Aust Crit Care
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Junior doctors are frequently the first doctor to be called by a nurse to review patients whose clinical status has declined in hospital wards, yet little is known about how well prepared they are to deal with this situation. This paper aims to identify the factors that influence junior doctors' early recognition and management of patient deterioration in an acute ward settings. ⋯ The factors that influence junior doctors' capacity to recognise, respond and manage patient deterioration in an acute ward settings are complex. This review indicates that there is substantial room for improvement in junior doctors' capacity to deal with patient deterioration. Evidence suggests preparation of junior doctors in the recognition and management of the deteriorating patient is influenced by effective simulation education and clinical experiential exposure over time. More accessible supervision for junior doctors in acute wards is recommended to avert error and delays in the appropriate escalation of care in the deteriorating patient.
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Caring for the bereaved is an intrinsic part of intensive care practice with family bereavement support an important aspect of the nursing role at end of life. However, reporting on provision of intensive care family bereavement support at a national level has not been well reported since an Australian paper published ten years ago. ⋯ This is the first Australia and New Zealand-wide survey on ICU bereavement support services. Whilst key components of family bereavement support remain consistent over the past decade, there were fewer bereavement follow-up services in responding Australian ICUs in 2015. As a quality improvement initiative, support for this area of family care remains important with rigorous evaluation essential.
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Patients admitted to Australian intensive care units are often critically unwell, and present the challenge of increasing mortality due to an ageing population. Several of these patients have terminal conditions, requiring withdrawal of active treatment and commencement of end-of-life (EOL) care. ⋯ This study emphasised that positive communication, collaboration and culture are vital to achieving safe, high quality care at EOL. Greater use of collaborative discussions between ICU clinicians is important to facilitate improved decisions about EOL care. Such collaborative discussions can assist in preparing patients and their families when transitioning from active treatment to initiation of EOL care. Another major recommendation is to implement EOL care leaders of nursing and medical backgrounds, and patient support coordinators, to encourage clinicians to communicate with other clinicians, and with family members about plans for EOL care.
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Observational Study
Prevalence of obesity and the effect on length of mechanical ventilation and length of stay in intensive care patients: A single site observational study.
To provide a snapshot of the prevalence of abnormal body mass index (BMI) in a sample of intensive care unit (ICU) patients; to identify if any medical specialty was associated with abnormal BMI and to explore associations between BMI and ICU-related outcomes. ⋯ Although the obesity-disease relationship is increasingly complex and data presented reflects categorical BMI for patients admitted to a single ICU site it may be important to consider the cost implications of caring for this cohort especially with regard to MV and LOS.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The impact of oral care on oral health status and prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia in critically ill patients.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia is one of the most common nosocomial infections which increase mortality rate and length stay of hospitalisation. Oral care would not only improve patient's oral health and well-being, but it can also reduce the incidence rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia. ⋯ Although following a systematic oral care program could not significantly decrease the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in critically ill patients compared to the conventional oral care practices, it significantly improved the oral health and mucosal-plaque index.