Intensive care medicine

visitor times from 2:00-4:00 just for this purpose. They turn the lights down and the television off, and try to not disturb the patients during this time. On less critical units, there is not a rest period in the day and nurses come in and out for care throughout the day whenever it is time. The ICU can also be a more somber place at times because sometimes patients die or have permanent deficits. While this can happen on other units, it happens more frequently, suddenly, and more severely…

current nutritional supply and demand (Sole, Klein, Moseley, 2013, p. 81). In a critical care area, patients have special nutritional needs because the stress of their complex illness increases their metabolic rate and nutritional needs, In addition, they are assumed to be at nutritional risk due to lack of mobilization which can result to muscle atrophy. Nutritional support is an integral part of the patient’s care (Moore, 2016). Mr. H’s nutritional status can be determined by assessing the…

infection, then early sepsis, which if not treated it turns into septic shock. Sepsis is defined by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign as a “life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection (Society of Critical Care Medicine, 2017, p. 489).” Septic shock is defined as a “subset of sepsis with circulatory and cellular/metabolic…

The objective of this essay is to discuss with reference to published literature “ICU diaries are frequently promoted as being beneficial for the patients’ psychological recovery from critical illness”. Intensive care unit (ICU) is an environment where often the most fragile patients are, and where they receive treatment. During their sometimes prolonged stay in ICU, patients often experience strong physical and psychological stress, including critical life threatening illness, terror, lack of…

The aim of the project was to minimize the inappropriate use of physical restraint in the acute respiratory unit, which caters to about thirty-two to thirty-eight patients with acute respiratory issues, in the promotion of the patient safety and improving patient outcomes. In the beginning of the project, it was noted that the acute respiratory unit was one of the lowest performing units when it comes to the proper utilization of physical restraint. As was stated by HCPro.com (2015), using a…

and surgical problems. The neonatal period is defined as the first month of life; however, these newborns are often sick for months” ("What Is Neonatal Nursing?”). They can provide care in various places such as the hospital, the community, and home care. In hospital’s “ staff ratios range from 1:1 to 1:4; you may care for one to four patients depending on how sick they are ”(“What Is Neonatal Nursing?”). Neonatal nurses encounter different…

As I take a look back to the start of this course, I knew little to nothing about the background of this course. I had friends who previously took the course, and with their input, I was still lost. They told me, “you will roll around campus using a wheelchair for the first class session.” However, what they fell to mentioned that this course will change my outlook on life and inspire me to reevaluate my vocabulary. My perspective of people with a disability has changed drastically. As a child…

Journey to Becoming a NICU Nurse There are many fields in nursing that some with a RN license can pursue. There’s ambulatory care nurse, burn care nurse, certified nurse midwife, or cardiac cath lab nurse. With many nursing fields out there it is hard to choose one without knowing what is required to get there. I’ve decided that I am interested in pursuing a career in the NICU department caring for high risk newborn’s and their families. To determine whether this career path is right for me I…

The small isolette was my home in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for five months and three days. I was born at twenty-four weeks and one day, four months before my due date on January fifth. I was not alone, however. My twin brother was born on January fourteenth—we were nine days apart. See, my story is not a difficult one to tell, but it has changed slightly over the course of my seventeen years. I could go on to discuss how I’ve had sixteen extensive surgeries. How I only have one…

the doctor, praying for a healthy and nourished baby. The exhausted mom and stressed dad waiting silently in hopes of hearing their baby cry or over hear a wave of good news. The NICU. The NICU or neonatal intensive care unit, where the premature and high risk babies go to receive 24/7 care. I am lucky enough to be given an opportunity to interact with four…