Intensive Care Unit Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Hartman, David. "PTSD." Journal of Heart Centered Therapies 13.1 (2010): 44. Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 21 Apr. 2016

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.

When choosing to pursue a career in the health care field, most enter the workplace with the desire to help and provide care for patients who are critically ill (Lombardo & Eyre, 2011). Far too often, these health professionals who were once sympathetic and caring become victims of compassion fatigue (Lombardo & Eyre, 2011). As a working health professional it is ones duty to compassionately care for the sick, wounded and traumatized patients, which involves being exposed daily to the patient’s pain, suffering and trauma (Coetzee & Klopper, 2010). Experiencing this type of trauma first hand is an un-recognized side effect of being a health care professional (Briscoe, 2014). It is easy to get wrapped up in patients, their

Emergency rescue personnel witnessed the loss of loved ones, furthermore during recovery and rescue efforts they were limited in the amount of debriefing and clinical mental support they received. Priorities at the time focused on saving lives, while mental deterioration was taking place in many simultaneously. “A study published in the Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine found a 71.8% prevalence of PTSD among exposed first responders as opposed to 51.4% among their unexposed counterparts” (Bills et al., 2008). In a 9-year longitudinal cohort study with data gathered from 27,449 participants, including a population of police officers and firefighters among other rescue workers; the cumulative results yielded a 9.3% incidence of PTSD, 8.4% panic disorder, and 7.0% depression, with the higher rates found among those with direct exposure (Wisnivesky et al., 2011). Besides risk factors that contribute to developing PTSD, underestimating its pathophysiological effects can exacerbate the condition. According to Boscarino and Adams (2009), even though 90% of adults have experienced at least a traumatic event in their life; only a small percentage develop PTSD. This further validates the concept of the influence of underlying risk factors post

Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has become a genuine phenomenon and can be problematic for the patient and the staff caring for them. Delirium occurs when a patient is placed in an unfamiliar environment and has to endure the stress of not just the hospitalization but the stimuli of the environment, which can cause disturbances in consciousness. Patients can become confused, anxious, and agitated; making this difficult for the staff to correctly diagnosis and care for them. Sleep deprivation and environmental factors along with neurotransmitters are strongly related to the occurrence of ICU delirium. ICU staff needs to become more educated on prevention, detection, and proper treatment for the patient experiencing this

Service personnel experience a tremendous number of traumatic experiences while in service. These traumatic experiences include situations such as different forms of explosion, gun battles, vehicle crashes, helicopter crashes, intense fear, seeing fellow service members dying as well as a feeling of helplessness (CITE). These are situations that an average American can simply not fathom. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) who work with service personnel typically do understand these traumatic experiences. In this article, Wilson and Pokorny conducted a study to understand the experiences CRNAs have with service personnel who have traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and are emerging from general anesthesia with emergence delirium (ED) (CITE). There are no studies in literature that contain information on patients with these specific problems, which makes this study important. Wilson and Pokorny hope other researchers will get involved to help learn more about this subject and get the service personnel and CRNAs the advanced medical help they need.

One of the top three sources of anxiety and stress for patients during an intensive care unit (ICU) stay is the inability to sleep (Kamdar, Needham, & Collop, 2012). There is

With the advances in technology and military medicine, improved amounts of armed veterans are surviving the injuries they endure at war. These brave men and woman are faced to enter the civilian life after enduring the things that they cannot remove form their memories. Posttraumatic stress disorder is a common psychological and physiological consequence of deployment for combat in military veterans. For an individual to be diagnosed of PTSD, the person had to have been exposed to an intense traumatic situation, which resulted in terror or helplessness and continue to re-experience the event for at least a month (World Health Organization). It can be very difficult for a military personal to return from active duty with the mindset that

It is documented that nurses are now diagnosed with PTSD due to the traumatic experiences they deal with over and over on a regular basis. These nurses encounter patients who are extremely depressed, have a hard time are just making it through the day, or show signs of substance abuse, as well as anxiety disorders. The jobs they perform on a regular basis are emotionally

In that the diary confirmed the present at the bedside, expressed a sign of hope to the bitter end, promoted contribution to caregiving, relaying understandable information, conveyed the feeling that nursing staff cared for the patient and assured that the patient was receiving the best care possible. The findings have been highlighted previously in a study from Johansson et al. (2015). In this study, where the patient died, it is evidently how the diary met the needs of participants in the ICU, and this generated a feeling of trust in the care, especially after death. Confidence in the care was stated in expression like ‘ he/she got every chance, did as well as they

Lily had only recently began dialysis treatment, and her unwillingness to proceed with treatment would have resulted in her care becoming palliative, something the healthcare professional did not think was suitable at this point in her illness trajectory. Tait (2012) points out that a critically ill patient experiences not only physiological trauma, but also psychological trauma. This psychological trauma that can be experienced after critical care has been addressed by the National Outreach Forum (2003) who suggested that services should be developed to address the implications of critical illness. Samuelson (2011) suggests that any negative emotions associated with critical care can be counterbalanced with memories that reinforce safety, control and trust. This is a useful point to consider in Lily case, who fortunately had the time to talk through her worries concerning continual dialysis treatment with the staff on the ward, who were able to convince her she was in the safest possible hands and that continuing her dialysis treatment would be the best option.

According to several surveys conducted in the western countries, delirium still is not an extensively focused problem in the ICU settings(13, 97, 98). So, an appropriate ICU staff education is one of the mainstays in developing an efficient preventive and therapeutic plan against ICU delirium(99). For this purpose, ICU nurses and clinicians should have a completecomprehension of delirium and be aware of its importance as a significantcomorbidity that should be immediately intervened.

In Bed Number Ten, Sue Baier shares her first-hand account of both her painful experiences and her lengthy recovery in the ICU setting. She was struck with the disabling effects of Guillain-Barre syndrome which resulted in her being admitted into an Intensive Care Unit. While there, her communication and mobility was very limited and made it very difficult for many of the staff to passionately and effectively take care of her. She describes multiple accounts of nurses and staff who were task oriented and failed to meet her physical and emotion needs. Her sense of isolation and inhumane treatment transpires from the pages to the heart of the reader. However, in the book, we observe a few staff that were sensitive to her condition and took care of her the way a person should be taken care of. Sue’s hardship and experience is one of perseverance in her time in the ICU and gives an outlook of how to be sensitive to critical care patients, as it should be.

Throughout this Wellness program, I learned many valuable tools and tips on how to administer emotional first aid and how to bounce back from unexpected events. Among these tools and tips, I took an interest in one category in particular; coping skills and techniques managing stress and/or anxiety. These coping skills and techniques include journaling,

Some people relieve stress by journaling. Journaling allows people to clarify their thoughts and feelings, thereby gaining valuable self-knowledge. It’s also a good problem-solving tool; oftentimes, one can hash out a problem and come up with solutions more easily on paper. Journaling about traumatic events helps one process them by fully exploring and releasing the emotions involved, and by engaging both hemispheres of the brain in the process, allowing the experience to become fully integrated in one’s mind (Scott, 2009).