Close relatives in intensive care from the perspective of critical care nurses

Aim. The aim was to describe critical care nurses’ experiences of close relatives within intensive care. Background. There is a lack of research describing critical care nurses' experiences of the significance of close relatives in intensive care. Knowledge in this area will support critical care nurses to develop good nursing care for the critically ill person and their close relatives. Design and method. The design of the study was qualitative. Data collection was carried out through focus group discussions with 24 critical care nurses in four focus groups during spring 2004. The data were subjected to qualitative thematic content analysis. Results. The focus groups discussions showed that the presence of close relatives was taken for granted by critical care nurses and it was frustrating if the critically ill person did not have any. Information from close relatives made it possible for critical care nurses to create individual care for the critically ill person. They supported close relatives by giving them information, being near and trying to establish good relations with them. Close relatives were important. Critical care nurses lacked forums for reflection and discussion about the care given. Relevance to clinical practice. This study indicates that close relatives are a prerequisite for critical care nurses to give good nursing care to meet the needs of the critically ill person. A communication based on mutual understanding is necessary if critical care nurses are to be able to support close relatives. Dealing constantly with situations that were ethically difficult without any chance to reflect was an obstacle for critical care nurses to improve their work with close relatives.     

The impact of family-centered care interventions on neonatal and parental outcomes in a Turkish hospital

AimThis study aimed to improve nurses’ attitudes towards parental engagement and to examine the impact of implementing nursing interventions related to family-centred care on neonatal and parental outcomes in a university hospital in Turkey.MethodsA quasi-experimental, nonequivalent, and post-test research design was used. Using convenience sampling, the study was completed with 128 preterm infants and their parents, including 64 in the experimental group and 64 in the control group at a neonatal intensive care unit of a university hospital. The control group data were collected from medical records and parents before practising family-centred nursing interventions developed for the experimental group. In addition, nurses were given a four hour training session aimed to improve their attitudes towards parental participation in care, with the nurses’ attitudes measured before, immediately after, and one month after the training. The experimental group data were collected from medical records and parents after 10 nursing interventions based on family-centred care supported by managers began to be implemented by trained nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit. The Parent-Preterm Infant Characteristics Form, Maternal Attachment Inventory, Empowerment of Parents in the Intensive Care-Neonatology (EMPATHIC-N), and Parental Engagement Attitude Scale were used for the data collection.FindingsWhile nurses’ scores of attitudes toward parental participation obtained immediately after and one month after the training were higher than those before the training, the scores one month after were lower compared to those immediately after. The results indicated that discharge weight gain of infants in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group and that there was no significant difference between the groups in length of stay at neonatal intensive care unit. The maternal attachment and satisfaction scores of the parents in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group.ConclusionImplementing family-centred nursing care interventions, developed based on unit needs and supported by managers, with trained neonatal intensive care nurses positively impacted parent-infant attachment, parent satisfaction, and infant weight gain.     

Translating person-centred care: a case study of preceptor nurses and their teaching practices in acute care areas

Aims and objectives. The research aims to explore how preceptors interpret, operationalize, document and teach person‐centred care as they guide students within an acute surgical environment. Background. Person‐centred care is a term that is widely used in the nursing literature; however, its interpretation in nursing practice remains virtually unexplored. This is of great significance to nurses in general but to Irish nurses in particular on whom this study is focused. As preceptor nurses have been identified as key people in the education of clinical students, it was considered important to explore how clinical preceptors promote person‐centred care to current undergraduate nursing students. Design and method. Using a case study design and a qualitative approach, six preceptors were chosen to participate in this study. Data were collected by means of participant observation, review of nursing care records and semi‐structured interviews. Data were analysed in two stages. The first stage involved the identification of themes. In the second stage data were analysed using a number of propositions to examine and explain what was gleaned from the data in the context of what was originally identified in the literature. Results. Findings highlighted that preceptors had a limited conception of person‐centred care. Measures of care reflected the medical model of nursing. Beyond that, preceptors expressed care in terms of good manners or respectful etiquette. Preceptors also had limited appreciation of what learning entails and were sceptical about classroom theory other than what they considered essential for safe practice. Conclusions. This study highlights that preceptors need both internal and external support to implement the changes advocated by the Commission in Nursing in 1998 , the Nursing Education Forum in 2000 , the Department of Health and Children in 2001 and An Bord Altranais in 2003 . Relevance to clinical practice. Person‐centred care is a relatively new concept in nursing and recommended for practice. Preceptors need facilitation with its implementation. In an effort to promote changes in the delivery of health care, it is suggested that university‐based lecturers empower students to practice evidence‐based nursing as students and subsequently as qualified nurses.     

