American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Multicenter Study
Sedating critically ill patients: factors affecting nurses' delivery of sedative therapy.
Critical care nurses often have wide discretion in managing the sedative therapy of patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Little is known about the factors and processes that influence sedative practice. ⋯ Social, personal, and professional factors influence sedative therapy. Future research should establish the relative importance of these factors and determine whether their impact is attenuated when sedation protocols are implemented.