Breathing is one of the basic life functions and for its proper functioning it is necessary to have the airways free and clear. One way to maintain free and open airways is the tracheostomy. Tracheostomy may be performed either by surgical or puncture method. Nursing care and its quality in patients with tracheostomy are important factors that can significantly affect postoperative complications, their course and overall clinical outcome of treatment of patients. Sufficiently qualified, knowledgeable and experienced nurse applies her knowledge in practice with a holistic view of the patient and his needs. The theoretical part of the thesis introduces us to the anatomy of the respiratory tract, the history of tracheostomy, individual methods of tracheostomy - surgical versus puncture and nursing care for adult patients with tracheostomy for intensive care. Methods: In the empirical part, the data obtained on the basis of a quantitative survey in the form of a questionnaire will be evaluated. The sample of respondents will be nurses working in the intensive care department for more than 1 year with experience in nursing care for tracheostomy. Aim of the work: Analysis of nurses awareness about different tracheostomy methods - surgical versus puncture, role of nurse in these methods, their experience...

Patient safety is of particular importance within intensive care units (ICUs), where critically ill, vulnerable patients receive complex multidisciplinary care. Prior research has indicated that improving patient safety and reducing errors within healthcare requires a focus on systems and organisational culture issues. This thesis was concerned with three studies. One focused on assessing the patient safety culture and two on quality improvement initiatives within an intensive care unit (ICU) of a large teaching hospital. The first study involved a survey of ICU consultant, registrar and nursing staff regarding aspects of safety culture. This was conducted using an existing Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Of the twelve patient safety culture composites assessed, eight had scores lower than 50%, highlighting these as areas for improvement. Overall, while the survey results revealed that teamwork within the ICU was considered a strength, event reporting and patient care handovers and transitions were both considered areas with potential for improvement. The second study focused on the evaluation of a change initiative designed to improve the handover of patient clinical information in the ICU. This study involved a survey and interviews with consultant, registrar and nursing staff before and after the introduction of a Patient Management, Plan and Progress (PMPP) document. Examination of the survey responses involved both quantitative and qualitative analysis; respondent interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. The results of this study revealed resistance to, and criticisms of, the introduction of the PMPP document; the initiative failed and use of the document was discontinued. The second initiative concerned an evaluation of the impact of a hospital-wide document on improving documentation of withdrawal of patient treatment within the ICU. This involved both quantitative and qualitative analysis, with a patient medical record audit of decisions to withdraw patient treatment within the ICU before and after the introduction of an Advance Care Plan (ACP) document. ICU consultant, registrar and nursing staff were interviewed regarding the process of withdrawal of patient treatment within the ICU. Interview transcripts were analysed using a modified grounded theory approach. Results revealed that the attempt to improve the documentation of withdrawal of treatment within the ICU failed, with the ACP document remaining unused in 89% of cases and incomplete in the remaining 11%. Also, documentation of decision-making and of the process within the medical records did not improve. Before-introduction findings revealed that only 26% of medical records met the pre-existing requirements for treatment withdrawal in the ICU, and after-introduction findings revealed that only 19% of medical records audited met the requirements of the ACP document. After-audit findings also revealed significant and inappropriate increases in the involvement of an ICU registrar both as primary and secondary decision-makers. In spite of an increased awareness of ICU staff concerning the importance of improving documentation, the medical record audit revealed less compliance with the standards required for documentation. Possible reasons for the document remaining essentially unused, as revealed from interviews with staff, included: previous criticisms by the coroner when they failed to complete a similar formalised document properly; perceived logistical issues associated with obtaining required staff signatures; disagreement concerning who should be involved in documenting the withdrawal of treatment process; and the existence of an ICU subculture of practice that, in one particular aspect of documentation, was not consistent with established hospital and ICU protocol and documentation requirements. The final chapter of this thesis considered implications of the results of the studies for the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of improvement programs within the ICU setting. The results were considered within the context of organisational change management theory and research, including factors that have been found to be critical in the success or failure of change programs, such as resistance to change, the involvement of key stakeholders in the change process, leadership, communication and organisational culture. It is suggested that management consultants with organisational change expertise in the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of such programs should be involved in future quality improvement initiatives. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1297608 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2007