Outcomes of acutely ill older hospitalized patients following implementation of tailored models of care: a repeated measures (pre- and post-intervention) design

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of research investigating models of nursing care for older hospitalised patients that address the nursing needs of this group. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of models of care for acutely older patients tailored to two contexts: an aged care specific ward and a medical ward. DESIGN: This is a repeated measures design. Efficacy of the models was evaluated in terms of: patient and nurses' satisfaction with care provided; increased activities of daily living; reduced unplanned hospital readmissions; and medication knowledge. SETTINGS: An aged care specific ward and a medical ward in two Sydney teaching hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: There were two groups of patients aged 65 years or older who were admitted to hospital for an acute illness: those admitted prior to model implementation (n=232) and those admitted during model implementation (n=116). Patients with moderate or severe dementia were excluded. The two groups of nurses were the pre-model group (n=90) who were working on the medical and aged care wards for the study prior to model implementation, and the post-model group (n=22), who were the nurses working on the wards during model implementation. METHODS: Action research was used to develop the models of care in two wards: one for an aged care specific ward and another for a general medical ward where older patients were admitted. The models developed were based on empirical data gathered in an earlier phase of this study. RESULTS: The models were successful in both wards in terms of increasing satisfaction levels in patients and nurses (p<0.001), increasing functional independence as measured by activities of daily living (p<0.01), and increasing medication knowledge (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that models of care developed by nurses using an evidence-based action research strategy can enhance both satisfaction and health outcomes in older patients.     

全人护理在甲型H1N1流感医学观察中的应用

目的探讨全人护理知识在甲型H1N1流感医学观察中的应用。方法对226例处于甲型H1N1流感检疫期接受医学观察的人员进行全面照护。结果所有接受医学观察人员平稳渡过观察期,无相关不良事件发生。结论综合运用全人护理知识实施甲型H1N1流感医学观察护理,有助于提高护士应对重大突发公共卫生事件的能力。     

Nurses' experience of loss on the death of older persons in long-term residential care: findings from an interpretative phenomenological study

Background. Little is known of the experience of loss among nurses working with older persons in long-stay settings. Objectives. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the experience of loss among nurses working in a long-term residential care setting. Design. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was the method adopted. Data was collected by semi-structured interviews undertaken with seven nurses. Results. The findings revealed three main themes: 'life's final journey', 'family' and 'professional carer'. Conclusions. The experience of loss on the death of an older person is described by nurses in the context of the care they give at end of life, and the relationships nurses developed with the older person's family. Where the older person has no contact with family, nurses become the 'family' and this contributed to the feeling of loss experienced. Finally, the loss experienced by nurses when an older person dies suddenly can often be emotive. Relevance to clinical practice. Supporting nurses in their provision of end-of-life care to older persons is essential. Nurses' attempts to keep memories of deceased residents alive by remembrance, helps place loss in the context of acknowledgment of the person's life.     

护理组长在实施护理层级管理中作用的研究

目的 探讨护理组长在护理层级管理中的作用.方法 将19名护理人员随机分为观察组10名和对照组9名.观察组实施护士长-护理组长-责任护士的护理层级管理模式,分管患者具体到人,由护理组长带领本组护理人员共同完成本组患者的各项治疗和护理工作.对照组实施护士长-责任护士的护理层级管理模式.比较观察组、对照组护理人员的专业知识考核成绩、病区综合护理质量、医患满意度得分等指标.结果 观察组的专业技术操作得分、专业理论知识得分均显著高于对照组.观察组的病区护理质量得分、患者的健康教育覆盖率显著高于对照组,不良事件发生率显著低于对照组.观察组的医生满意度得分、患者满意度得分均显著高于对照组.结论 设立护理组长的护理层级管理模式有利于提高护理人员业务水平、病区护理质量、医患满意度,从而能够有效地开展优质护理服务.     

