Critical care nurse
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Critical care nurse · Aug 2022
Minimizing Post-Intensive Care Syndrome to Improve Outcomes for Intensive Care Unit Survivors.
Post-intensive care syndrome is a collection of symptoms that more than half of patients who survive a critical illness, and their family caregivers, experience after the illness. Those symptoms include weakness/ fatigue, sleep disturbances/insomnia, cognitive dysfunction, posttraumatic stress disorder, other mental health conditions, and a lack of effective coping strategies. ⋯ This article describes patients who have a high risk of developing post-intensive care syndrome and interventions that are within nurses' purview.
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Heart failure affects approximately 6.2 million adults in the United States and has an estimated national cost of $30.7 billion annually. Despite advances in treatment, heart failure is a leading cause of hospital readmissions. Nonadherence to treatment plans, lack of education, and lack of access to care contribute to poorer outcomes. ⋯ The evidence-based heart failure program improved knowledge, early symptom recognition, lifestyle modification, and adherence to medication, treatment plan, and follow-up appointments. The multidisciplinary team approach to the heart failure program reduced gaps in care and improved coordination and transition of care.
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Critical care nurse · Aug 2022
Impact of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Preadmission Huddle on Perceptions of Interprofessional Communication About Patient Safety.
Preadmission discussions in the study institution's pediatric intensive care unit are not standardized and admission plans were thought to be disjointed, leading to a perceived lack of organization and preparation for the arrival of a critically ill child. ⋯ Future studies are needed to determine if this perceived improvement in communication significantly affects health care outcomes of critically ill children or if these results are generalizable to other pediatric intensive care unit settings.