No description available.

Admission of an infant into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is an experience that has been associated with a variety of both positive and negative health outcomes for parent and child. While both the setting name and the admitted population alludes to a sole focus on the affected infant, what often remains underrecognized is the impact on the ones who care for the newborn long before and longer after their NICU stay. Given the recency and unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, very little research has examined the impact of COVID-19-specific stress on the experience of parents of infants requiring a NICU stay in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. As such, the current study aimed to gather electronic survey data from caregivers (both biological and non-biological) of infants across the United States admitted to a NICU on or after March 1, 2020. Major factors addressed in the survey included anticipation of the NICU, COVID-19-specific stress, NICU-specific stress, global health outcomes (physical, mental, and social health), parental bonding, and parental self-efficacy. It was hypothesized that (1) COVID-specific stress and would be associated with suboptimal NICU experiences; (2) COVID-specific stress would be associated with worse parental health (physical, mental, and social) and parent-child relational health (bonding, self-efficacy) outcomes; (3) NICU stress and parental health would serve as mechanisms through which COVID-specific stress impacts parental-relational outcomes; (4) These associations would vary depending on whether or not a caregiver was anticipating that their infant would need to go to the NICU. Hypotheses were partially supported such that COVID stress was associated with increased NICU stress and poorer caregiver physical and social health. Unique patterns were found depending on facets of caregiver health. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

Yes / It is estimated that 5-10% of hospitalised patients in developed countries contract hospital acquired infections (HAI). Increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance manifested by many HAI-causing pathogens such as Acinetobacter spp in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting present a significant challenge to those managing these infections. Consequently, much attention has been focused on the prevention of HAIs. Particular emphasis has been placed on interventions intended to interrupt patient-to-patient transmission of pathogens, such as enhanced hand hygiene and identification of patients colonised with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using rapid DNA-based screening techniques. However, comparatively little attention has been given to the hospital environment, including water supplies, as a source of nosocomial pathogens of importance for patients on the critical care unit. This article reviews the role of hospital water sources in the epidemiology of HAI and new technologies which can be employed in the prevention and control of such infections.

Advances in science and technology have made nursing practice in acute care settings complex, rapid and demanding. Hospital visiting hours and rules are established for the comfort and safety of patients and their loved ones. In addition, there is the need to focus on the needs of 'the customer'. The researcher adopted a descriptive, exploratory approach to determine the perceptions and preferences of patients, family members/friends and nurses of visiting time in ICUs. The aim was to recommend mechanisms and measures with regard to the desired visiting schedule that would enhance patient-centred integrated care in ICUs. The study found that patients and family members/friends preferred extended visiting time and perceived this as beneficial to them, while the majority of the nurses preferred scheduled visiting time. / Health Studies / M. A. (Health Studies)

No description available.

Answers to the most complex biological questions are rarely determined solely from the experimental evidence. It requires subsequent analysis of many data sources that are often heterogeneous. Most biological data repositories focus on providing only one particular type of data, such as sequences, molecular interactions, protein structure, or gene expression. In many cases, it is required for researchers to visit several different databases to answer one scientific question. It is essential to develop strategies to integrate disparate biological data sources that are efficient and seamless to facilitate the discovery of novel associations and validate existing hypotheses. This thesis presents the design and development of different integration strategies of biological and clinical systems. The BioSPIDA system is a data warehousing solution that integrates many NCBI databases and other biological sources on protein sequences, protein domains, and biological pathways. It utilizes a universal parser facilitating integration without developing separate source code for each data site. This enables users to execute fine-grained queries that can filter genes by their protein interactions, gene expressions, functional annotation, and protein domain representation. Relational databases can powerfully return and generate quickly filtered results to research questions, but they are not the most suitable solution in all cases. Clinical patients and genes are typically annotated by concepts in hierarchical ontologies and performance of relational databases are weakened considerably when traversing and representing graph structures. This thesis illustrates when relational databases are most suitable as well as comparing the performance benchmarks of semantic web technologies and graph databases when comparing ontological concepts. Several approaches of analyzing integrated data will be discussed to demonstrate the advantages over dependencies on remote data centers. Intensive Care Patients are prioritized by their length of stay and their severity class is estimated by their diagnosis to help minimize wait time and preferentially treat patients by their condition. In a separate study, semantic clustering of patients is conducted by integrating a clinical database and a medical ontology to help identify multi-morbidity patterns. In the biological area, gene pathways, protein interaction networks, and functional annotation are integrated to help predict and prioritize candidate disease genes. This thesis will present the results that were able to be generated from each project through utilizing a local repository of genes, functional annotations, protein interactions, clinical patients, and medical ontologies.

