The virtual ICU (vICU): a new dimension for critical care nursing practice.

The virtual or remote intensive care unit is a redesigned model of care that uses state-of-the-art technology to leverage the expertise and knowledge of experienced caregivers over a large group of patients in multiple intensive care units. The registered nurse working in this environment, or eRN, is an expert clinician familiar with evidence-based clinical initiatives that need to occur at the bedside to optimize outcomes for patients. The eRN assists the bedside team by providing a second layer of quality and safety.

The American Association of Critical Care Nurse's Beacon Award: a framework for quality.

The Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence recognizes individual critical care units that have met rigid criteria for excellence, exhibiting high-quality standards and exceptional care of patients and their families. Used as a framework for quality, the award criteria focus on structure, process, and outcomes that enable quality to emerge in the critical care environment. The journey toward meeting Beacon Award criteria can produce long-lasting changes that transform unit-based culture and lead to sustained excellence.

The AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care: a nursing model as a Force of Magnetism.

One of the 14 Forces of Magnetism requires a health care organization to have a professional model of care. The eligibility requirements stipulate that this model must be utilized throughout the health care system and that the same philosophy must be used throughout the system. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Synergy Model for Patient Care describes nursing practice based on eight patient characteristics, and also describes eight nurse competencies.

Inferior vena caval filters: key considerations.

Surgical interruption of the inferior vena cava (IVC) as a means to prevent pulmonary embolism and its consequences has been entertained since the end of the 19th century. Initial methods were crude, however, but their deficiencies led to the development of newer techniques. Despite increasing indications and use of permanent IVC filters there remains controversy regarding their efficacy and complications.