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UrduA regional partnership allowed active-duty military critical care nurses to complete rotations of standard 12-hour shifts at a civilian trauma center, enhancing their clinical readiness relevant to both combat medicine and general hospital care.
Tag: ICU
Sepsis Survivors Remain at Risk for Readmission
Sepsis survivors remain at significant risk for readmission, with unexpectedly high rates of returning to the hospital for those discharged to home health care or home settings, according to a study published in American Journal of Critical Care
Beyond the Bundle: Focused Rounds Address CLABSI Risks
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania used nurse-driven central catheter rounds to identify specific areas for improvement, decreasing the CLABSI rate in its cardiac progressive care unit to 0.0.
AACN Certification Corporation Announces Board of Directors for Fiscal Year 2025
Myra Ellis, of Duke University, becomes chair of national board for AACN Certification Corporation, the credentialing arm of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). The organization offers 10 specialty, subspecialty and advanced practice nursing certification programs and has granted more than 140,000 certifications.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Announces Board of Directors for Fiscal Year 2025
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses announces its board of directors for fiscal year 2025, with terms effective July 1, 2024. Jennifer Adamski, of Emory University, becomes president of world’s largest specialty nursing organization.
Factors Vary for Mode of Death After Cardiac Arrest
A study from The Ohio State University finds important differences among patients who survive a cardiac arrest to receive hospital care before their death.
Simulation Sessions Help ICU Clinicians Prepare for High-Risk, Infrequent Emergency Procedures
The cardiovascular ICU at the University of Mississippi Medical Center developed a simulation training program to improve clinicians’ ability to recognize clinical signs that would prompt an emergency ICU sternotomy for a postoperative cardiac surgery patient and rehearse the high-risk but infrequent procedure.
AACN Hosts 50th National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) brings together thousands of nurses and others who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families during the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI), May 20-22 in Denver. This year, AACN celebrates its 50th NTI, the premier conference for critical and progressive care nursing education.
Mobility May Have Dose-Response Relationship with ICU Patient Outcomes
UC Davis study of data from 8500+ ICU patients finds more out-of-bed mobility interventions for critically ill patients were associated with shorter mechanical ventilation duration and hospital stays, suggesting a dose-response relationship between daily mobility and patient outcomes.
Nurses Must Advocate Beyond the Bedside
Nurse-legislator offers eight specific steps nurses can take to position themselves as confident advocates ready to engage in policy discussions and influence policymakers. The article is part of a symposium in AACN Advanced Critical Care about political engagement for nurses and advanced practice nurses.
Screening Tool Streamlines Requests for Palliative Care Consultations
An initiative at Bon Secours Mercy Health Anderson hospital in Cincinnati demonstrates the potential impact of integrating a simple screening tool at the point of admission to trigger automatic referrals for palliative care consultations for critically ill patients.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Honors 18 Acute and Critical Care Nurses With Circle of Excellence Award
AACN recognizes 18 exceptional nurses — each nominated by colleagues — with the 2024 Circle of Excellence award. They will be honored during AACN’s 50th National Teaching Institute, to be held in Denver, May 20-22.
Virtual Reality Simulation Improves PICU Nurses’ Recognition of Impending Respiratory Failure
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center used virtual reality training to teach clinical assessment skills and improve novice nurses’ recognition of pediatric respiratory distress. Months later, nurses in the VR group were significantly more likely to correctly recognize impending respiratory failure, identify respiratory distress without impending respiratory failure, and recognize altered mental status.
New Assessment Tool Supports Onboarding ICU Nurses
AACN Knowledge Assessment Tool helps hospitals better identify knowledge gaps and educational needs of critical care and progressive care nurses during orientation and onboarding. The online assessment randomly generates validated questions in over 10 areas and aligns with AACN’s Essentials of Critical Care Orientation course used by 1,000+ healthcare facilities.
Registration Opens for NTI 2024, AACN’s 50th Conference
Next year, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses will celebrate its 50th National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, May 20-22, in Denver. NTI has become the premier conference for critical and progressive care nursing education. Registration is open, and media credentials are available.
Anxiety Sensitivity ‘What If’ Fears Impact Care for ICU Patients, During and After Hospitalization
Clinicians need to have a better understanding of the potential impact of patients’ anxiety sensitivity, or “fear of fear,” falsely believing that symptoms are the early signs of something bad, such as a heart attack, cognitive decline or social isolation.
Point-of-Care Ultrasonography Offers Clear Benefits, Multiple Applications in Critical Care
Advances in ultrasonography technology have led to increased usage at the point-of-care, with handheld devices offering both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. AACN journal publishes two-part symposium on POCUS use In critical care.
