Critical care nurse
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2020
ReviewA California Hospital's Response to COVID-19: From a Ripple to a Tsunami Warning.
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rippled across the world from Wuhan, China, to the shores of the United States within a few months. Hospitals and intensive care units were suddenly faced with a "tsunami" warning requiring instantaneous implementation and escalation of disaster plans. ⋯ The intensive care unit pandemic response plan has been established and the team is prepared for the next wave of COVID-19.
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2020
ReviewIntravenous Fluid Management in Critically Ill Adults: A Review.
This article reviews the management of intravenous fluids and the evaluation of volume status in critically ill adults. ⋯ This article discusses fluid physiology and the goals of intravenous fluid therapy, compares the types of intravenous fluids (isotonic crystalloids, including 0.9% sodium chloride and balanced salt solutions; hypotonic and hypertonic crystalloids; and colloids) and their adverse effects and impact on hemodynamics, and describes the critical care nurse's essential role in selecting and monitoring intravenous fluid therapy.
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2020
Increasing Critical Care Nurse Engagement of Palliative Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has led to escalating infection rates and associated deaths worldwide. Amid this public health emergency, the urgent need for palliative care integration throughout critical care settings has never been more crucial. ⋯ Nurses should focus on a strategic integration of palliative care, critical care, and ethically based care during times of normalcy and of crisis. Primary palliative care should be provided for each patient and family, and specialist services sought, as appropriate. Nurse educators are encouraged to use these recommendations and resources in their curricula and training. Palliative care is critical care. Critical care nurses are the frontline responders capable of translating this holistic, person-centered approach into pragmatic services and relationships throughout the critical care continuum.
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Despite vast evidence describing risk factors associated with falls and fall prevention strategies, falls continue to present challenges in acute care settings. ⋯ Nurses and patients agreed on the causes of assisted falls but disagreed on the causes of unassisted falls. Nurses frequently said that the use of a bed alarm could have prevented the fall.