Critical Care Nursing Commons^™

The Efficacy Of Mechanical Compression Devices In Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Emma A. French

Scholars Week

This project examines the ability of mechanical compression devices, such as the popular LUCAS device, to produce the desired outcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when compared to manual chest compression performed by a CPR certified individual. For the purpose of this project, desired outcomes include correct compression rate and depth according to American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in the patient, long term survival of patients who achieve ROSC, and prevention of serious physical damage related to chest compressions. Data from multiple research studies comparing outcomes of mechanical compression devices and manual chest compression was reviewed …

Critical Care Nurses At Higher Risk Of Burnout, Jayden Rusher, Barbara Mcclaskey

Posters

In practice today, units with high intensity, stress, and patient needs are being burnt-out quickly due to patients’ intense needs, uncertain outcomes, and the ongoing witnessing of suffering and death. The purpose of this paper is to determine if there is a significant relationship between critical care units, and a high risk of nurses who work on those units exhibiting more characteristics of burnout. The study was done to gauge burnout, strength, and prevalence of moral distress, differentiated moral distress from day-to-day stressors, and determine fortitude and other aspects indicative of resilience. There was a cross-sectional survey model to test …

Does Preoperative Ostomy Education Decrease Anxiety In The New Ostomy Patient?, Michelle Suzann Harris

Doctoral Projects

Background: There are approximately 100,000 patients with new ileostomies and colostomies created in the United States each year. These patients have specialized needs that include acceptance of altered body image, psychological stress, learning of difficult tasks, and occasionally an ominous diagnosis leading to the need for surgery. In addition to pre-surgical stoma site marking on the abdomen, ostomy nurses have identified early education to be an important factor in long-term success and management of the patient . Early education and stoma site marking may assist with a better-situated stoma leading to fewer complications related to appliance adherence and leakage. …

Addressing Disparities In Nurses’ Understanding Of Congestive Heart Failure, David Tomas Palecek

Doctoral Projects

Congestive heart failure (CHF) continues to affect millions of people a year and remains one of the leading causes of re-hospitalization in the US. Within the Central San Joaquin Valley (CSJV) the incidence of CHF remains significantly higher than the rest of California. In order to ensure appropriate patient care and outcomes registered nurses (RNs) must have a thorough and full understanding of the disease process and its associated symptomatology. This study aimed to find if the implementation of an interactive multimedia educational program focusing on all aspects of CHF could improve RNs education and understanding of CHF. It is …

Developing An Evidence-Based Supportive Services Program For Cancer Survivors In A Private Oncology Practice, Joseph Ellul

Doctoral Projects

Improvements in cancer treatment have led to a rapidly increasing survivor population. In response, multiple side effects of cancer and cancer treatment as well as the various wellness needs of survivors have been recognized. Survivorship programs have been developed to care for survivors with residual effects of cancer and the side effects of treatment; however, additional support is needed. The purpose of the project was to highlight the need for a comprehensive supportive services program for the cancer survivor population and describe the steps that were required to successfully develop the program. The clinical question addressed by the project was: …

Implementation Strategies To Increase Uptake Of Hester Davis Tool Tailoring Of Fall Prevention Interventions, Beena Philip

Doctoral Projects

Introduction. Falls are the most common cause of injury to patients in acute care hospitals globally and higher incidences of falls with injury are reported in the hospitalized elderly. Falls can result in physical and emotional injury, long-term pain, functional impairment, disability, loss of income, increased hospital stay and mortality. Research demonstrates individualized, multifactorial fall prevention interventions are most beneficial in preventing falls and related injuries. This paper reports whether accurate fall risk assessment using the Hester Davis, proactive use of 5T’s (toileting, tolerating pain, tidy, turn, technology), appropriate gait belt use, individualized interventions and intentional toileting for patients with …

Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Emily Carr

Senior Honors Theses

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is a method of resuscitation in which venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO) is initiated during refractory cardiac arrest. ECPR promises to enhance outcomes after cardiac arrest by minimizing neurological deficits, stabilizing the patient for early reperfusion and hypothermia, and serving as a bridge to treatment or transplant. ECPR must be initiated according to structured guidelines and protocols, which are based on the patient’s age, comorbidities, code status, neurological baseline, no flow time, and low flow time.

If a patient achieves return of spontaneous circulation on ECMO, the patient will receive post cardiac arrest care which includes …

Acquiring Blood Pressures On High Risk Sepsis Patients In The Ed, Mckenna Scharlau, Jacob Schneider

Nurse Presentations

Describes a project to improve use of the Sepsis Tool in the Emergency Department and to improve documentation of blood pressure measurements in high risk sepsis patients under three years of age.

