Recursos sobre COVID-19, SDRA y Ventilación Ahora disponible en español

Un esfuerzo conjunto entre la Asociación Americana de Enfermeras de Cuidados Críticos (AACN) y los proyectos financiados por la Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional (USAID) ha hecho posible que el curso en línea gratuito de la AACN “Recursos sobre COVID-19, SDRA y Ventilación” esté disponible en español.

AACN Offers Scholarships for CCRN, PCCN Certification Applicants

Contributions from PBATS and MLBTPA fund special scholarships for nurses ready to pursue CCRN or PCCN certification. This is the first time AACN professional development scholarships have been available to support its nursing certification programs.

Growing Use of Mechanical Circulatory Support Affects Clinician Well-Being, Moral Distress

The growing use of mechanical circulatory support may contribute to high levels of moral distress for clinicians who regularly care for ICU patients receiving the aggressive but life-sustaining therapy, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Proning Team Became Key Part of Massachusetts General’s COVID-19 Care

A designated proning team — composed of about 70 OR nurses, OR assistants and outpatient physical therapists — became a key part of the COVID-19 care provided by Massachusetts General Hospital, responding around-the-clock to patients who needed turning and allowing critical care clinicians to focus on other aspects of care.

Fast-track Extubation Protocol Reduces Ventilation Time

High rates of variability in extubation times among cardiac surgery patients in Duke University Hospital’s cardiothoracic intensive care unit led to a new fast-track extubation protocol and redesigned care processes. As a result, more patients were extubated within six hours after being admitted to the ICU after surgery.

New AACN CSI Academy Cohort at 10 Hospitals Focuses on Underserved Patient Populations

Thanks to a grant from Edwards Lifesciences Foundation, nurses caring for underserved critically ill cardiac patients at 10 U.S. hospitals will participate in a cardiac-focused cohort of AACN Clinical Scene Investigator (CSI) Academy, a nurse leadership and innovation program from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses selects OSU’s Happ as 2021 Distinguished Research Lecturer

Mary Beth Happ, from The Ohio State University College of Nursing, is the 40th recipient of AACN’s Distinguished Research Lecture award. Her research focuses on improving care and communication with communication-impaired patients, families and clinicians in high acuity and critical care settings.

Nurse-Driven Initiative Cuts CAUTI Rates in the ICU

An initiative at UPMC Williamsport used education and practice-related interventions to quickly reduce CAUTI rates and lay the groundwork for hospital-wide implementation with long-term impact. The bundle included a daily checklist and nurse-driven removal protocol for discontinuing indwelling catheter use.

Study: Race Made No Difference in ICU Outcomes of COVID-19 Patients

In a study that looked at racial differences in outcomes of COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit, researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found that patients of color had a lower 28-day mortality than white patients.

Race, however, was not a factor in overall hospital mortality, length of stay in the ICU or in the rate of patients placed on mechanical ventilation, researchers said.

The findings, published in Critical Care Medicine, are believed to be one of the first in the United States to study racial differences and outcomes specific to patients hospitalized in the ICU with COVID-19.

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Announces Recipients of 2021 Circle of Excellence Awards

The 18 nurses who receive the Circle of Excellence award from AACN this year demonstrate an exceptional commitment to achieving excellent outcomes in the care of acutely and critically ill patients and their families, with solution-oriented approaches to challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mealer, Moss Receive AACN Award for Efforts to Reduce Burnout Among Critical Care Clinicians

Meredith Mealer, PhD, RN, and Marc Moss, MD, from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, receive the 2021 AACN Pioneering Spirit Award in recognition of their collaborative work over the past 20 years to improve the mental health of healthcare workers, especially nurses.

Vanderbilt, Zambia Researchers Find Delirium in Hospitalized Patients Linked to Mortality, Disability in Sub-Saharan Africa

Delirium, a form of acute brain dysfunction, is widespread in critically ill patients in lower resourced hospitals, and the duration of delirium predicted both mortality and disability at six months after discharge, according to a study published in PLOS ONE.

Nurses Key to Reducing Stress for Families of ICU Patients

Nurses play a crucial role in helping to reduce the stress experienced by family members of critically ill patients, according to an article in Critical Care Nurse. A review of relevant research studies (2007-2019) found that, regardless of the patient’s age, family members’ stress fell into four main categories.

Post-ICU Interviews Reveal Outcomes Important to Patients, Families

A Penn Medicine study in American Journal of Critical Care offers insights into patients’ and families’ priorities for quality metrics during the ICU stay and postdischarge outcomes. Researchers conducted interviews with individual ICU survivors, as well as family caregivers of patients who survived and of patients who died.

AACN CSI Academy Expands to Support Underserved Populations With Grant From Edwards Lifesciences Foundation

A $200,000 grants from Edwards Lifesciences Foundation will support the expansion of the AACN CSI Academy nurse leadership and innovation program to 10 cardiac surgery critical care and/or progressive care units that provide care to a significant proportion of patients from underserved populations, with an emphasis on Black communities.

Informatics Approach Helps Reveal Risk Factors for Pressure Injuries

Researchers used informatics to examine 5,000+ patient records and five years of data related to nursing skin assessments and hospital-acquired pressure injuries. The results underscore the importance of treating and monitoring irritated skin early and eliminating the cause as an important step to prevent pressure injuries.

AACN-funded Research Influences Nursing Practice

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses invites clinicians and nurse scientists to submit research projects by Oct. 30, 2020, for the next application cycle, with total available funding of $160,000. The most recent recipients and their projects exemplify AACN’s commitment to nurse-driven research and evidence-based practice.

Statement: Science Must Drive Clinical Practice, Public Health Policy

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has released a position statement calling for all healthcare decision-making to be anchored in the best scientific evidence available. The statement reinforces nursing professionals’ commitment to following the best evidence possible to provide care for patients and families.

New Version of AACN’s Critical Care Orientation Course Includes Stand-alone and Specialty-focused Options

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses has released the latest version of its Essentials of Critical Care Orientation online course. Since its initial launch in 2002, ECCO has been used at more than 1,100 hospitals and healthcare facilities as an integral part of their critical care orientation or to supplement classroom-based education.

Story Tips From Johns Hopkins Experts on COVID-19

It seems there will never be enough “thank-yous” for the incredible doctors, nurses, technicians and support staff members who are working around the clock to help patients who have COVID-19, the dangerous coronavirus disease. Their dedication, determination and spirit enable Johns Hopkins to deliver the promise of medicine.

As the mother of a 2-year-old, with responsibilities that sometimes require escorting COVID-19 patients at Sibley Memorial Hospital, Safety and Security Officer, SPO, Lolita Moore says she takes the necessary steps to protect herself and her family against the virus and prays daily. “I like that I can still be out helping people during the pandemic,” she says.

Simple blood test can predict severity of COVID-19 for some patients

An early prognosis factor that could be a key to determining who will suffer greater effects from COVID-19, and help clinicians better prepare for these patients, may have been uncovered by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). Results of the findings were published today in the International Journal of Laboratory Hematology.

Standardized Curriculum Introduces ICU Nurses to ECMO

Vanderbilt University Medical Center designed and rapidly deployed a curriculum specifically to equip nurses new to ECMO with the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to provide proficient and safe care for patients receiving ECMO. The pre-COVID ECMO training proved to be an effective, resource-efficient and pragmatic solution that can be used across different types of ICUs and across institutions.