Nurses' reasoning process during care planning taking pressure ulcer prevention as an example. A think-aloud study

BACKGROUND: Nurses' clinical reasoning is of great importance for the delivery of safe and efficient care. Pressure ulcer prevention allows a variety of aspects within nursing to be viewed. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe both the process and the content of nurses' reasoning during care planning at different nursing homes, using pressure ulcer prevention as an example. DESIGN: A qualitative research design was chosen. SETTINGS: Seven different nursing homes within one community were included. PARTICIPANTS: Eleven registered nurses were interviewed. METHOD: The methods used were think-aloud technique, protocol analysis and qualitative content analysis. Client simulation illustrating transition was used. The case used for care planning was in three parts covering the transition from hospital until 3 weeks in the nursing home. RESULT: Most nurses in this study conducted direct and indirect reasoning in a wide range of areas in connection with pressure ulcer prevention. The reasoning focused different parts of the nursing process depending on part of the case. Complex assertations as well as strategies aiming to reduce cognitive strain were rare. Nurses involved in direct nursing care held a broader reasoning than consultant nurses. Both explanations and actions based on older ideas and traditions occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Reasoning concerning pressure ulcer prevention while care planning was dominated by routine thinking. Knowing the person over a period of time made a more complex reasoning possible. The nurses' experience, knowledge together with how close to the elderly the nurses work seem to be important factors that affect the content of reasoning.     

The commonality and synchronicity of mental health nurses and palliative care nurses: closer than you think? Part one

The role of the palliative care nurse emphasizes the need for holistic care, and as this role has developed it has become evident that palliative care nurses require skills which, arguably, not all registered general nurses possess; particularly, skills pertaining to the psychological, social and spiritual domains of the person. In order to identify the skills that such nurses may require, there may be merit in considering other specialities of nursing which pay particular attention to the psychological, social and spiritual domains of the person. Consequently, this two-part paper explores the areas of commonality and synchronicity between palliative care nurses and mental health nurses. The authors argue that this commonality is best articulated under the headings: defining the needs of the client group, the role of the nurse in non-physical care, the nurse--client relationship, and the locus of control. They also argue that the differences between these groups of nurses are best articulated under the headings: facilitation/confrontation, and the focus on physical care. Part one of this paper therefore focuses on the first three areas of alleged commonality, with part two focusing on the fourth commonality, the key differences and the implications of such similarity. Given these areas of similarity the authors argue there is a case for reconsidering if the RGN qualification is an essential requirement for working within palliative care or if those with other skills -- skills based on 'being with' rather than 'doing for' -- such as RMNs, should be thought of for such roles.     

Nurses' perceptions of quality end-of-life care on an acute medical ward

AIM: This paper reports the findings of a study that generated a conceptual model of the nursing behaviours and social processes inherent in the provision of quality end-of-life care from the perspective of nurses working in an acute care setting. BACKGROUND: The majority of research examining the issue of quality end-of-life care has focused on the perspectives of patients, family members and physicians. The perspective of nurses has generally received minimal research attention, with the exception of those working within palliative or critical care. The vast majority of hospitalized patients, however, continue to be cared for and die on medical units. To date, little research has been conducted examining definitions and determinants of quality end-of-life care from the perspective of nurses working in acute adult medical settings. METHOD: Grounded theory method was used in this study of 10 nurses working on acute medical units at two tertiary university-affiliated hospitals in central Canada. Data were collected during 2002 by interview and participant observation. FINDINGS: The basic social problem uncovered in the data was that of nurses striving to provide high quality end-of-life care on an acute medical unit while being pulled in all directions. The unifying theme of 'Creating a haven for safe passage' integrated the major sub-processes into the key analytic model in this study. 'Creating a haven for safe passage' represents a continuum of behaviours and strategies, and includes the sub-processes of 'facilitating and maintain a lane change'; 'getting what's needed'; 'being there'; and 'manipulating the care environment'. CONCLUSION: The ability of nurses to provide quality end-of-life care on an acute medical unit is a complex process involving many factors related to the patient, family, healthcare providers and the context in which the provision of end-of-life care takes place.     

