American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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In intensive care units (ICUs), the quality of communication with families is a key point in the caregiver-patient-family relationship. During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital visits were prohibited, and many ICUs implemented a daily telephone call strategy to ensure continuity of communication with patients' families. ⋯ Fixed-time, daily telephone calls in the ICU allowed satisfactory transmission of information between physicians and surrogate decision makers, as perceived by both parties. However, the telephone-based communication strategy could still be improved.
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A predictive model that uses the rhythmicity of core body temperature (CBT) could be an easily accessible clinical tool to ultimately improve outcomes among critically ill patients. ⋯ Use of CBT-24 rhythmicity can assist in stratifying a patient's risk of subsequent deterioration during general care within 7 days of ICU discharge.
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Delirium affects up to 80% of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) but is missed in up to 75% of cases. Telehealth in the ICU (tele-ICU) has become the standard for providing timely, expert care to remotely located ICUs. ⋯ The use of tele-ICU to improve the accuracy of delirium screening by ICU nurses appears to be feasible and efficient for leveraging delirium expertise across multiple ICUs. Future studies should evaluate the effects of tele-ICU delirium training on patient-centered outcomes.
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Losing a loved one in the intensive care unit is associated with complicated grief and increased psychologic distress for families. Providing bereavement support may help families during this time. However, little is known about the bereavement experiences of families of patients in the cardiac intensive care unit. ⋯ This study provided insight into the bereavement experiences of families of patients in the cardiac intensive care unit. These findings may be useful for professionals working with bereaved families and for cardiac intensive care units considering adding bereavement support.
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An Intensive Care Unit Team Reflects on End-of-Life Experiences With Patients and Families in Chile.
Deaths in the intensive care unit (ICU) represent an experience of suffering for patients, their families, and professionals. End-of-life (EOL) care has been added to the responsibilities of the ICU team, but the evidence supporting EOL care is scarce, and there are many barriers to implementing the clinical recommendations that do exist. ⋯ These qualitative findings expose gaps in care that must be filled to achieve high-quality EOL care in the ICU. Significant emotional impact, barriers related to EOL decision-making, limited interprofessional clinical practice, and communication difficulties were the main findings cross-referenced.