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Long-Term Mechanical Ventilation In A Critical Care Unit: Existing In An Everyday World, Patricia Johnson, Winsome St John, Wendy Moyle
Long-Term Mechanical Ventilation In A Critical Care Unit: Existing In An Everyday World, Patricia Johnson, Winsome St John, Wendy Moyle
Patricia Johnson
Aim: This paper reports a study to describe and interpret the meaning of being on long-term mechanical ventilation.
Background: Patients who require mechanical ventilation in a critical care unit for prolonged periods of time are typically sicker than those who are ventilated for shorter periods. Despite advances in treatment modalities for critically ill patients, many still require long-term mechanical ventilation for 7 days or more. Therefore, caring for a long-term ventilated patient is often an everyday occurrence for critical care nurses; however, there is insufficient evidence of the meaning of this experience from a patient perspective.
Method: We used an …