<p>Syfte med denna enkätstudie var att undersöka hälsorelaterad livskvalitet (HRQOL) tolv månader efter utskrivning från intensivvårdavdelning mellan kvinnor och män och mellan yngre (< 65 år) och äldre (≥65 år). Huvudresultatet visade att det fanns signifikanta skillnader mellan kvinnor och män hur de skattar HRQOL i delskala smärta. Ingen signifikant skillnad fanns mellan yngre och äldre. Även med ett litet antal patienter är skattad HRQOL för hela undersökningsgruppen jämförbar med större studier inom område som mäter HRQOL med SF-36.</p> / <p>The aim of the study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) twelve months after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) as well as to study if there were differences in HRQOL between younger (<65 years) and older (≥65 years) patients. There were significant differences between women and men in how they estimated HRQOL in the domain pain. No significant differences existed between younger and older patients and the HRQOL overall twelve months after discharge from ICU were consistent with previous HRQOL SF-36 research results even with a small sample of patients.</p>

<p><strong>Bakgrund:</strong> Människan tillbringar en tredjedel av sitt liv i sömn det är ett behov vilket hon inte kan vara utan. Patienter som vårdas på IVA drabbas frekvent av sömnstörningar och därmed sömnbrist. Tidigare gjorda studier tyder på att IVA patienter upplever sömnstörningar som ett stort problem.<strong> Syfte:</strong> Att beskriva sömnförändringar, sömnpåverkande faktorer och sömnförbättrande omvårdnadsåtgärder för IVA-patienter.<strong> Metod:</strong> Databassökning gjordes och nyckelord har identifierats. Studier som inkluderar vuxna patienter som vårdats på en IVA har valts för denna beskrivande litteraturstudie.<strong> Resultat:</strong> IVA-patienter drabbas av fragmenterad sömn uppdelad i korta abnorma perioder. Sömnen påverkas av mänsklig intervention, diagnostiska tester samt miljöbetingad ljus och ljud. Minskning av ljud- och ljusnivån samt sammanhängande vilotid utan intervention var de främst undersökta sömnfrämjande omvårdnadsåtgärder i de granskande artiklarna.<strong> Slutsats: </strong>Alla IVA-patienter upplevde störd sömnrytm. I vilken utsträckning sömnrytm stördes berodde på ålder, sjukdom, erfarenhet av IVA-vård och respiratorvård. Omvårdnadsåtgärder som planerad vilotid, sänkningar av ljud och ljus förbättrade sömnmönstret och skapade möjlighet till förbättrad sömn.</p>

<p>The combination of a severe systemic illness, corticosteroids, and neuromuscular blocking agents in patients on the mechanical ventilator often results in a condition known as Acute Quadriplegic Myopathy (AQM). While severe weakness of all spinal nerve innervated muscles is known to be a significant clinical characteristic of the disease, this symptom is typically not recognized until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage. End result effects have been classified, which include the loss of the thick filament, or myosin heavy chain, an in-excitable muscle membrane, and an up-regulation of protein degradation; however, there is little known about the acute stage of AQM. This project has focused on understanding the underlying mechanisms of AQM, specifically in regard to protein synthesis, both at the mRNA and nuclear transcription levels. To study the early stages of the disease two animal models have been developed: rat and pig. Further, we have examined AQM muscle tissue, to investigate the similarities of our animal models to patients, as well as to study the recovery process. Particular interest was directed on the myofibrillar proteins myosin (MyHC) and actin, as they are the primary proteins involved in muscle contraction, as well as the myosin associated proteins, myosin binding protein C and H. </p><p>At the mRNA level, MyHC and actin are both down-regulated in response to AQM. The myosin binding proteins are affected differently, with H protein increasing during severe atrophy and C protein either being slightly down-regulated or unchanged. Nuclear transcription factors were also affected, with such factors as MuRF1 and MAFbx up-regulated. </p><p>Thus far results have shown that protein synthesis is altered in AQM and largely contributes to both the development and recovery of the disease. The pathways of protein synthesis may prove to be an ideal target for the prevention of AQM and/or symptom alleviation.</p>

