Nursing in critical care
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Nursing in critical care · Jan 2003
Practice Guideline GuidelinePosition statement on the role of health care assistants who are involved in direct patient care activities within critical care areas.
Intensive care has developed as a speciality since the 1950s, and during this time, there have been major technological advances in health care provision, leading to a rapid expansion of all areas of critical care. The ongoing problem in recruiting qualified nurses in general has affected, and continues to be a problem for, all aspects of critical care areas. During the past decade, nursing practice has evolved, as qualified nurses have expanded their own scope of practice to develop a more responsive approach to the complex care needs of the critically ill patient. The aim of this paper is to present the British Association of Critical Care Nurses (BACCN) position statement on the role of health care assistants involved in direct patient care activities, and to address some of the key work used to inform the development of the position statement.
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Nursing in critical care · Jan 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialCooling strategies for patients with severe cerebral insult in ICU (Part 2).
Critically ill patients who have sustained a severe cerebral insult will be actively cooled should they develop an elevated body core temperature. Patients who require therapeutic hypothermia for neuroprotection may require the same cooling strategies. ⋯ An experimental approach was used to examine the effects of paracetamol and four external cooling strategies on patients with severe cerebral insult It is suggested that paracetamol is effective in reducing body core temperature and that fans may not. However, data obtained from the study of the four external cooling strategies were inconclusive.
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Nursing in critical care · Jan 2003
ReviewA review of cooling patients with severe cerebral insult in ICU (Part 1).
A review of the literature was undertaken to determine the existence of any evidence to support cooling strategies used in the ICU. The focus of the review was to examine previous findings on the specific problems of cooling patients with severe cerebral insult. ⋯ Overall, it would appear that conclusions for practice remain unclear. The findings led to the implementation of a pilot study, the findings of which will be discussed in Part 2.
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The issue of legal responsibility around decision-making in critical care units is one that can lead to confusion and uncertainty. This paper aims to examine the nature of decision-making in critical care and the legal basis for decision-making. The roles and responsibilities of doctors and nurses in critical care are explored. Both legal responsibility and legal accountability for decision-making in critical care are considered.
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This paper explores the clinical significance of sensory alteration within critical care. The factors that lead to inappropriate sensory stimuli such as stress, impact of technology and noise are outlined. Such stimuli can lead to serious complications and an extended stay in hospital. Nurses may help prevent sensory imbalance by thoughtful, compassionate and collaborative nursing care.