Aust Crit Care
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Standardising handover processes and content, and using context-specific checklists are proposed as solutions to mitigate risks for preventable errors and patient harm associated with clinical handovers. ⋯ Clinician adoption of tools to standardise ICU-to-ward handover of cardiac surgical patients reduced handover variability and patient safety risks. The study outcomes provide context-specific tools to guide handover processes and delivery of verbal content, a safety checklist, and a risk recognition matrix.
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Posttraumatic stress symptoms are common after intensive care treatment. The influence of anxiety during critical illness on the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms needs to be investigated. ⋯ Posttraumatic stress symptoms occurred in a significant proportion of ICU survivors and were significantly associated with higher levels of trait anxiety, younger age, mental health treatment prior to the ICU admission and more symptoms of anxiety after ICU discharge. Early assessment and interventions directed to reduce state and trait anxiety in ICU survivors may be of benefit.
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Having a child admitted to intensive care is a highly stressful experience for parents; however there is a lack of screening instruments of parental stress in that context, which would be useful for both, research and clinical purposes. ⋯ The A-PSS:PICU is a reliable and valid measure. Parental stress should be screened during a child's PICU admission to identify parents at risk of post-discharge distress.