The American journal of nursing
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The prevention and treatment of pain, anxiety, and delirium in the ICU are important goals. But achieving a balance between sedation and analgesia, especially in critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation, can be challenging. Both under- and oversedation carry grave risks. ⋯ Last month, Part 1 reviewed pertinent recommendations concerning pain and delirium and discussed tools for assessing pain, delirium, and sedation. This month, Part 2 explores pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management of anxiety and agitation in the ICU. The second in a two-part series focuses on the pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management of anxiety and agitation in the ICU.
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The prevention or treatment of pain, anxiety, and delirium in the ICU is an important goal. But achieving a balance between sedation and analgesia, especially in critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation, can be challenging. Both under- and oversedation carry serious risks. ⋯ This two-part series examines those recommendations that relate to sedation assessment and management, as well as the current literature. This month Part 1 also reviews pertinent recommendations concerning pain and delirium and discusses tools for assessing pain, delirium, and sedation. In August Part 2 will explore pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management of anxiety and agitation in critically ill patients.
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Properly documenting care in a patient's medical records is essential and, in the event of a lawsuit, provides evidence that the care that was provided met professional standards. Even nurses who meet the standards of care must document that care fully and accurately to avoid being vulnerable to accusations of malpractice that may result in costly jury verdicts and court decisions.
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Affected by the current nursing shortage, schools of nursing cite a lack of qualified nursing faculty as a primary barrier to program expansion. We sought to identify patterns in how nurses' entry-level degrees and other individual characteristics correlated with the timing and achievement of subsequent advanced nursing education. ⋯ Based on our findings, we suggest that increasing the number of graduates with a bachelor of science in nursing degree, especially those who are men or members of a racial or ethnic minority, will have the most immediate effect on increasing the potential nursing faculty pool.