A Feasibility Study of Qualitative Methods Using the Zarit Burden Interview in Heart Failure Caregivers.

Objectives: The primary goal of this study was to identify and understand the burden experienced by informal caregivers of patients with HF at the time of hospital discharge. The researchers aimed to guide future education interventions and promote informal caregiver burden screening.

Design: The researchers administered the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) as a quantitative tool to assess informal caregiver burden.

Patient, Practice, and Organizational Factors Associated With Early Mobility Performance in Critically Ill Adults.

Background: Adoption of early mobility interventions into intensive care unit (ICU) practice has been slow and varied.

Objectives: To examine factors associated with early mobility performance in critically ill adults and evaluate factors' effects on predicting next-day early mobility performance.

Methods: A secondary analysis of 66 ICUs' data from patients admitted for at least 24 hours.

Exploring the Influence of Contextual Factors and the Caregiving Process on Caregiver Burden and Quality of Life Outcomes of Heart Failure (HF) Dyads after a Hospital Discharge: A Mixed-Methods Study.

: This study explores heart failure (HF) dyadic contextual factors and caregiver burden during acute exacerbation hospitalization and discharge. : It employed a mixed-methods approach, with HF dyads completing questionnaires and semi-structured interviews at a one-week post-discharge outpatient visit. Quantitative tools included the SF-12 Quality of Life, Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale (BCOS), and Self-Care of Heart Failure Index v.

Delirium in the United States: Results From the 2023 Cross-Sectional World Delirium Awareness Day Prevalence Study.

Background: Delirium is an acute brain dysfunction associated with an increased risk of mortality and future dementia.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of clinically documented delirium in the United States on World Delirium Awareness Day 2023.

Methods: This is a sub-analysis of a prospective, cross-sectional, online, international survey.

A Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study: Eliciting ICU Experiences and Measuring Outcomes of Family Caregivers of Patients Who Have Undergone Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

The impact of an intensive care unit (ICU) admission on family caregivers of patients who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has not been well described. Aims of this study were to determine the feasibility of conducting research with family caregivers of HSCT patients during an ICU admission and generate preliminary data about their experiences and engagement in care. Using a mixed-methods, repeated measures design, we collected data from family caregivers after 48 hr in the ICU (T1) and at 48 hr after transferring out of ICU (T2).

Symptom Assessment for Mechanically Ventilated Patients: Principles and Priorities: An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report.

Mechanically ventilated patients experience many adverse symptoms, such as anxiety, thirst, and dyspnea. However, these common symptoms are not included in practice guideline recommendations for routine assessment of mechanically ventilated patients. An American Thoracic Society-sponsored workshop with researchers and clinicians with expertise in critical care and symptom management was convened for a discussion of symptom assessment in mechanically ventilated patients.

Nurse-led heart failure educational interventions for patient and informal caregiver dyads: An integrative review.

Background: Heart failure is a major health problem with significant economic burden in the United States. Educating heart failure dyads (heart failure patient and informal caregiver) is a relatively new domain and is being proposed by providers, policy makers, and third-party payors. Nurse-led dyad education can improve quality of life and reduce hospital admissions in the heart failure population.

A Step Forward for Intensive Care Unit Patients: Early Mobility Interventions and Associated Outcome Measures.

Background: Critical illness survivors have impairments across physical, psychological, and cognitive health domains known as post-intensive care syndrome. Although physical activity can improve outcomes across all health domains, most intensive care unit early mobility studies focus solely on physical outcomes.

Objective: To explore the role of early mobility for adult patients in the intensive care unit by analyzing early mobility intervention studies with physical, psychological, or cognitive outcome measures.

Post-intensive care syndrome: A review for the primary care NP.

Post-intensive care syndrome is a costly and complicated collection of physical, cognitive, and mental health problems experienced by survivors of critical illness. The primary care NP is uniquely positioned to assess, monitor, manage, and treat patients with this syndrome following hospital discharge.

Relationships among Demographic, Clinical, and Psychological Factors Associated with Family Caregiver Readiness to Participate in Intensive Care Unit Care.

There has been a paradigm shift to partner with family caregivers by actively involving them in the direct care of the patient throughout the critical illness trajectory. Before effectively engaging family members in patient care, clinicians must assess characteristics and circumstances that may affect caregiver readiness to assume a caregiving role in the intensive care unit (ICU). To determine how demographic, clinical, and psychological factors are related to characteristics of family caregiver readiness to engage in ICU patient care.

Efficacy of a bioburden reduction intervention on mobile phones of critical care nurses.

Background: Current literature identifies mobile phones of staff as potential vectors for hospital-acquired infection.

Methods: A pre-post, quasi-experimental study was conducted in a 20 bed intensive care unit (ICU). Surface bioburden of personal and shared mobile phones was estimated with a luminometer, expressed in Relative Light Units (RLU).

Family Caregiver Preferences and Contributions Related to Patient Care in the ICU.

