Common microbial isolates in an adult intensive care unit before and after its relocation and expansion.

To describe the prevalence of common and clinically relevant microbial isolates before and after the migration of a 24-bed, open plan, adult intensive care unit (ICU) to a new extended design of 32 single rooms, supporting an expanded clinical oncology casemix while continuing all existing clinical services. Retrospective, observational descriptive analysis covering the period 5 May 2014 to 4 May 2018 - the 2 years before and after the ICU relocation on 5 May 2016. A university-associated, tertiary teaching hospital and state trauma centre in Victoria, Australia.

A pilot study of agreement between noninvasive thermometers and the core temperature of postoperative cardiothoracic surgical patients.

Objective: Reliable and accurate temperature assessment is fundamental for clinical monitoring; noninvasive thermometers of various designs are widely used in intensive care units, sometimes without a specific assessment of their suitability and interchangeability. This study evaluated agreement of four noninvasive thermometers with a pulmonary artery catheter temperature.

Methods: This prospective method comparison study was conducted in an Australian adult intensive care unit.

In-hours acute home visits by advanced nurse practitioners in primary care: a qualitative study.

Background: The extension of roles within the primary care team is one approach recommended to address the shortage of GPs in the UK. A key aspect of care that advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs) can undertake is acute home visits.

Aim: To evaluate the perspectives of ANPs performing acute in-hours home visits in primary care.

How support staff can be helped to challenge unacceptable practice.

Healthcare assistants (HCAs) play an increasingly important role in the provision of patient care and are well-placed to witness and challenge poor practice, yet often lack the confidence to do so. This article assesses the success of a two-day training course to empower HCAs to question their colleagues about practice, and the implications of this course for senior nurses.