The American journal of nursing
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Communicating about care preferences can improve the well-being of caregivers and care recipients.
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Caregivers need certain knowledge and skills both to provide the best possible care and to protect their own well-being.
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Nurses use a variety of methods to cool critically ill patients, even though there are no guidelines for the treatment of temperature elevation in this population. In order to determine whether physical methods of antipyresis, such as the application of cooling blankets, are appropriate for use in the ICU, and if so which methods are best, the authors conducted a literature review. ⋯ A literature review examines external cooling methods for use in the ICU. The findings raise some doubts.
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Older adults are especially vulnerable to malnutrition, which often goes undetected and increases the risks of illness and death. The Joint Commission has required U. S. hospitals to provide nutrition screening to all patients within 24 hours of admission, but that doesn't cover patients in other settings, nor is there a standardized assessment tool for finding malnutrition in older adults. ⋯ It consists of 18 questions and can be completed in about 15 minutes. A short form, containing the first six questions, can be used for screening. For a free online video demonstrating the use of this tool, go to http://links.lww.com/A221.