Guided by Individual and Family Self-Management Theory, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to describe patient care activities that family caregivers endorsed and performed while visiting their family member in the ICU. We found that caregivers wanted to be involved in ICU patient care and had preferences for the care they wanted to perform with their critically ill family member. More than 80% preferred to perform tasks related to daily grooming, communication, and education.

National Estimates of Workplace Telehealth Use Among Emergency Nurses and All Registered Nurses in the United States.

Introduction: The goal of this research was to quantify the baseline status of prepandemic workplace emergency nursing telehealth as a key consideration for ongoing telehealth growth and sustainable emergency nursing care model planning. The purpose of this research was to: (1) generate national estimates of prepandemic workplace telehealth use among emergency and other inpatient hospital nurses and (2) map the geographic distribution of prepandemic workplace emergency nurse telehealth use by state of nurse residence.

Methods: We generated national estimates using data from the 2018 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses.

A Qualitative Analysis of Factors Influencing Critical Care Trial Enrollment Among Surrogates.

Background: We sought to identify factors that influence surrogate decision makers' decisions to enroll patients into a critical care randomized controlled trial.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative study embedded within a randomized controlled trial testing the effect of a behavioral nudge intervention for surrogate decision makers on enrollment rate in a sham ventilatory weaning trial among patients with acute respiratory failure. Participants were adult surrogate decision makers of patients receiving mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure.

Systematic review of family engagement interventions in neonatal, paediatric, and adult ICUs.

Aims And Objectives: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate interventions that have been used to engage families in direct care activities (active family engagement) in adult, paediatric, and neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) settings.

Background: Family engagement is universally advocated across ICU populations and practice settings; however, appraisal of the active family engagement intervention literature remains limited.

Search Strategy: Ovid Medline, PsycArticles & PsycInfo, Scopus, and CINAHL were searched for family interventions that involved direct care of the patient to enhance the psychological, physical, or emotional well-being of the patient or family in neonatal, paediatric, or adult ICUs.

Nurses' Attitudes and Practices Related to Sedation: A National Survey.

Background: Nurses are fundamental to the implementation of sedation protocols for patients receiving mechanical ventilation. A 2005 survey showed that nurses' attitudes toward sedation affected their sedation practices. Since then, updated guidelines on managing pain, agitation, and delirium have been published.

The Emerging Scholars' Network Within MNRS: From Acorns to Oaks.

As the nursing faculty shortage persists, there is an urgent need to develop emerging nurse scholars into research leaders capable of advocating for the profession and expanding on the mission to improve health. To address this need, the Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) commissioned a student task force that led to the development of the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN). The purpose of this article is to describe how the ESN was developed, integrated, and promoted within the MNRS to advance the overall mission and sustainability of the society.

"Sedation is tricky": A qualitative content analysis of nurses' perceptions of sedation administration in mechanically ventilated intensive care unit patients.

Introduction: Critical care nurses are responsible for administering sedative medications to mechanically ventilated patients. With significant advancements in the understanding of the impact of sedative exposure on physiological and psychological outcomes of ventilated patients, updated practice guidelines for assessment and management of pain, agitation, and delirium in the intensive care unit were released in 2013. The primary aim of this qualitative study was to identify and describe themes derived from critical care nurses' comments regarding sedation administration practices with mechanically ventilated patients.

Letting the Patient Decide: A Case Report of Self-Administered Sedation During Mechanical Ventilation.

It is common for critical care nurses to administer sedative medications to patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Although patient-controlled analgesia is frequently used in practice to promote effective self-management of pain by patients, it is not known if patient-controlled sedation can be used to promote effective self-management of distressing symptoms associated with mechanical ventilation. A randomized pilot trial was conducted to evaluate whether patient self-administered sedation with dexmedetomidine is safe and acceptable for self-management of anxiety during ventilator support.

Animal Assisted Interactions to Alleviate Psychological Symptoms in Patients on Mechanical Ventilation.

Mechanical ventilation is a common life support intervention for critically ill patients that can cause stressful psychological symptoms. Animal assisted interactions have been used in variety of inpatient settings to reduce symptom burden and promote overall well-being. Due to the severity of illness associated with critical care, use of highly technological equipment, and heightened concern for infection control and patient safety, animal-assisted interaction has not been widely adopted in the intensive care unit.

A qualitative study of factors that influence active family involvement with patient care in the ICU: Survey of critical care nurses.

Objective: Family caregiver involvement may improve patient and family outcomes in the intensive care unit. This study describes critical care nurses' approaches to involving family caregivers in direct patient care.

Research Methodology & Design: This is a qualitative content analysis of text captured through an electronic survey.

Safety and Acceptability of Patient-Administered Sedatives During Mechanical Ventilation.

Background: Safety and acceptability of sedative self-administration by patients receiving mechanical ventilation is unknown.

Objectives: To determine if self-administration of dexmedetomidine by patients is safe and acceptable for self-management of anxiety during ventilatory support.

Methods: In a pilot trial in 3 intensive care units, 17 intubated patients were randomly assigned to dexmedetomidine and 20 to usual care.