Bakgrund: Organdonation och transplantation har gjort det möjligt att både rädda liv och även förbättra livskvaliteten för ett stort antal personer. Problematiken som idag råder är att det finns ett stort glapp mellan behovet av organ och tillgången till organgivare. Intensivvårdssjuksköterskan har ett ansvar att se till att potentiella donatorer fångas upp och uppmärksammas på intensiven. Att vårda en potentiell donator samt bemöta anhöriga är en utmaning och kräver både kunskap och erfarenhet för intensivvårdssjuksköterskan. Syfte: Att belysa hur intensivvårdssjuksköterskan upplever sin kompetens gällande vårdandet av en donator och bemötandet av anhöriga under donationsprocessen på en intensivvårdsavdelning. Metod: Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med tio intensivvårdssjuksköterskor. Data analyserades med hjälp av en kvalitativ latent innehållsanalys. Resultat: Det ansågs viktigt att intensivvårdssjuksköterskan bemötte både donatorn och anhöriga på ett professionellt sätt, dels bemöta donatorn med värdighet och respekt samt att vara lyhörd och visa empati gentemot anhöriga. Intensivvårdssjuksköterskorna upplevde svårigheter när donatorns önskan inte var känd, att vården var tidskrävande, få anhöriga att förstå att deras närmaste avlidit, samt att några intensivvårdssjuksköterskor tog upp punkter som kunde förbättras för att öka antalet donationer. Samtliga intensivvårdssjuksköterskor upplevde att de hade tillräckligt med kunskap för att vårda en donator men att uppdatering och utbildning behövs alltid. Debriefing eller samtal var något annat som togs upp vilket de flesta upplevde som viktigt för att inte ta med arbetet hem. Slutsats: I studien identifierades brister inom donationsvården och att mer utbildning och riktlinjer kan medföra att dessa skulle kunna minskas. Studien har också bidragit till ökad förståelse och kunskap kring donationsprocessen inom intensivvården. Detta är något som författarna tros kunna ha nytta av i sitt framtida yrke som intensivvårdssjuksköterskor, men också att resultatet i studien kan vara till nytta för andra intensivvårdsavdelningar i Sverige. / Background: Organ donation and transplantation has made it possible to both save lives and also improve the quality of life for a large number of people. In recent years there has been a large gap between the need for organs and the availability of organ donors. Intensive care nurses have a responsibility to ensure that potential donors are identified and highlighted in the intensive care unit. Caring for a potential donor and meet relatives is a challenge and requires both knowledge and experience of intensive care nurses. Aim: To show how intensive care nurses perceive their expertise regarding the care of a donor and the hospitality of relatives during the donation process in the intensive care unit. Method: The study was conducted with a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews with ten intensive care nurses. Data were analyzed using a qualitative latent content analysis. Results: It was important that the intensive care nurses responded to both the donor and family members in a professional manner, but also responding to donors with dignity and respect and to be sensitive and show empathy towards their families. They experienced difficulties when the donor's wishes are not known, the treatment was time-consuming, getting families to understand their loved one has died. Some intensive care nurses brought up a point of view which could increase the numbers of donations. All intensive care nurses felt that they had enough knowledge to take care of a donor but being up to date and training is always needed. Debriefing or conversation was also something else that was raised which most felt was important not to bring work home. Conclusion: The study identified deficiencies in the donation care but with more training and guidelines this could be improved. The study has also contributed to greater understanding and knowledge surrounding the donation process in intensive care unit. This is which the authors believed to be useful in their future profession as intensive care nurses, but also the results of the study can be useful to other intensive care unit in Sweden.

