American Journal of Critical Care: An Official Publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses

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BACKGROUND: Education opportunities for night shift nurses are limited compared with those for their day-shift counterparts. However, patients remain critically ill regardless of shift and require intensive nursing care at all hours. Overnight, this care is often provided with fewer resources. These challenges can lead to disengagement and high turnover on the night shift. OBJECTIVES: To see whether initiation of an informal education series called "Coffee Talk" could improve accessibility to learning for night shift nurses and elevate perception of support from administrators and overall job satisfaction...

Acute respiratory distress syndrome is associated with long-term physical impairments. Although readmission is common, little is known about the impact of readmissions on the physical status of this population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between hospital readmission, with or without an intensive care unit stay, and physical status in survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome. The exposure was hospital readmission, categorized as (1) no readmission, (2) readmitted 1 or more times without an intensive care unit stay, or (3) readmitted 1 or more times with an intensive care unit stay...

BACKGROUND: Although telemedicine intensive care unit (tele-ICU) nurses are integral to the tele-ICU model of care, few studies have explored the influence of tele-ICU nursing interventions on preventing failure to rescue in critically ill patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine how tele-ICU nurses characterize their interventions to prevent failure to rescue. METHODS: This qualitative interpretive study recruited a purposive sample from 11 tele-ICU centers across the United States for structured open-ended interviews...

BACKGROUND: Readmission for ventilator support in tracheostomy patients with primary brain injury is often attributed to failure of airway protection and aspiration pneumonia. Data regarding the incidence of intensive care unit readmissions and associated factors in these patients are limited. OBJECTIVES: To determine the factors associated with intensive care unit readmission among tracheostomy patients with primary brain injury, as compared with tracheostomy patients without primary brain injury...

BACKGROUND: Nonpharmacological interventions appear to benefit many patients and do not have the side effects commonly associated with medications. Music-based experiences may benefit critical care patients. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of an active music therapy intervention on physiological parameters and self-reported pain and anxiety levels of patients in the intensive care unit. METHODS: A study was conducted using a pretest-posttest, within-subject, single-group design...

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BACKGROUND: Thirst is a common, intense symptom reported by hospitalized patients. No studies indicate frequency of use of ice water and lip moisturizer with menthol to ameliorate thirst and dry mouth. In an audit of 30 intensive care unit patients at a 580-bed community teaching hospital, 66% reported dry mouth with higher thirst distress and intensity scores than in published studies. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of scheduled use of ice water oral swabs and lip moisturizer with menthol compared with unscheduled use in relieving thirst and dry mouth for intensive care unit patients...

BACKGROUND: Blind insertion of feeding tubes remains unsafe. Electromagnetic placement devices such as the CORTRAK Enteral Access System allow operators to interpret placement of feeding tubes in real time. However, pneumothoraces have been reported and inadequate user expertise is a concern. OBJECTIVE: To explore factors influencing competency of CORTRAK-assisted feeding tube insertion. METHODS: A prospective, observational pilot study was conducted...

BACKGROUND: Targeted education to help parents and caregivers recognize the signs and symptoms of post-intensive care syndrome may increase their awareness and willingness to seek support during their child's admission. The optimal strategy for this education has not been established. METHODS: A pilot study to test 3 educational strategies for caregivers of pediatric intensive care unit patients. The 3 strategies were compared using the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model framework for effectiveness of the education, the effect of each educational intervention on the intensive care unit nursing environment, and costs...

BACKGROUND: Post-intensive care syndrome is defined as the long-term cognitive, physical, and psychological impairments due to critical illness. OBJECTIVE: To validate the self-report version of the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor as a clinical tool for detecting post-intensive care syndrome. METHODS: A total of 142 patients who survived a stay in an intensive care unit completed the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor Self-report and standardized assessments of cognition, psychological symptoms, and physical functioning...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Nurses working in hospital environments are at risk for burnout. Exposure to nature has psychological benefits, but the effect of hospital gardens on nurse burnout is less understood. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect on nurse burnout of taking daily work breaks in a hospital-integrated garden with the effect of indoor-only breaks. METHODS: A prospective crossover trial was conducted of nurses assigned to either 6 weeks of a work break in an outdoor hospital garden or 6 weeks of indoor-only breaks...

BACKGROUND: Acute gastrointestinal injury is associated with significantly increased mortality in critically ill patients. However, markers for measuring acute gastrointestinal injury are neither sensitive nor specific. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether enzymes in digestive fluid are predictive of the severity of acute gastrointestinal injury. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted between June 2015 and December 2015 in a surgical intensive care unit...

BACKGROUND: Critical illness polyneuropathy or myopathy is a severe disorder that may adversely affect patients in the intensive care unit, resulting in reduced mobilization, decline in muscle mass, and prolonged recovery periods. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the application of trans-cutaneous electrical neuromuscular stimulation (TENMS) reduces the incidence or severity of myopathy related to critical illness in intensive care unit patients. METHODS: A total of 80 patients aged 18 years or older with an intensive care unit stay of 96 hours or more and receipt of mechanical ventilation for 96 hours or more were initially enrolled in a prospective, open-label randomized controlled trial in a university hospital...