Admission To The ICU

This essay will discuss the importance of communication as an aspect of partnership within current nursing care. As stated by Brooks and Heath (1985, as cited in Bramhall, 2014), communication is “a process during which information is shared through the exchange of verbal or non-verbal messages” (p 53). Maintaining communication between the nurse and the patient regarding treatments and emotions contributes to improved patient-centred care. The communication between the nurse and their family is equally as important when the patient is unable to make medical decisions for themselves. With the implementation of family centred communication, a partnership can further be established. With reference to literature, the benefits of maintaining

Including the client as an expert member of the team creates an enhanced quality of care (Coad, Patel & Murray, 2014). In pediatrics, parents are often at the center of the child’s care. When asked to define what made the client care experience positive, parents stated that sensitivity, empathy and honesty were key factors (Coad, Patel & Murray, 2014). Working in healthcare, nurses can become desensitized to difficult experiences because they deal with them daily. Integrating the client and family as part of the healthcare team, allows the nurse to see the patient and family as a people first. By avoiding using illness as context, and instead using person as context, care will be more holistic (Coad, Patel & Murray, 2014). A family-focused approach helps to ensure that the whole family feels a part of the experience and is valued. In the case of bereavement, family centered care is particularly important. If the family is not included in the care from the start, it can provide barriers for grieving and impact how the family deals with loss (Jones, Contro & Koch, 2014). Nurses have an opportunity to help support the family through the grief process (Jones, Contro & Koch, 2014). Families have a significant impact on how the client heals, so by caring for the family’s needs, the nurse is indirectly caring for the patient. It is in the client’s best interest for the care to be holistic for the patient as well as the family (Jones, Contro & Koch, 2014). All

This paper is an academic critique of an article written by Lautrette, et al. (2007) titled: “A Communication Strategy and Brochure for Relatives of Patients Dying in the ICU” and accurately reflected the content of the article and the research study itself. The abstract explained the article in more detail, while remaining concise. The type of research study, sample size, variables, intervention, measurement method, findings, and conclusion were all mentioned in the abstract.

Communication is key to effective healthcare practices. According to American Journal Of Critical Care (2014), Patient-centered care starts with “effective communication, being empathetic and available, avoiding personal prejudges, and listening therapeutically are integral parts of patient-centered care” (Riley, White, Graham, Alexandrov, 2014, p. 320). This will improve communication; promote patient involvement in care, which creates a positive relationship with the healthcare provider and medical team. This results in improved adherence to treatment plan. Clinical practice guidelines need to be implemented for the patient and family members to be able to be involved in informed decision-making regarding healthcare needs. The fundamental core of nursing is to have a partnership with the patient and their family regarding the patient’s outcome.

In critical care areas, it is important to adapt to the changes and needs of the patient as they are presented. This is true for many variables that contribute to patient’s status, including their environment. An environment is the components of the surroundings of a human being, as well as internal forces, which may or may not have an influence on the human being 's physical, emotional, social, or spiritual qualities. By changing these elements within this definition, nurses can adapt and provide for

Jean Watson’s Caring theory has been used in the development of many nursing conceptual models (Fawcett & DeSanto Madeya 2013). One of the tools derived from this theory is the daily goals sheet used in a variety of ICU’s around the country (Fawcett & DeSanto Madeya 2013). The daily goals sheet was derived as a way to improve patient care by keeping the patient safe, provide reliable care, improve communication between doctors and nurses, and help the nurse plan for the day (Rehder, Uhl, & Mistry, 2012). According to Fawcett and DeSanto Maydeya (2013), the goal of Watson’s theory is to help nurses become more “nursing-qua-medicine,” where nursing “needs to emerge as mature health profession, capable of interfacing with the medical profession” (2013 p. 405-406). An interdisciplinary care team was used to implement a time with no interruptions between providers. This time was used to discuss the care of the patient, include families, and ensure that all members agree of the care to be provided (Rehder, Uhl, & Mistry 2012). By having the nurses be a part of this team, they are able to interact and be a member of the team, which is the goal of Watson’s caring theory (Rehder, Uhl, &Mistry 2012). If there is teamwork, and all the members of the team understand the goals, then the daily goals can help decrease length of stay (LOS) in ICU’s, decrease hospital acquired infections

The setting is based in Australia in two public hospitals between June 2006 and February 2007. The author used convenience sampling to select willing study participants employed on hospital oncology wards. Written consent was obtained by study participants and the study was approved by two Clinical Research Ethics Committees. Subjects (n=10) partook in an interview lasting approximately one hour. Interview transcripts were then analyzed using a Glaserian approach following an open and selective coding process in an effort to identify significant themes. Six key themes were identified relating to quality of life, including physical, psychological, spiritual, and social components (p 81, para 2). This study does not confer rigor. No data analysis was presented. The author details themes as well as provides excerpts from study participants. The author continues on to conclusively state that quality of life is a broad and subjective term that must be supported by professionals which is a true statement but also a concept of holistic, patient centered care that has previously been adopted by the nursing

Introduction. The introduction will provide a contextual overview of the current open visitation practices within the critical care setting. The introduction will begin by highlighting the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ and Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses’ support for open visitation practices and include the argument that unrestrictive family presences is indicative of patient- and family-centered care.