粤港两地部分急诊科医护人员对哀伤关顾认识的调查分析

目的 调查粤港两地部分急诊科医护人员对哀伤关顾的认识情况,为国内开展哀伤关顾护理提供理论依据.方法 自行设计对哀伤关顾的认识调查问卷,对香港各大联网医院的急诊科医护人员、本省各地区赴港学习的急诊科专科护士和本院急诊科医护人员进行调查,了解他们对哀伤关顾的认识情况.结果 香港急诊科医护人员对哀伤关顾的认识(100.0％)、参加过哀伤关顾培训(100.0％)、实施过哀伤关顾(100.0％)以及具备的哀伤关顾技能(100.0％)都比较好,并认为有必要开展哀伤关顾(98.8％)和愿意加入哀伤关顾小组(86.3％);而赴港学习的本省急诊科专科护士和本院急诊科医护人员对哀伤关顾的认识、参加过哀伤关顾培训、实施哀伤关顾以及所具备的哀伤关顾技能基本处于较少或无的状态,对于是否有必要开展哀伤关顾和愿意加入哀伤关顾小组,赴港学习的本省急诊科专科护士有92.6％认为有必要,85.2％愿意加入;而本院急诊科医护人员84.1％认为有必要,63.2％愿意加入.结论 国内医护人员对哀伤关顾的认识以及对病人实施哀伤关顾较少,学习并引进香港以及国外关于哀伤关顾的知识,结合本国国情发展和完善本土哀伤关顾文化非常重要.     

ICU应用ICNSS与APACHEⅡ评分配置护理资源效果的比较研究

目的 探讨重症监护护理评分系统(ICNSS)在ICU护理资源配置中的应用价值.方法 将108例ICU患者随机分为观察组55例和对照组53例.观察组运用ICNSS量表评估护理工作量,并根据评估结果 配置护理资源;对照组动态监测急性生理学和慢性健康状况(APACHEⅡ)评分,依据评分结果 配置护理资源.比较2组住ICU时间、医疗费用、住ICU期间并发症的发生率以及护士对护理资源配置和患者/家属对护理工作的满意度.结果 观察组住ICU时间、医疗费用、住ICU期间并发症的发生率均显著低于对照组;而护士对护理资源配置以及患者/家属对护理工作的满意度明显高于对照组.结论 运用ICNSS配置护理人力资源比基于APACHEⅡ评分的护理资源配置模式能更有效地提高护理质量以及护士和患者/家属的满意度,值得在ICU推广应用.     

Decision making in Greek and English registered nurses in coronary care units

Clinical decision-making is an integral component of the role of the professional nurse. The aim of the study was to identify the quality of decision making of Greek and English coronary care nurses during the acute and recovery phases post-myocardial infarction (MI), and determine factors that best predict clinical decision-making in these two discrete groups of nurses. By identifying best practice from standard textbooks and expert practitioners, Clinical Decision-Making cards were developed and employed to explore nurse decision-making. A questionnaire (influencing factor questionnaire-IFQ) was also administered to determine which factors predicted quality nurse decision-making in the acute and recovery phase of post-MI patient care. The results showed that nurses in England made better quality clinical decisions in the recovery phase of MI than the Greek counterparts (p<0.001). Variables were identified which best-predicted decision-making. Interestingly, the main finding of this study was that English nurses had greater autonomy in the recovery phase and therefore made more clinical decisions concerning the patient psychosocial recovery than Greek nurses. Nurses perceived clinical experience as the strongest factor influencing decision-making.     

泌尿外科病房医护同组排班的效果评价

2012年我院泌尿外科采用了医护同组排班模式,即相对固定的护士对应嘲定的医疗小组,与该医疗小纰负责相同的病人,完成病人的所有治疗和护理工作,并在查房时随同该组医生一起查房。这种排班模式不仅直接提高了护士的工作效率,加强了责任制整体护理的观念,而且有效减少了病人及家属的咨询次数及呼叫次数,让护士把更多的时间还给病人,从而提高了医、护、患三者满意度。     

Talking about persons – Thinking about patients: An ethnographic study in critical care

BackgroundNursing involves caring for the ‘whole person’ and it is considered inappropriate for nurses to think or talk about patients in objectifying or dehumanising ways. Objectifying discourses can dominate within the arena of critical care, and critical care nurses can experience moral distress as they struggle to think about patients as persons. No previous study has examined the role played by ‘impersonal’ talk in the delivery of nursing care. This paper reports a study which examined the relationship between nursing practice and the way(s) in which critical care nurses think and talk about patients.ObjectivesThe study objectives were to (1) identify and characterise the ways in which critical care nurses think and talk about patients; and (2) describe patterns of nursing practice associated with these different ways of thinking.Study designAn ethnographic study was undertaken within one critical care unit in the United Kingdom. Data were collected over 8 months through 92 h of participant observation and 13 interviews. Seven critical care nurses participated in the study. Data analysis adopted the perspective of linguistic ethnography.FindingsAnalysis of these data led to the identification of seven Discourses, each of which was characterised by a particular way of talking about patients, a particular way of thinking about patients, and a particular pattern of practice. Four of these seven Discourses were of particular significance because participants characterised it as ‘impersonal’ to think and talk about patients as ‘routine work’, as a ‘body’, as ‘(un)stable’ or as a ‘medical case’. Although participants frequently offered apologies or excuses for doing so, these ‘impersonal’ ways of thinking and talking were associated with practice that was essential to delivering safe effective care.ConclusionsCritical care practice requires nurses to think and talk about patients in many different ways, yet nurses are socialised to an ideal that they should always think and talk about patients as whole persons. This means that nurses can struggle to articulate and reflect upon aspects of their practice which require them to think and talk about patients in impersonal ways. This may be an important source of distress to critical care nurses and emotional exhaustion and burnout can arise from such dissonance between ideals and the reality of practice. Nursing leaders, scholars and policy makers need to recognise and legitimise the fact that nurses must think about patients in many ways, some of which may be considered impersonal.     

