American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Intensive care unit stays can be stressful for patients' family members. Family-centered communication has 6 components: fostering relationships, exchanging information, responding to emotions, managing uncertainty, making decisions, and enabling patient self-management. Whether these communication components decrease family members' stress is unknown. ⋯ Stress levels were mild to moderate and communication scores were moderate to high. Better nurse communication with family members was associated with decreased acute stress, irrespective of personal characteristics or perceptions of the patient's medical status.
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Generating evidence for care improvement has characterized my program of research spanning 20 years. Six domains are highlighted to advance the science and practice of critical care nursing in today's complex health care systems. Employee well-being and taking care of team members are key priorities for successful leaders. ⋯ Interventions to mitigate moral distress are necessary to foster moral resilience among critical care nurses. The challenge for the future will be to support organizational health through the coexistence of highly reliable processes and clinical innovation. Excellence is achieved when systems are designed to support professional practice and clinical teams and environments.