Minimizing Unplanned Extubations In The Intensive Care Nursery, Lindsay Barrosse, Blaire Collins, Cassidy Horton, Jodie Seitzer, Brittney Hunter, Jenny Mckee

Nurse Presentations

Describes a project to ensure compliance with a standardized process for endotracheal tube management in the intensive care nursery in order to reduce the number of unplanned extubations and their consequent adverse effects.

Timely Interventions In Patients Developing Sepsis Within The Picu, Lindsey Bloom, Ashley Bramel, Kelsey Cumpton, Christopher Damrat, Emily Lingo, Grace Sexton, Breton Struble

Nurse Presentations

Describes a project to increase the number of sepsis interventions completed within one hour in the pediatric intensive care unit, and to improve the documentation (COW Cards) of rapid interventions.

Engaging Student Nurses In A Professional Association, Nicholas Craig

Student Engagement Posters

Nicholas Craig discusses student engagement at Linfield College with regard to his involement with the Critical Care Nurses' Club.

Sepsis: Triage Triggers, Outcomes Quicker, Rylee Ainge, Mackenzie Flaws, Natalie Heim, Emily Herndon, Hayley Norris, Amy L. Scott

Posters

No abstract provided.

Managing Severe Tbi In The Icu Setting Using A Three Tier Approach, Mary Kay Bader

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Objectives:

• Assess the effects of injury to the brain in the neurologic injured patient and implement a tiered approach to manage severe TBI
• Evaluate TBI patients using multimodality monitoring
• Apply interventions to manage brain injury & integrate the complex multi-system issues and manage these patients using an actual case study.

Temperature Management: All Shook Up! Managing Shivering In Normothermia, Mary Kay Bader

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Objectives:

• Identify key factors related to maintaining normothermia
• Describe the use of the Bedside Shivering Assessment Scale
• Provide interventions to manage shivering in the Neuro patient population

Technology: Inside The Black Box -- Managing Neuro Patients, Mary Kay Bader

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Objectives:

• Identify the pathophysiology and cellular processes related to brain injury responses
• Describe the indications, functions, data analysis, and suggested interventions with various monitors of the brain
• Apply this technology to the care of the critically injured neuro patient using evidenced based protocols

Practice With Purpose & Passion, Mary Kay Bader

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Objectives:

• Integrate the components of clinical practice in an ICU environment including elements of team membership/performance, teamwork, shared decision making, communication and collaboration
• Demonstrate passion in delivering care in the ICU environment by reflecting on the meaning of nursing care and generating fuel to inspire the clinical team in the work environment

Investigating Compassion Fatigue In Medical-Surgical Nurses, Tammy Darlene Shepherd

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Medical-surgical nurses are consumed by providing care to patients and families and often forget to care for themselves. Compassion fatigue can lead to lack of caring for one’s self in the nurse’s life. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the existence of compassion fatigue among medical-surgical nurses and determine the correlation between the range of years of nursing experience and range of age in years. A review of the literature has identified that nurses should practice self-care to combat compassion fatigue. The theoretical framework was based on Jean Watson’s Theory of Transpersonal Caring. The Professional Quality of Life …

An Evaluation Of A Pilot Inpatient Hospice Unit And The Impact It Has On End-Of-Life Care At An Academic Medical Center, Cynthia Minetree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Clinical Projects, 2016-2019

Background: Research shows that acute care hospitals with inpatient hospice units have an increase in hospice resource utilization and provide end-of-life care that is more aligned with patients’ end-of-life goals compared to hospitals that do not have inpatient hospice units.

Methods: A pilot six-bed General Inpatient (GIP) hospice unit was implemented at an acute care hospital, located in Washington, D.C., to provide hospice care for patients that were not able to transfer to another inpatient setting for hospice care. A six-month evaluation of the pilot GIP hospice unit was done to evaluate the feasibility of the unit and the impact …

The Use Of Behavioral Pain Assessment Tools And Pain Outcomes In Nonverbal Patients, Patrick A. Healy

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Acute and critical care patients experience significantly more pain than those patients on a general nursing unit. Due to the severity of their condition, acute care patients may be nonverbal and unable to self-report their pain. Behavioral pain assessment tools are a method of objectively measuring pain in patients who are unable to communicate. While the use of these tools has been shown to improve short- and long-term outcome for patients, there is a paucity of evidence as to nurses' perceptions related to their use. The purpose of this study is to investigate acute care nurses' perceptions of the relationship …

Burnout Syndrome In Critical Care Nurses, Katie Burke, Kelly Claridge, Mallory Bidlen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Burnout syndrome among nurses, especially within the critical care setting, has been a persistent and increasingly prevalent problem in the healthcare field. This systematic review aims to explore the common causes of burnout among nurses associated with working in a critical care setting. Twenty-five peer-reviewed articles, published between the years of 2000 and 2018, were selected for analysis and synthesis using the databases PubMed and CINAHL. The group included research studies conducted in the United States, Spain, France, China and Iran with sample sizes ranging from 42 to 2,392 intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. The articles included in this review …