Insulin treatment as a tracer for identifying latent patient safety risks in home-based diabetes care

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether attitudes and opinions in areas of importance to patient safety expressed by nurses with medical responsibility were related to the knowledge of diabetes among home care personnel. DESIGN: A questionnaire survey was used to evaluate the knowledge of diabetes among 3144 nurses' aides' and assistant nurses working in 15 municipalities in Sweden. In each municipality a nurse with medical responsibility answered another questionnaire dealing with patient safety matters in general and diabetes in particular. RESULTS: There were large differences in the knowledge of diabetes among home care personnel on the municipality level. Attitudes and opinions of the nurses with medical responsibility in the areas of leadership, guidance and continuing education were significantly related to the knowledge of diabetes among nurses' aides' and assistant nurses. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that factors that are related to attitudes and opinions about patient safety among nurses with medical responsibility can increase the risk of home care personnel to make mistakes in the direct care of patients with diabetes.     

Interdisciplinary communication in general medical and surgical wards using two different models of nursing care delivery

fernandez r., tran d.t., johnson m. & jones s . (2010) Journal of Nursing Management 18, 265–274
Interdisciplinary communication in general medical and surgical wards using two different models of nursing care delivery Aim To compare two models of care on nurses’ perception of interdisciplinary communication in general medical and surgical wards. Background Effective interdisciplinary collaboration remains the cornerstone of efficient and successful functioning of health care teams and contributes substantially to patient safety. Methods  In May 2007, participants were recruited from a tertiary teaching hospital in Australia. The multifaceted Shared Care in Nursing (SCN) model of nursing care involved team work, leadership and professional development. In the Patient Allocation (PA) model one nurse was responsible for the care of a discrete group of patients. Differences in interdisciplinary communication were assessed at the 6-month follow-up. Results Completed questionnaires were returned by 125 participants. At the 6-month follow-up, there was a significant reduction in scores in the SCN group in the subscales relating to communication openness (P = 0.03) and communication accuracy (P = 0.02) when compared with baseline values. There were no significant differences in the two groups at the 6-month follow-up in any of the other subscales. Conclusions There is a need for effective training programmes to assist nurses in working together within a nursing team and an interdisciplinary ward team. The SCN and the PA models of care have been found by nurses to support most aspects of interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary communication. The applicability of both models of care to wards with a varying skill mix of nurses is suggested. Further studies of larger samples with varying compositions of skill mix and varying models of care are required. Implications for nursing management Nurse managers can use varying models of care to support interdisciplinary communication and enhance patient safety.     

422名新入职护士医学叙事能力现状及影响因素分析

目的 了解新入职护士医学叙事能力现状,并分析其影响因素。方法 采用便利抽样法,于2021年12月—2022年1月选取南昌市某三级甲等医院的422名新入职护士作为研究对象。采用一般资料调查表、医学叙事能力量表、家庭关怀度量表、护士职场适应度量表对其进行调查。采用多重线性回归分析新护士医学叙事能力的影响因素。结果 本组新入职护士医学叙事能力总分为（139.06±20.79）分。多重线性回归分析显示,家庭关怀度、护士职场适应度和叙事护理开展观点进入回归方程（P<0.01）,共解释新入职护士医学叙事能力总变异的43.5%。结论 本组新入职护士医学叙事能力处于中等偏上水平,家庭关怀度、护士职场适应度和叙事护理开展观点是其叙事能力的主要影响因素。护理管理者应实施针对性培训,以提高其叙事能力水平,助力专业成长。