much written in the nursing literature pertaining to the function and process of patient handover in general nursing practice; however, no studies were found pertaining to this handover process between nurses in the ED environment and those in the critical care environment. The aim was to explore the process of patient handover between ED and intensive care unit (ICU) nurses when transferring a patient from ED to the ICU. ⋯ Nurses from both settings recognized the importance of the information given and received during handover and deemed it to have an important role in influencing quality and continuity of care. Nurses from both departments would benefit from a structured framework or aide memoir to guide the handover process. Collaborative work between the nursing teams in both departments would further enhance understanding of each others' roles and expectations.