Critical Care Nursing Commons^™

Nurses' Perception Of Family Presence During Resuscitation, Josephine Njoku

Master's Projects

Background Family witnessed resuscitation (FWR) is the concept of allowing family members at bedside during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Studies have shown that the lack of standard policies by hospitals regarding FWR forces nurses to make different decisions regarding family presence at bedside during resuscitation. The framework for this study is Sandman's teleological model. Objectives To examine nurses' perceptions of having family members present during adult cardiac resuscitation. Methods A descriptive study of 57 registered nurses (n = 57) from northern California was conducted. Participants completed a mailed survey consisting of a 22-item Likert scale questionnaire titled "Family Presence Risk-Benefit Scale." Results …

Providing End-Of-Life Care To Patients: Critical Care Nurses' Perceived Obstacles And Supportive Behaviors, Renea L. Beckstrand, Karin T. Kirchhoff

Faculty Publications

• Background Critical care nurses care for dying patients daily. The process of dying in an intensive care unit is complicated, and research on specific obstacles that impede delivery of end-of-life care and/or supportive behaviors that help in delivery of end-of-life care is limited.
• Objective To measure critical care nurses' perceptions of the intensity and frequency of occurrence of (1) obstacles to providing end-of-life care and (2) supportive behaviors that help in providing end-of-life care in the intensive care unit.
• Methods An experimental, posttest-only, control-group design was used. A national, geographically dispersed, random sample of members of the American Association of …

Perceived Social Support Among Chinese American Hemodialysis Patients, Kaklam Wong

Master's Projects

Social support is linked to improved health outcomes both in Western and Asian societies and is a vital factor in a patient's adjustment to end-stage renal disease and its treatment regimen. This study explored perceived social support among 46 Chinese American hemodialysis patients in San Francisco's Chinatown using the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire plus open-ended questions. Findings unexpectedly revealed low levels of perceived social support and lack of tangible support especially in elder patients. We can no longer assume that traditional family cultural values are providing adequate social support for this population.

Using A 0-10 Scale For Assessment Of Anxiety In Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction, Maria J. De Jong, Kyungeh An, Sharon Mckinley, Bonnie J. Garvin, Lynne A. Hall, Debra K. Moser

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background: Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) often experience anxiety, an emotion that predicts adverse physiologic outcomes. Critical care clinicians have not adopted an anxiety assessment instrument for widespread use, due in part to the unavailability of an easy to administer anxiety instrument that is not burdensome to either clinicians or critically ill patients. Objectives: To determine whether a single-item anxiety assessment instrument, the Anxiety Level Index (ALI), is a valid alternative to the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) or the anxiety subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) in assessing state anxiety for patients with AMI. Methods: In this prospective …

Understanding Palliative Care: An Ethnographic Study Of Three Australian Palliative Care Services, Judith M. Greaves

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Palliative care commenced in Australia in the early 1980s. Although the value of palliative care has become more widely recognised by the public and other health care professionals, there is still a lack of understanding about what palliative care is and the depth and scope of this specialty area of health care. The research that I present in this thesis is based on examination of palliative care practice in a selection of Australian services, undertaken with the aim of enhancing understanding of Palliative Care. The significance of the research arises from the notion that members of the Australian community should …