Bakgrund: Vården på en intensivvårdsavdelning är tänkt att vara kurativ, det vill säga botande. Trots det, så inträffar ca 20 procent av alla dödsfall på intensivvårdsavdelningar i Sverige och omställningen till palliativ vård sker ofta snabbt. Döden inträffar ofta kort därpå, och denna transition kan upplevas på olika sätt beroende på hur personalen informerar och kommunicerar med de närstående om vad som sker. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturöversikten är att undersöka hur närstående upplever den palliativa vården på intensivvårdsavdelningar. Metod: En litteraturöversikt gjordes och tio vetenskapliga artiklar valdes ut, varav sex var kvantitativa och fyra kvalitativa. Resultat: Fem huvudteman med underteman identifierades. Information om diagnos och prognos var viktigt för de närstående och var avgörande för hur passförberedda de var inför den sjukes död. Kommunikation, det vill säga hur informationen förmedlades, var också en viktig parameter för upplevelsen. Närstående eftersökte också att få stöd från personalen i form av empati eller existentiellt stöd. Med interaktion menas såväl den praktiska delaktigheten i omvårdnaden av den sjuke, som den fysiska och existentiella närvaron som visade sig vara mycket betydelsefull. Slutligen behandlas hur den fysiska miljön påverkar de närståendes upplevelse, med mycket teknisk utrustning och lite utrymme för avskildhet och lugn. Diskussion: Resultaten diskuterades utifrån Andersheds teoretiska ramverk och hennes huvudbegrepp “att veta”, “att vara” och “att göra”, samt utifrån hennes tankar kring det humanistiska förhållningssättet hos personalen och vad “extraresurser” kan innebära. / Background: The care in the intensive care units intends to save lives. In spite of that aim, 20 percent of the deaths in Sweden occur at the intensive care units and the transition between curative and palliative care can be very quick. Death often occurs shortly thereafter, and this can be experienced in different ways depending on how the staff informs and communicates with the next-of-kin. Aim: The purpose of the literature review is to examine how the next-of-kin experience palliative care in intensive care units. Method: A literature review was made and ten scientific articles were selected. Six were quantitative and four qualitative. Results: Five main themes with subthemes were identified. Information on diagnosis and prognosis was crucial. Communication was also important. The next of kin appreciated emotional and existential support. Interaction, as in practical involvement and as in the physical and existential presence, turned out to be very important. Finally, results show that the environment with a lot of technical equipment and little space for privacy and tranquility affects the experience for next-of-kin. Discussion: The results are discussed in relation to Andershed’s theoretical framework “Involvement in the light - Involvement in the dark.” and her main concepts“ to know”, “to be” and “to do”. In addition, Andershed’s concepts of humanistic approach and “extra resources” are being discussed.

