Aust Crit Care
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The purpose of this study was to quantify the levels of anxiety experienced by Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients just before transfer to the ward and then twice after transfer to the ward in order to test the hypothesis that anxiety levels would change over the three data collection periods. ⋯ This small study provides a start to the prospective mapping of anxiety levels on time of transfer and shortly after transfer from an ICU to the wards. It also provides information to researchers who want to examine ICU transfer anxiety. By understanding the anxiety experienced by ICU patients, nurses are better able to provide psychological support and thus more holistic care to this group of patients.
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Clinical practices or procedures based on the best available evidence are an essential resource within an intensive care unit (ICU). Maintaining the currency of a local clinical practice manual is challenging however, particularly in relation to the time required, other workload pressures and the availability of staff with relevant skills to interrogate the literature. The aim of the Intensive Care Collaborative (ICC) project was to use the synergism of group processes to develop state-based clinical guidelines for six common intensive care practices - eye care, oral care, endotracheal tube management, suctioning, arterial line management, and central venous catheter (CVC) management. ⋯ This project has demonstrated a method for guideline development that is robust, incorporating evidence from research and clinical expertise utilising an objective egalitarian framework.