Deriving Information Requirements for a Smart Nursing System for Intensive Care Units
This article documents the systematic process of deriving information requirements from 2 focus groups conducted separately with nurses and nurse managers working in various Southeastern Texas hospitals. While nurses expected functionality such as memory aid tools, health assessment, and stress-reducing exercises, nurse managers expected information about the overall status of the unit's fatigue/stress levels as well as nurses' communication and movement patterns. The derived information requirements will act as an objective assessment of needs and would set the stage for the design of a stress-monitoring tool. (Source: Cr...
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - January 1, 2018 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Evaluating Nurses' Perception of Patient Safety Design Features in Intensive Care Units
A methodological study was conducted to test the validity and reliability of the patient safety (PS) scale developed by Rashid (2007) for evaluating nurses' perception of adult intensive care unit (ICU) design features related to patient safety. Data for the study were collected using a Web-based survey instrument. A link to the survey instrument was posted on the Web site of American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) for ICU nurses in different US states to participate. A sample of 587 valid responses was divided into 2 halves for cross-validation. The first half of the sample was used for exploratory factor anal...
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - January 1, 2018 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Decentralization: The Corridor Is the Problem, Not the Alcove
There is controversy today about whether decentralized intensive care unit (ICU) designs featuring alcoves and multiple sites for charting are effective. There are issues relating to travel distance, visibility of patients, visibility of staff colleagues, and communications among caregivers, along with concerns about safety risk. When these designs became possible and popular, many ICU designs moved away from the high-visibility circular, semicircular, or box-like shapes and began to feature units with more linear shapes and footprints similar to acute bed units. Critical care nurses on the new, linear units have expressed...
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - January 1, 2018 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Foreword
No abstract available (Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly)
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - January 1, 2018 Category: Nursing Tags: Foreword Source Type: research
Direct Observation of Medication Errors in Critical Care Setting: A Systematic Review
This article reviews published research about these errors and reports results of observational studies. The types of errors, incidence, and root causes have been considered along with adverse consequences. The implications for bedside practice as a result of this review are fairly straightforward. Medication errors are happening at an alarming rate in the critical care environment, and these errors are preventable. It is imperative that all personnel respect and follow established guidelines and procedural safeguards to ensure flawless drug delivery to patients. (Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly)
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - December 2, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Safety and Security Concerns of Nurses Working in the Intensive Care Unit: A Qualitative Study
Intensive care units (ICUs) exist to serve as a safe place for critically ill patients to receive care from skilled practitioners. In this qualitative study, ICU nurses shared their perspectives on elements that promote safety and security on their units. After obtaining institutional review board approval, participants participated in telephone interviews with a nurse researcher who has experience as a bedside ICU nurse. Five categories and 14 themes were identified and then confirmed using member checking. Results indicate that participants prefer to provide care in ICUs with no more than 12 to 14 beds and provide the fo...
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - December 2, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Informatics for the Modern Intensive Care Unit
Advanced informatics systems can help improve health care delivery and the environment of care for critically ill patients. However, identifying, testing, and deploying advanced informatics systems can be quite challenging. These processes often require involvement from a collaborative group of health care professionals of varied disciplines with knowledge of the complexities related to designing the modern and “smart” intensive care unit (ICU). In this article, we explore the connectivity environment within the ICU, middleware technologies to address a host of patient care initiatives, and the core informatics concept...
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - December 2, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Tele-ICU and Patient Safety Considerations
The tele-ICU is designed to leverage, not replace, the need for bedside clinical expertise in the diagnosis, treatment, and assessment of various critical illnesses. Tele-ICUs are primarily decentralized or centralized models with differing advantages and disadvantages. The centralized model has sufficiently powered published data to be associated with improved mortality and ICU length of stay in a cost-effective manner. Factors associated with improved clinical outcomes include improved compliance with best practices; providing off-hours implementation of the bedside physician's care plan; and identification of and rapid ...
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - December 2, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Environmental Infection Prevention: Priorities of Patient Safety Collaboration
This article addresses the role of the ICU nurse as a team facilitator collaborating with environmental services, infection preventionists, and others to influence ICU design during preconstruction planning and unit environmental hygiene after construction to promote patient safety and prevent HAI associated with contaminated environments and equipment. (Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly)
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - December 2, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Deriving Information Requirements for a Smart Nursing System for Intensive Care Units
This article documents the systematic process of deriving information requirements from 2 focus groups conducted separately with nurses and nurse managers working in various Southeastern Texas hospitals. While nurses expected functionality such as memory aid tools, health assessment, and stress-reducing exercises, nurse managers expected information about the overall status of the unit's fatigue/stress levels as well as nurses' communication and movement patterns. The derived information requirements will act as an objective assessment of needs and would set the stage for the design of a stress-monitoring tool. (Source: Cr...
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - December 2, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Evaluating Nurses' Perception of Patient Safety Design Features in Intensive Care Units
A methodological study was conducted to test the validity and reliability of the patient safety (PS) scale developed by Rashid (2007) for evaluating nurses' perception of adult intensive care unit (ICU) design features related to patient safety. Data for the study were collected using a Web-based survey instrument. A link to the survey instrument was posted on the Web site of American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) for ICU nurses in different US states to participate. A sample of 587 valid responses was divided into 2 halves for cross-validation. The first half of the sample was used for exploratory factor anal...
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - December 2, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Decentralization: The Corridor Is the Problem, Not the Alcove
There is controversy today about whether decentralized intensive care unit (ICU) designs featuring alcoves and multiple sites for charting are effective. There are issues relating to travel distance, visibility of patients, visibility of staff colleagues, and communications among caregivers, along with concerns about safety risk. When these designs became possible and popular, many ICU designs moved away from the high-visibility circular, semicircular, or box-like shapes and began to feature units with more linear shapes and footprints similar to acute bed units. Critical care nurses on the new, linear units have expressed...
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - December 2, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Foreword
No abstract available (Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly)
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - December 2, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: Foreword Source Type: research
Pharmaceutical Cost Savings in the Intensive Care Unit
Health care costs are rising in the United States with a significant amount of this spend attributed to pharmaceutical costs. The reasons for rising pharmaceutical costs are multifactorial and may include the increase in single source manufacturers of generic medications, drug shortages, the Food and Drug Administration's unapproved drug approval initiative, and generic rebranding. Many of these factors impact the intensive care unit directly creating the need to implement cost-savings strategies to ensure the financial health of an organization and reduce the financial burden for patients. To mitigate rising costs, we hav...
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - August 25, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Opportunistic Pulmonary Infections in the Solid Organ Transplant Recipient: A Focus on Drug Therapy
Immunosuppression required to prevent allograft rejection in the solid organ transplant recipient increases vulnerability to infections. Given continuous environmental exposure, the lungs are increasingly susceptible to bacterial, viral, and fungal opportunistic infections. Drug therapy options for the treatment of opportunistic pulmonary infections are used infrequently. These medications are often classified as high risk with specific administration instructions, as well as a multitude of toxicities. Therefore, in this article, we will discuss select pulmonary opportunistic infections and their associated drug therapies....
Source: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly - August 25, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