Rationnelle. La ventilation mécanique invasive (VI) s’accompagne lorsqu’elle se prolonge, d’une augmentation de la morbimortalité. Jusqu’à 64% des enfants hospitalisés aux soins intensifs sont ventilés et peu de données épidémiologiques existent afin d’estimer précocement la durée du support ventilatoire. Objectifs. Déterminer l’incidence et les facteurs de risque précoces de ventilation mécanique invasive prolongée aux soins intensifs pédiatriques. Méthode. Nous avons conduit une étude descriptive rétroélective sur un an. Tous les épisodes de VI aux soins intensifs du Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte Justine de Montréal ont été inclus. Les facteurs de risque de VI prolongée (≥ 96 heures) ont été déterminés par régression logistique. Résultats. Parmi les 360 épisodes de VI, 36% ont duré ≥ 96 heures. Les facteurs de risques de ventilation prolongée en analyse multivariée sont : âge <12 mois, score de PRISM ≥ 15 à l’admission, pression moyenne dans les voies aériennes ≥13 cm H2O au jour 1 de ventilation, utilisation de la sédation intraveineuse continue au jour 1 de ventilation et ventilation non invasive avant intubation. Conclusion. La VI prolongée survient chez environ un tiers des patients ventilés. Les patients de moins de 12 mois semblent être plus à risque que les enfants plus âgés et devraient bénéficier de stratégies différentes pour diminuer leur durée de ventilation mécanique. La sévérité de la maladie, l’agressivité du support ventilatoire, l’utilisation d’une sédation continue au premier jour de ventilation sont également des facteurs à considérer dans les études visant à diminuer la durée de support ventilatoire. / Rationale. Invasive mechanical ventilation is associated, if prolonged, with higher morbidity and mortality. Up to 64% of children hospitalized in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) require invasive ventilation but little epidemiological data are available on children requiring prolonged acute invasive mechanical ventilation. Objectives. To determine the incidence rate and early risk factors for prolonged acute invasive mechanical ventilation in children. Methods. We conducted a retrolective longitudinal cohort study over a one-year period. All consecutive episodes of invasive mechanical ventilation in the PICU of Sainte-Justine Hospital were included. Risk factors for prolonged (≥ 96 hours) versus short (< 96 hours) ventilation were determined by logistic regression. Results. Among the 360 episodes of invasive ventilation, 36% had a length ≥ 96 hours. Following multivariate analysis, significant risk factors for prolonged acute invasive mechanical ventilation were: age <12 months, PRISM score ≥ 15 at admission, mean airway pressure ≥13 cm H2O on day one, use of continuous intravenous sedation on day one and use of non-invasive ventilation prior to intubation. Conclusion. Prolonged acute mechanical ventilation occurs in approximately one third of ventilated children. Younger children (aged <12 months) may be different from older patients and may require different strategies to decrease the duration of mechanical ventilation. Severity of illness, the aggressiveness of ventilatory support required and the use of continuous intravenous sedation on the first day of ventilation are also risk factors to consider in trials aimed at reducing mechanical ventilation duration.

Le but de cette étude est d’adopter une intervention systémique visant à faciliter la communication entre les infirmières1 et les familles2 dans un contexte de soins intensifs (SI) en traumatologie. Cette recherche prend en compte la réalité et les besoins du milieu à l’étude grâce au devis participatif retenu. Le cadre de référence est composé de l’approche systémique familiale de Wright et Leahey (2005) ainsi que de la théorie du caring de Jean Watson (1979). La collecte des données a été inspirée du parcours de recherche en spirale de Lehoux, Levy et Rodrigue (1995). Cinq entrevues ont été menées auprès de membres de familles ainsi que trois groupes de discussion (focus groups) auprès d’infirmières. L’analyse des données a été effectuée selon le Modèle de Huberman et Miles (2003) qui préconise une démarche analytique continue et interactive. Les résultats obtenus révèlent un changement de pratique selon dix interventions systémiques infirmières spécifiques permettant de faciliter la communication avec les familles aux soins intensifs en traumatologie et soulignent l’importance d’agir sur le plan du contexte, de la relation et du contenu liés au processus de communication. De plus, ils permettent de démontrer un réel changement de pratique dans le milieu retenu pour l’étude. / Abstract The purpose on this study was to adopt systemic nursing interventions to enhance communication with families in a context of traumatology intensive cares. This participative study has the benefit of reflecting the real needs expressed by the persons concerned. The terms of reference for this study comprised the conceptual model as well as Wright and Leahey’s (2005) family systems nursing approach and the caring theory of Jean Watson (1979). The data collection was inspired by Lehoux, Levy and Rodrigue (1995) over five family interviews and three nurses’ meetings. The data collection was performed over a period of seven months. All of the interviews and meetings were recorded on audio tape and the verbatim’s were fully transcripted. The data analysis was done according to Huberman and Miles’ (2003) model, where analytical activities and data collection establish a continuous and interactive approach. The results obtained revealed ten specific systemic nursing interventions to enhance communication with families in this context and revealed the importance of the three levels of communication: cognitive, affective and behavioral. Moreover, the results are used to identify well-established interventions and recommend those who have to be improved.