Patient satisfaction with nursing care in an Intensive Care Unit measured through the Nursing Intensive-Care Satisfaction Scale (NICSS).

BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction in relation with nursing care has become a key determinant of the quality of hospital care. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate patient satisfaction in relation with nursing care in a critical care context; to determine the correlation between critical patient satisfaction and sociodemographic and clinical variables and to describe patient perceptions with nursing care. METHODS: A descriptive, prospective, correlational study which includes the analysis of some open questions in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary level university hospital. The degree of satisfaction of all patients discharged from de ICU was evaluated. It was used the validated Spanish version of Nursing Intensive-Care Satisfaction-Scale (NICSS). There were also collected sociodemographic and clinical data and 3 open questions were asked. It was used the inferential and descriptive statistics considering statistically significant p<.05. Open questions were examined using a language context analysis. The approval of the hospital ethical committee was obtained. RESULTS: 111 patients agreed to participate, with a mean age of 64.18 years (CI 95% 61.36-66.88) and with a medium level of satisfaction of 5.83 (CI 95% 5.78-5.88) being 6 the maximum score. Women, older patients and those who reflect a higher degree of recovery, are those who reported greater satisfaction. Three main themes emerged from the analysis of the open-ended questions of the surveys: nurse patient relationship, professional practice environment and ICU nature. CONCLUSION: Patient satisfaction in relation with nursing care was elevated. Age, sex and degree of recovery significantly influenced their perception. Nurse patient relationship and the professional practice environment were aspects highlighted by patients. The professional model incorporated by the institution may encouraged these results.

Postoperative management and nursing care after implantation of a total artificial heart: Scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: End-stage heart failure (HF) is a condition whose only successful long-term treatment, with a survival of more than 10 years, is heart transplantation. However, limited organ availability and the progressive increase in the number of patients with advanced HF have served as an impetus for the development of implantable mechanical assistive devices. AIM: To provide an overview of postoperative management and nursing care after the implementation of a Total Artificial Heart (TAH). METHODS: A scoping review was carried out by consulting the PUBMED, CINAHL, and COCHRANE databases. From all the documents located, information was extracted on the date of publication, country of publication, type of study, and results of interest to answer the research question. In addition, the degree of recommendation was identified. RESULTS: Twenty-three documents were included in the scoping review. Results were classified in relation to: 1) description of the CAT SynCardia®; 2) nursing care in the immediate postoperative period (management of the device and management of hematological, infectious, nephrological, nutritional complications, related to immobilization, sleep-rest disturbances, psychological disorders, and patient and family education); and 3) follow-up at home. CONCLUSIONS: The complexity of implantation of the TAH, the multiple related complications that can arise during this process, both in the immediate post-operative and late, require a standardised and multidisciplinary management. The absence of standardised protocols raises the need for future studies to measure the effectiveness of care in patients with TAH. A multidisciplinary approach is crucial. Nurses must acquire autonomy and involvement in decision-making and develop competencies to address the patient's and family's physiological and psychosocial needs.

Levels of burnout and exposure to ethical conflict and assessment of the practice environment in nursing professionals of intensive care.

BACKGROUND: Nursing professionals working in Intensive Care Units (ICU) are at high risk of developing negative emotional responses as well as emotional and spiritual problems related to ethical issues. The design of effective strategies that improve these aspects is determined by knowing the levels of burnout and ethical conflict of these professionals, as well as the influence that the practice environment might have on them. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the relationship between levels of burnout, the exposure to ethical conflicts and the perception of the practice environment among themselves and with sociodemographic variables of the different intensive care nursing professionals. METHODS: Descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional, observational study in an ICU of a tertiary level university hospital. The level of burnout was evaluated with the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey scale; the level of ethical conflict with the Ethical Conflict Questionnaire for Nurses and the perception of the environment with the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. The association between categorical variables was analyzed using Fisher's exact chi-square test (χ2) RESULTS: 31 nurses and 8 nursing assistants were evaluated, which meant a participation rate of 82,93%. 31,10% of the nursing professionals presented signs of burnout, 14,89% considered that they work in an unfavorable environment and 87,23% presented a medium-high index of exposure to ethical conflict. The educational level (χ2=11.084, p=0.011) and the professional category (χ2=5.007, p=0.025) influenced the level of burnout: nursing assistants presented higher levels of this. When comparing the level of burnout with the environment and the index of ethical conflict, there were no statistically significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of association found in the study between Burnout and ethical conflict with the perception of the practice environment suggests that personal factors may influence its development.

