American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Morbidity and mortality conferences are a tool for evaluating care management, but they lack a precise format for practice in intensive care units. ⋯ In addition to their educational value, regular morbidity and mortality conferences formatted for intensive care units are useful for assessing quality of care and patient safety.
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Comparative Study
Current practice in airway management: A descriptive evaluation.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia, a common complication of mechanical ventilation, could be reduced if health care workers implemented evidence-based practices that decrease the risk for this complication. ⋯ Nurses and respiratory therapists differed significantly in the management of patients receiving mechanical ventilation. To reduce the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia, both nurses and respiratory therapists must be consistent in using best practices when managing patients treated with mechanical ventilation.
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Head-of-bed elevation of 30 degrees to 45 degrees is important in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia, but clinicians' perception and determination of head-of-bed elevation are not widely reported. ⋯ Head-of-bed angle was perceived correctly by 50% to 86% of clinicians. Nurses tended to underestimate the angle, whereas other clinicians tended to overestimate. Nurses, respiratory therapists, and physical/occupational therapists showed the best understanding of the correct angle for minimizing occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Elevation gauges were most often used to determine the angle.
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Limited research has been conducted to assess family needs in neonatal intensive care units. Health care providers often make assumptions about what families need, but these assumptions are unfounded and can lead to inappropriate conclusions. When assessed appropriately, family needs can be incorporated into individualized plans of care, enhancing family-centered care. ⋯ Identifying the needs of parents in neonatal intensive care units can enhance nursing communication and allow nurses to incorporate parents' needs into families' plans of care. The family needs inventory can help identify those needs and allows the integration of individualized nursing care to fulfill those needs, providing a positive family-centered experience in the unit for patients and their families.