International journal of nursing studies
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Self-report pain assessment scales may be inappropriate when critically ill patients are incapable of adequate communication because of sedation or mechanical ventilation. The Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS, for intubated patients) and the BPS-non intubated (BPS-NI, for non-intubated patients) measure objective behavioral indicators of pain in non-communicating critically ill patients. ⋯ The Chinese version of the BPS (BPS-C) is appropriate for pain assessment among intubated and non-intubated ICU patients.
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Observational Study
Nursing team leader handover in the intensive care unit contains diverse and inconsistent content: An observational study.
Despite a proliferation of evidence and the development of standardised tools to improve communication at handover, evidence to guide the handover of critical patient information between nursing team leaders in the intensive care unit is limited. ⋯ Despite universal acknowledgement of the importance of nursing team leader handover, there are no previous studies assessing its content. Study findings indicate that nursing team leader handovers contain diverse and inconsistent content, which could lead to inadequate handovers that compromise patient safety. Further work is required to develop structured handover processes for nursing team leader handovers.
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Dementia is a global issue, with increasing prevalence rates impacting on health services internationally. People with dementia are frequently admitted to hospital, an environment that may not be suited to their needs. While many initiatives have been developed to improve their care in the acute setting, there is a lack of cohesive understanding of how staff experience and perceive the care they give to people with dementia in the acute setting. ⋯ This review has identified key issues in the care of people with dementia in the acute setting: improving pathways of care, creating suitable environments, addressing resources and staffing levels and placing emphasis on the education for staff caring for people with dementia. Recommendations are made for practice consideration, policy development and future research. Leadership is required to instil the values needed to care for this client group in an effective and personcentred way. Qualitative evidence synthesis can inform policy and in this case, recommends VIPS as a suitable framework for guiding decisions around care for people with dementia in acute settings.
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Improper placement of nasogastric tube used for feeding may lead to serious complications, including death of the patient. There are several different methods used to determine the appropriate length of nasogastric tube for optimal placement in adults. This integrative review of the literature was designed to identify the most accurate method to determine the internal length of nasogastric feeding tube in adults. ⋯ The nose-to-ear-to-xiphisternum and Hanson method should no longer be taught in nursing programs or used in practice by the nurse. The [gender-weight and nose-umbilicus-flat] method has been shown to be safer.
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All newborns are at risk of deterioration as a result of failing to make the transition to extra uterine life. Signs of deterioration can be subtle and easily missed. It has been postulated that the use of an Early Warning Tool may assist clinicians in recognising and responding to signs of deterioration earlier in neonates, thereby preventing a serious adverse event. ⋯ The Standard Observation Tool triggered an escalation of care more frequently than the Early Warning Tools, which may be as a result of behavioural data captured on the Standard Observation Tool and escalated, which could not be on the Early Warning Tools. Findings demonstrate that a single tool applied to all gestational age ranges may not be effective in identifying early deterioration or may over trigger an escalation of care. Further research is required into the sensitivity and specificity of Early Warning Tools in neonatal sub-populations.