The combination of a severe systemic illness, corticosteroids, and neuromuscular blocking agents in patients on the mechanical ventilator often results in a condition known as Acute Quadriplegic Myopathy (AQM). While severe weakness of all spinal nerve innervated muscles is known to be a significant clinical characteristic of the disease, this symptom is typically not recognized until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage. End result effects have been classified, which include the loss of the thick filament, or myosin heavy chain, an in-excitable muscle membrane, and an up-regulation of protein degradation; however, there is little known about the acute stage of AQM. This project has focused on understanding the underlying mechanisms of AQM, specifically in regard to protein synthesis, both at the mRNA and nuclear transcription levels. To study the early stages of the disease two animal models have been developed: rat and pig. Further, we have examined AQM muscle tissue, to investigate the similarities of our animal models to patients, as well as to study the recovery process. Particular interest was directed on the myofibrillar proteins myosin (MyHC) and actin, as they are the primary proteins involved in muscle contraction, as well as the myosin associated proteins, myosin binding protein C and H. At the mRNA level, MyHC and actin are both down-regulated in response to AQM. The myosin binding proteins are affected differently, with H protein increasing during severe atrophy and C protein either being slightly down-regulated or unchanged. Nuclear transcription factors were also affected, with such factors as MuRF1 and MAFbx up-regulated. Thus far results have shown that protein synthesis is altered in AQM and largely contributes to both the development and recovery of the disease. The pathways of protein synthesis may prove to be an ideal target for the prevention of AQM and/or symptom alleviation.

Syfte med denna enkätstudie var att undersöka hälsorelaterad livskvalitet (HRQOL) tolv månader efter utskrivning från intensivvårdavdelning mellan kvinnor och män och mellan yngre (&lt; 65 år) och äldre (≥65 år). Huvudresultatet visade att det fanns signifikanta skillnader mellan kvinnor och män hur de skattar HRQOL i delskala smärta. Ingen signifikant skillnad fanns mellan yngre och äldre. Även med ett litet antal patienter är skattad HRQOL för hela undersökningsgruppen jämförbar med större studier inom område som mäter HRQOL med SF-36. / The aim of the study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) twelve months after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) as well as to study if there were differences in HRQOL between younger (&lt;65 years) and older (≥65 years) patients. There were significant differences between women and men in how they estimated HRQOL in the domain pain. No significant differences existed between younger and older patients and the HRQOL overall twelve months after discharge from ICU were consistent with previous HRQOL SF-36 research results even with a small sample of patients.

Patients who require mechanical ventilation (MV) are at risk for developing ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). Nurses’ adherence to sedation vacations (SVs) has a direct impact on the development of VAP, because SVs have been shown to reduce patients’ average duration of MV and length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU). The purposes of this study guided by Donabedian’s (1966) model were to quantify nurses’ level of adherence to SVs, in relation to the health outcomes of critically ill patients, and identify the barriers and facilitators to performing SVs. A correlational design was used. The design included three components: abstraction of patient data from the electronic medical record (EMR) (n=79 with VAP and n=79 without VAP), administration of surveys to ICU nurses (N =34), and vignettes related to SVs. Analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests, correlations, and analyses of covariance. Most nurses held a Bachelors degree (70.6%), had < 9 years of ICU experience (52.9%), worked in a medical ICU (47.1%), and reported high confidence in managing SVs (M =8.88, SD =1.25). The majority of patients (N =158) were Black (58.2%), males (56.3%), and on average middle-aged (M =61.5, SD =14.91), with a long ICU LOS (M =15.5, SD =11.84), extended duration of MV (M =9.5, SD =8.47), and high acuity (APACHE III) (M =70.2, SD =25.42). The nurses’ education, advanced certification, and ICU experience were not associated with the appropriate implementation of SVs in the vignettes. On average nurses’ had low scores on the vignettes (M =6.97, SD =2.21; possible range =0-14). The adherence rate of nurses’ implementation of SVs, determined using EMR data, was also low (M =24%; SD =23%). There were higher rates of SV adherence in patients without VAP (p (p < .01), and a duration of MV < 6 days (p =.04). These findings indicate that even with established protocols, nurses may not consistently implement the evidenced-based interventions that have been shown to prevent nosocomial infections. Future research is needed to improve nursing practice and the quality of care in this patient population.