Rapid Telehealth Consults Improve Care for Rural Patients With Stroke
A telestroke program at Essentia Health addressed barriers to rapid diagnosis and intervention for rural patients with stroke symptoms, decreasing door-to-needle time and improving outcomes.
The surprising origin of a deadly hospital infection
Surprising findings from a study in Nature Medicine suggest that the burden of C. diff infection may be less a matter of hospital transmission and more a result of characteristics associated with the patients themselves.
Analysis Reveals Factors Associated With Patients With Sepsis Who Require Mechanical Ventilation
An analysis of 10 years of health data showed that risk factors for needing mechanical ventilation changed for patients with newly diagnosed sepsis as more time passed after onset.
Thorough and Ongoing Neurological Assessments Crucial to Care of Patients With Altered Level of Consciousness
Nurses who care for neurologically impaired patients must have the knowledge, skill and time to confidently perform comprehensive neurological assessments to identify changes and evaluate trends that require quick diagnosis and intervention by the multidisciplinary team. Article in Critical Care Nurse provides an overview of methods to assess patients with altered level of consciousness.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Announces Board of Directors
Theresa Davis, of Inova Health System, becomes president of AACN, the world’s largest specialty nursing organization.
Patients With Alzheimer Disease, Dementia Face 2x Risk of Dying After ICU Discharge
Older adults with Alzheimer disease and related dementia who were admitted to an ICU were much less likely to be discharged home and faced almost twice the risk of dying soon after discharge and within the 12 months afterward.
AACN Publishes Scope and Standards for Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Practice
An updated version of “AACN Scope and Standards for Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Practice” is now available. It delineates the acute care CNS scope of practice, standards of practice, and standards of professional performance.
Debriefing After Critical Events Combines Review, Reflection
The PICU bereavement/wellness committee at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago developed a tailored debriefing process to allow time for reflection and communication after critical patient events. The process was designed as a hot debriefing to be completed during the current shift, with all staff members who were involved in the event invited to participate.
ICUconnect App Helped Clinicians Address Unmet Palliative Care Needs Across Course of ICU Care
In a randomized controlled trial, ICUconnect helped ICU physicians to reduce unmet palliative care needs of critically ill patients and their families better than standard care did, according to research published at the ATS 2023 International Conference.
AACN Critical Care Conference Brings Together Thousands of Nurses for Education, Inspiration
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses brings together thousands of nurses and other healthcare professionals who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families during its National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI, #NTI2023).
AACN presents NTI this year in-person May 22-24
AACN Practice Alert Offers Guidance on Manual Prone Positioning for Patients With ARDS
A newly released practice alert from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses aims to standardize how nurses care for patients undergoing prone positioning therapy for extended periods of time. It summarizes expected nursing practice to reduce the risk of complications related to manual prone positioning.
Mentors Help RNs Transition to Advanced Practice Roles
Mentors can help RNs navigate into new roles as acute care nurse practitioners with confidence and help them evolve as clinicians and grow into leadership roles. Article in AACN Advanced Critical Care offers specific strategies for mentors to support novice ACNPs as they move into advanced practice roles.
Program Leads to Sustained Improvements in Nurses’ Moral Resilience
An experiential educational program led to sustained improvements in nurses’ skills in mindfulness, resilience and competence in confronting ethical challenges. In the study, more than 95% of the 245 participating nurses reported confronting ethical challenges in their workplace, but only 15% had previously received formal ethics training.
Initiative Improves Alarm Management, Reduces Alarm Fatigue
A Florida hospital’s surgical ICU used the CEASE bundle to improve nurses’ alarm management practices and reduce nurses’ self-reported alarm fatigue, according to a study in Critical Care Nurse.
Hackensack Meridian Old Bridge Medical Center Intensive Care Unit Receives the Critical Care Nurses Silver Beacon Award for Excellence
“We are honored to achieve this recognition from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses,” said Jane O’Rourke, chief nursing officer, Old Bridge Medical Center and Raritan Bay Medical Center. “This award is a true testament to the dedication and hard work our nurses put in every day.”
Checklist Prompters Support ICU Rounds
New research from UPMC points to the potential for patient-specific checklists as a valid way to effectively translate the latest evidence into clinical practice. The study published in American Journal of Critical Care measured performance on the ABCDEF bundle during rounds.