Patients and family members in medical intensive care units experience pain and anxiety while overcoming illness and disease. Nightingale was one of the first nurses to recognize that the relationship between health and comfort is strong and direct (Peterson & Bredow, 2013, p. 194). Kolcaba’s theory of comfort addresses the need for nurses to provide patients and families with relief, ease, and transcendence to facilitate health-seeking behavior (McEwen & Wills, 2011, p. 234). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate Kolcaba’s theory of comfort (CT) using the Synthesized Method described by McEwen and Wills (2011) and to describe how this theory can be applied in practice.

Qualitative methodology is appropriate with this study because researchers focused on the satisfaction level of the caregiver and patient in addition to the time spent preparing and administering respiratory therapy and cost of treatment. The research doesn’t appear to infer or explain the actions or experiences of the participants, but rather uses supportive data acquired by post hospitalization survey to support the validity of the study.

Asking, what is the patient’s experience of the Intensive Critical Care Unit (ICCU) can help health care professionals to ensure that even with the advancements in technology and medical interventions, the patient remains at the centre of the care and that technology and intervention does not become a barrier between nurse and patient. The benefit of understanding the patient experience and their needs and expectations is that it can facilitate person-centred nursing care (Dougherty et al, 2008) and will enable improvement through service user feedback. Patient experience could be the most relevant value of nursing care that aims to be both person and family-centred. The value of this for nurses is to gain insight into the total psychological, emotional and physical experience of being the receiver of care and treatment in a place where often, freedom and choice in the moment is declined in an act of non-consensual submission (Cutler et al, 2013). As a healthcare professional it may become less apparent as to what it feels like to stay in ICCU when you are afraid, fearful and unwell. When we are unsure what the

The next study focused on the experience of critically ill children. The research questions was what are a critically children source of discomfort and comfort? This study sample were twelve children age ranging from three to seventeen years old. Four were girls and 8 boys. Data source were formal and informal interviews. The child’s developmental and functional level were taken into consideration with each questions. Children were from the pediatric ICU (PICU) of one Canadian children hospital. PICU length of stay ranged from two to 43 days. All data were kept confidential, but only the investigator knew the participants identity. The children were asked what was it like? There discomfort, fear and worries; hunt and pain; invasive interventions; missing significant people; other discomforts; comforts; parents and visitors and friends and hospital staff. The research showed that parents were highlighted as a primary source of comfort, their present was comforting in itself by the majority of the participants (Carneval, F. A., & Gaudreault, 2013). Discomfort varied was not widely share among participants, but

The Medical Intensive Care Unit provides acute provides care for adult and critically ill medical patients. It has various different staff members that work together to achieve the best patient outcome. The care is directed by those who specialize in critical care medicine. They take care of patients with life threatening diseases, sickness and injuries. They do this by having a highly prepared, equipped and knowledgeable staff with sophisticated organ support and invasive monitoring. (Medical Intensive Care Unit - University Hospitals. n.d). The patients usually have a good chance of surviving when they are in the intensive care unit, they just need to be closely monitored and given proper treatment in order to fully recover. A common medical procedure in the medical intensive care unit is cardioversion.

I want to be in the ICU because of the great responsibility it is to care for the critically ill patients because it is challenging, but rewarding. I have always had an interest in critical care nursing as I have grown up in the medical field. Spending a month in the ICU with my grandpa made me realize that it takes a special person to do critical care nurse. During an stay in the critical care setting you are able to see the direct effects of my action within a short amount of time. I believe I have the passion, leadership, quick response skills to care for these patients. I am also eager to learn about the prioritization skills and critical thinking skills that is required to be a nurse. Every situation brings new challenges and learning opportunities in which I can gain more critical thinking skills.

“Comfort” as defined by Katherine Kolcaba is the state experienced by recipients of comfort interventions (Alligood, 2014). “It is the immediate, holistic experience of being strengthened when one’s needs are addressed” (Alligood, 2014, p. 660). Providing comfort can be a challenging task for a nurse because each individual patient perceives comfort differently. The purpose of this paper is to develop a patient comfort questionnaire guided by Katherine Kolcaba’s Theory of Comfort. The development, design, implementation, and evaluation of the questionnaire will be demonstrated in depth. The purpose of the questionnaire is to help guide the nurse in identifying individualized comfort interventions to help guide patients on their journey to regaining health in the intensive care unit.