Clareen Wiencek

No Interruptions Please: Impact of a No Interruption Zone on Medication Safety in Intensive Care Units

nthe technologically advanced environment of the ICU, nurses play a central role in the maintenance of patient safety. Although safety encompasses many processes and personnel, nurses have the primary role in safe administration of medications, which is recognized as a nurse-sensitive outcome. Critical care nurses work with a multitude of potent and lifesaving medications that paradoxically can pose a No Interruptions Please Impact of a No Interruption Zone on Medication Safety in Intensive Care Units Cover Article

Music Therapy Reduces Pain in Palliative Care Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

CONTEXT Treatment of pain in palliative care patients is challenging. Adjunctive methods of pain management are desirable. Music therapy offers a nonpharmacologic and safe alternative. OBJECTIVES To determine the efficacy of a single music therapy session to reduce pain in palliative care patients. METHODS Two hundred inpatients at University Hospitals Case Medical Center were enrolled in the study from 2009 to 2011. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: standard care alone (medical and nursing care that included scheduled analgesics) or standard care with music therapy. A clinical nurse specialist administered pre- and post-tests to assess the level of pain using a numeric rating scale as the primary outcome, and the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability Scale and the Functional Pain Scale as secondary outcomes. The intervention incorporated music therapist-guided autogenic relaxation and live music. RESULTS A significantly greater decrease in numeric rating scale pain scores was seen in the music therapy group (difference in means [95% CI] -1.4 [-2.0, -0.8]; P<0.0001). Mean changes in Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability scores did not differ between study groups (mean difference -0.3, [95% CI] -0.8, 0.1; P>0.05). Mean change in Functional Pain Scale scores was significantly greater in the music therapy group (difference in means -0.5 [95% CI] -0.8, 0.3; P<0.0001) [corrected]: A single music therapy intervention incorporating therapist-guided autogenic relaxation and live music was effective in lowering pain in palliative care patients.

Effectiveness Trial of an Intensive Communication Structure for Families of Long-Stay ICU Patients

BACKGROUND Formal family meetings have been recommended as a useful approach to assist in goal setting, facilitate decision making, and reduce use of ineffective resources in the ICU. We examined patient outcomes before and after implementation of an intensive communication system (ICS) to test the effect of regular, structured formal family meetings on patient outcomes among long-stay ICU patients. METHODS One hundred thirty-five patients receiving usual care and communication were enrolled as the control group, followed by enrollment of intervention patients (n = 346), from five ICUs. The ICS included a family meeting within 5 days of ICU admission and weekly thereafter. Each meeting discussed medical update, values and preferences, and goals of care; treatment plan; and milestones for judging effectiveness of treatment. RESULTS Using multivariate analysis, there were no significant differences between control and intervention patients in length of stay (LOS), the primary end point. Similarly, there were no significant differences in indicators of aggressiveness of care or treatment limitation decisions (ICU mortality, LOS, duration of ventilation, treatment limitation orders, or use of tracheostomy or percutaneous gastrostomy). Exploratory analysis suggested that in the medical ICUs, the intervention was associated with a lower prevalence of tracheostomy among patients who died or had do-not-attempt-resuscitation orders in place. CONCLUSIONS The negative findings of the main analysis, in combination with preliminary evidence of differences among types of unit, suggest that further examination of the influence of patient, family, and unit characteristics on the effects of a system of regular family meetings may be warranted. Despite the lack of influence on patient outcomes, structured family meetings may be an effective approach to meeting information and support needs. TRIAL REGISTRY ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT01057238 ; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Chronic Critical Illness Prevalence, Profile, and Pathophysiology

The syndrome of chronic critical illness has well-documented emotional, social, and financial burdens for individuals, caregivers, and the health care system. The purpose of this article is to provide experienced acute and critical care clinicians with essential information about the prevalence and profile of the chronically critically ill patient needed for comprehensive care. In addition, pathophysiology contributing to chronic critical illness is addressed, though the exact mechanism underlying the conversion of acute critical illness to chronic critical illness is unknown. Clinicians can use this information to identify at-risk intensive care unit patients and to institute proactive care to minimize burden and distress experienced by patients and their caregivers.

Patterns of community-based end-of-life care in rural areas of the United States

There is relatively little empirical data on the supply of community-based end-of-life (EOL) providers especially in rural areas despite projections for growth. This study examined the availability of community-based EOL providers in eight states using mapping techniques and statistical approaches. Analysis of variance and geographic information system approaches were used to compare the availability of community-based EOL providers at the county level by degree of rurality. Examining numbers of rural counties by provider, it was found that hospices were the least available community-based EOL providers in rural counties with 62% to 92% of rural counties not having hospice providers (exception: Vermont). When examining the number of providers by population older than 65 years, few differences were found. It is concluded that there are substantially fewer hospice providers in the most rural areas, raising issues of access to care. Examination of both unadjusted and adjusted numbers of providers is important to understand community-based EOL provider supply.

PALLIATIVE CARE DELIVERY MODELS

OBJECTIVES To provide an overview of the four major palliative care delivery models: ambulatory clinics, home-based programs, inpatient palliative care units, and inpatient consultation services. The advantages and disadvantages of each model and the generalist and specialist roles in palliative care will be discussed. DATA SOURCES Literature review. CONCLUSION The discipline of palliative care continues to experience growth in the number of programs and in types of delivery models. Ambulatory- and home-based models are the newest on the scene. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE Nurses caring for oncology patients with life-limiting disease should be informed about these models for optimal impact on patient care outcomes. Oncology nurses should demonstrate generalist skills in the care of the seriously ill and access specialist palliative care providers as warranted by the patients condition.

From the Team to the Table: Nursing Societies and Health Care Organizational Ethics

Health care work is interprofessional work. Nurses and physicians, members of the professions whose close collaboration is foundational to health care delivery, continue to be educated separately in most academic institutions. Their work also is organized in ways that challenge interprofessional collaboration. Understanding workplace realities faced by nurses and physicians, separately and jointly, is a starting place for exploring how to support ethically sound interprofessional work. In this essay, we look most closely at the work of nurses and physicians who care for seriously ill hospitalized patients, a patient population closely associated with ethical challenges.

Preparing for Sudden Cardiac Death Following Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Deactivation: Case Study Analysis

The incidence of heart failure is increasing concurrent with the aging of the US population. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators are becoming more prevalent in patients with heart failure and dysrhythmias. Therefore, palliative care settings are seeing an increasing number of patients with these devices. This case study examines issues related to one patient who choose to have his implantable cardioverter-defibrillator deactivated after being shocked numerous times in the intensive care unit setting. Consensus guidelines for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation and deactivation are reviewed as nurses need to be prepared to provide evidence-based care of patients with these devices, support patient autonomy, and educate the patient and their family about the course of the process. Finally, this case study underscores the need for interdisciplinary preparation to deal with sudden cardiac death while providing emotional support for the patient’s loved ones during and after the event.