American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Arterial Monitoring System Leveling Method, Transducer Location, and Accuracy of Blood Pressure Measurements.
Many critically ill patients have invasive arterial catheters inserted for blood pressure monitoring. Whether catheter leveling method and alternative transducer location affect the accuracy of blood pressure measurements is unknown. ⋯ The findings indicate that any of the transducer locations evaluated may be useful in clinical prac-tice. Also, visual alignment rather than laser device leveling may be acceptable, except for DBP in the control location. More research is needed to strengthen these findings.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
I've Got the Power: Nurses' Moral Distress and Perceptions of Empowerment.
Nurses experience moral distress when they feel disempowered or impeded in taking the ethically right course of action. Research suggests an inverse relationship between moral distress and empowerment. In the intensive care unit, providing palliative care services may reduce moral distress because palliative care is often provided in situations that give rise to moral distress. ⋯ Nurses' sense of empowerment and the frequency of moral distress are favorably affected by active participation in assessing and communicating patients' palliative care needs.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of Live Versus Recorded Music on Children Receiving Mechanical Ventilation and Sedation.
Music is often used as a nonpharmacological pain management strategy, but little evidence is available about its role in pediatric critical care patients. ⋯ The results of this study indicate that live music interventions may be more effective than recorded music interventions in reducing pain and anxiety in pediatric critical care patients. The advantage of live music may be due to the adaptability of the music delivery by a trained music therapist.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Patients' Adaptations After Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Qualitative Study.
Many patients confront physical, cognitive, and emotional problems after acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). No proven therapies for these problems exist, and many patients manage new disability and recovery with little formal support. Eliciting patients' adaptations to these problems after hospitalization may identify opportunities to improve recovery. ⋯ Patients employed various strategies to manage problems after ARDS. More work is needed to identify and disseminate effective strategies to patients and their families.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Nurses' Perceptions of Workload Burden in Pediatric Critical Care.
Quantifying nurses' perceptions of workload burden when managing critically ill patients is essential for designing interventions to ease nurses' workday. ⋯ This study describes the workload burden perceived by PICU nurses when managing critically ill patients in general and when managing protocolized therapies.