Initiative Prevents Tracheostomy-Related Pressure Injuries
A New York hospital ICU was able to reduce the incidence of medical device-related pressure injuries following a tracheostomy to zero for four years, according to a study published in AACN Advanced Critical Care. A key part of the new clinical process was a revised procedural kit and documentation, with a foam dressing placed under the tracheostomy flange during insertion.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Recognizes 185 Hospital Units With Beacon Award for Excellence in 2022
A total of 185 units from 134 hospitals earned the AACN Beacon Award for Excellence in 2022. Of note, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, had five units recognized with gold-level awards, the program’s highest distinction. A hospital in Colombia was the only international hospital recognized last year, with four units earning Beacon awards.
The American Thoracic Society Wants to Improve Patient Safety and Equity at the Time of ICU Discharge
The American Thoracic Society, together with six sites across the U.S., is launching the ATS ICU Pause Initiative to educate health care providers about patient safety and equity in diagnosis at the time of ICU discharge.
Decision Guide Clarifies Indicators for Swallowing Consults
ECU Health Medical Center in North Carolina developed a decision guide to provide healthcare teams with specific guidelines to determine which recently extubated patients required further swallowing assessment by an appropriate professional.
American Assn of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) President Comments on Nurses Topping Gallup Poll as Most Trusted Profession for 21st Year
For 21 consecutive years, the American public has ranked nurses as the number one profession with the highest honesty and ethics values, according to the latest Gallup poll released Jan. 10, 2023. Amanda Bettencourt, PhD, APRN, CCRN-K, ACCNS-P, president of the American Association…
UCHealth Initiative Reduces Off-Label Pulse Oximeter Placement
A short-term quality improvement initiative at UCHealth in Colorado helped change the culture of pulse oximetry use, reducing the off-label placement of sensors from 15% to less than 1% and reinforcing that different types of pulse oximeters are not interchangeable.
Early Mobility Improved Survival Rates for COVID-19 Patients Receiving ECMO
Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital, Plano, Texas, changed its treatment paradigm for its COVID-19 patients receiving ECMO during the pandemic, finding that progressive mobility and a more aggressive application of rehabilitation therapies contributed to significantly higher survival rates.
Registration Opens for Premier Critical Care Nursing Conference
Registration is now open for AACN’s National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI), to be held in Philadelphia, May 22-24, 2023. The NTI experience will address nearly 50 clinical and professional development topics and include the largest and most comprehensive trade show expressly for progressive and critical care nurses.
In Their Own Words: Patients, Families Describe Major Medical Treatments
Researchers with University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing analyzed the comments in open-ended responses from a survey about making decisions on major medical treatments to gain insight into the words used by patients and families and how they conceptualize the various treatments.
AACN Research Grants Influence Nursing Practice
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses announces the newest recipients of its annual research grants and invites clinicians and researchers to submit projects online by Oct. 28, 2022, for the next application cycle. AACN will award up to three $50,000 Impact Research Grants in 2023, as well as co-sponsoring the AACN-Sigma Critical Care Grant, with up to $10,000 in funding.
Certain antibiotics are associated with an increased risk of mortality in critically ill patients
Michigan Medicine research suggests that administration of antibiotics with activity against anaerobic bacteria has a profound effect on the gut microbiome and, ultimately, an adverse impact on critically ill patients.
Initiative Reduces Pressure Injuries From Noninvasive Oxygen Delivery Devices
A short-term quality improvement initiative at Nebraska Medicine quickly reduced the incidence of facial pressure injuries and led to institution-wide adoption of different types of noninvasive oxygen delivery devices.
AACN Consensus Statement Addresses Evolving Tele-critical Care Nursing Practice
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses has published an update to its landmark standards for tele-critical care nursing practice, offering specific recommendations for the development and enhancement of tele-critical care programs.
Preventing Pressure Injuries Among ICU Patients With COVID-19 Requires Extra Vigilance
Patients who are critically ill with COVID-19 are at exceptionally high risk for developing healthcare-associated pressure injuries, especially those related to medical devices, and clinicians must consider additional factors beyond those assessed with common classification tools.
Nurse-led Initiatives Improve Cardiac Care in Underserved Communities
Nurses at nine hospitals developed initiatives to address diverse healthcare challenges in their cardiac surgery critical care or progressive care units, with noteworthy clinical and operational results.
AACN Study Underscores Pandemic Damage and the Benefits of Healthy Work Environments
Results from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ national survey of 9,000-plus nurses underscore the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses and the benefits of creating healthy work environments to support nurse staffing, retention and optimal patient care.
Assessing Cognitive Function at Hospital Discharge Helps Identify Post-ICU Needs
Researchers at Montefiore Medical Center found that about 30% of ICU survivors could not complete a simple screening assessment for cognitive impairment at hospital discharge. About 47% of those who were able to complete the assessment scored at a level consistent with severe cognitive impairment.