Bakgrund och syfte: Intresset för enteral administrering av probiotika i förebyggandet av infektioner och diarré har på senare tid ökat. Nosokomiala infektioner och diarré är ett stort problem hos intensivvårdpatienter.  Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur enteral probiotika påverkar sjukdomsförloppet hos intensivvårdspatienter, med avseende på mortalitet, infektioner totalt, ventilatorassocierad pneumoni (VAP) och diarré. Metod: En systematisk litteraturstudie med sökning i Pubmed och Cinahl genomfördes med följande Meshtermer; probiotics, lactobacillus, critical illness och intensive care unit. Därefter genomfördes en metaanalys av randomiserade kontrollerade studier, utförda på vuxna intensivvårdspatienter, där man jämfört patienter som erhållit probiotika med patienter som fått placebo eller annan behandling. Resultat: Totalt 15 studier med sammanlagt 1293 patienter inkluderades. Ingen signifikans med avseenden på mortalitet, infektioner totalt, VAP och diarré kunde utläsas i metaanalysen. En trend mot en minskning av infektioner totalt (p=0,075) och VAP (p=0,090) i probiotikagruppen var dock tydlig. Konklusion: Probiotika kan komma att ha en betydande roll inom intensivvården i framtiden, då det förefaller ha en positiv effekt på infektionsfrekvensen. I dagsläget finns emellertid ej tillräckligt vetenskapligt stöd för användning av probiotika i behandlingen intensivvårdspatienter. Det behövs större och väl genomförda randomiserade multicenterstudier. / Background and aim: The interest in enteral administration of probiotics to prevent infections and diarrhea has recently arisen. Nosocomial infections and diarrhea are common problems among intensive care unit patients. The aim of this study was to investigate how enteral probiotics influence the course of intensive care unit patients with focus on mortality, total infections, ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) and diarrhea. Method: A systematic literature review was undertaken. Pubmed and Cinahl were searched using the following Meshterms; probiotics, lactobacillus, critical illness and intensive care unit. Thereafter a meta-analysis was conducted combining the results of the randomized controlled trials that compared a group of adult intensive care unit patients taking probiotics with a group that did not. Result: A total of 15 studies with a total of 1293 patients were included. For mortality, total infections, VAP and diarrhea no significance was detected in the meta-analysis. However a trend towards a decrease in over all infections (p=0.075) and VAP (p=0,090) in the probiotic group was seen. Conclusion: In the future the probiotics may play an important role in the field of intensive care, as it seems to confer a positive effect on infection rates. However, there is currently a lack of conclusive evidence to support the use of probiotics in the treatment of intensive care unit patients. Larger well designed randomized multicentre studies are required

Objective The aim of this study was to explore nurses' experiences of informing relatives to critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Method The study was descriptive with a qualitative approach. Nine nurses were interviewed. The study took place in a university hospital in the midst of Sweden. An interview guide was used, designed in consensus with the study questions. Data was analyzed via qualitative content analysis . Findings Meeting and preparing relatives at the arrival at the ICU seemed valuable and led to safety and participation among relatives. The information given to relatives focused on the patient's current condition and nursing interventions. The information, however, often tended to be medical. It felt difficult to give distinct and clear information, since the patients´ condition could change rapidly. A simple language and repetition seemed important for the relatives´ possibilities to understand information. Personal and professional qualities and experience seemed to be important skills when informing relatives. Environment, stress and lack of space seemed aggravating for informing relatives, while co-operation, documentation and development of working routines were simplifying factors. Conclusion Nurses found informing relatives, as one of the most important nursing tasks, leading to increased comfort, participation and understanding among relatives.