Articles Tagged With: ICU
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Pediatric Boarding Increases Safety Concerns in EDs
Boarding is a common occurrence in most EDs. However, it has been studied more often in adult EDs than pediatric EDs.
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Ongoing Education, Outcomes-Focused Reviews Remain Key to Lasting Gains in Triage Accuracy
A recent investigation into the accuracy of ED triage decisions when using the most common triage system — the Emergency Severity Index — revealed that mistriage occurs in roughly one-third of patient encounters.
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Clinicians Need Help with Ethically Complex ICU Discharges
Clinicians are struggling with some intensive care unit (ICU) discharges that they believe potentially are unethical.
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Buprenorphine May Be an Effective Alternative to Full Opioids for Pain in the ICU
In a small, single-center, retrospective, propensity-matched cohort study examining enteral oxycodone vs. sublingual buprenorphine in a critically ill population, pain control was equivalent, indicating that sublingual buprenorphine may be an effective and appropriate alternative.
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ICU Delirium Linked to Post-Discharge Change in Cancer Treatment and Higher Mortality Among Cancer Patients
In this single-center, retrospective cohort study, intensive care unit (ICU) delirium was associated with a higher rate of cancer treatment modification, only partly due to worsening performance status, after discharge and higher one-year mortality.
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New Service Accelerates Critical Care Expertise to ED Patients
With ICU-level resources often limited, especially in rural areas, investigators with the University of Vermont Health Network based in Burlington implemented a new service designed to expand the reach of critical care expertise across the health system, which includes a tertiary hospital, two community hospitals, and three critical access hospitals.
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Is the Patient Admitted to the ICU But Still in the ED? Handoffs Are a Safety Concern
Many patients are admitted to the intensive care unit but remain in the ED waiting for an inpatient bed. Depending on how long the patient is boarded, emergency physicians may need to hand the patient off at shift change.
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Maximize ED Throughput with a Higher-Level Focus on Bed Traffic Control
Getting patients seen and treated expeditiously is not only a boon in terms of operational efficiency, it also is a big plus for patient safety. Such factors figured prominently when ED leaders at AdventHealth East Orlando decided to create a powerful new nursing position to take charge of what they are calling bed traffic control.
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Studying Patients at High Risk for Death in the ICU Can Give Them a Voice and Help Clinicians Understand Their Concerns
Using a multiple-source approach, this study showed that when given a voice, patients at high risk of dying in the intensive care unit express variable logistical, spiritual, physical, psychological, and existential concerns that clinicians should consider and address.
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ICU Staff Report Severe Moral Distress, But Resources Are Underused
There is growing awareness of the prevalence of moral distress in healthcare — and the costs in terms of burnout and staff turnover. However, solutions to this problem remain somewhat elusive.