Nurses' knowledge about palliative care in a critical care unit.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Patients admitted to the Critical Care Unit (CCU) have a high mortality rate due to their complexity. Palliative care (PC) is a key aspect that can improve patient care. Because of the essential role of the nurse in providing this care, training, and including it in daily practice are needed. Our objective was to review the level of knowledge among the nurses in the CCU regarding PC and assess whether there is an association between each of the study variables. METHODOLOGY: We performed a descriptive observational cross-sectional study in the CCU of a tertiary level university hospital. The questionnaire Palliative Care Quiz for Nurses, previously validated and translated into Spanish, was used. This is a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions (True/False/Do not know-Do not answer) which evaluates three aspects of PC: philosophy, psychosocial and control of pain and other symptoms. In addition, sociodemographic data was collected. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used, a p < .05 was considered statistically significant in all cases. RESULTS: The questionnaire was administered to 68 nursers, with an average age of 34.98 ±â€¯12.12 years, and 13.00 ±â€¯11.75 years of professional experience. Twelve nurses have Master studies and 28 nurses have received training in PC. The percent of correct answers of the questionnaire was 56.98%. There were no statistically significant differences between the total average score and the variables studied. However, looking at each aspect on the scale, an association was found between PC training and control of pain and other symptoms (p = .033). CONCLUSION: Critical care nurses have a basic knowledge of PC, it being insufficient in the psychological sphere. Developing a training programme which identifies misconceptions and training deficits might improve the management of symptom control in palliative care patients, quality of care and its application.

Perception of pain in post-surgical patients in intensive care units. / Percepción del dolor de los pacientes posquirúrgicos en una unidad de cuidados intensivos.

INTRODUCTION: Pain assessment and treatment are essential for ensuring quality of care as well as for improving patient's satisfaction and clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVES: 1) To describe pain perception of surgical patients admitted to our Intensive Care Unit(ICU). 2) To compare the patients' pain perception with the assessment carried out by nurses. 3) To correlate International Pain Outcomes Questionnaire results with socio-demographical data. METHODOLOGY: A prospective descriptive observational study was carried out in the ICU of a third level university hospital over a period of 3 months. Surgical patients' pain-perception was assessed 24hours after their admission to the ICU using the Spanish translation of International Pain Outcomes Questionnaire. RESULTS: The highest pain score recorded among 109 patients by nurses was 4.47±2.75, while, the lowest was .69±1,25. However, the highest and lowest pain scores reported by patients were 5.59±2.72 and 2.13±2.03, which showed significant differences (P <0.001). The highest pain score seemed to be related to the type of surgery (P <0.027). There are significant variations in the lowest pain score depending on age (P=0.005 r=-0.270). Likewise, the worst pain score correlated with the patients' sex (P=0.004). Patients who reported that pain made them feel very anxious or helpless scored highest with the worst pain, 7.35±1.98, 7.44±1.85 respectively. These differences were statistically significant (P=0.001, P <0.001). Regarding to the score of less pain, there is an association with feeling anxiety (P=0.032) and not with feeling helpless (P=-0.088). CONCLUSIONS: The post-surgical patients reported pain during the first 24hours following admission to ICU (max score 5.59±.26). The nurses underestimated the patients' reported pain. Improving nurses' education would provide them with assessment strategies for better pain management. Age, sex, anxiety and helplessness caused by pain, were variables that significantly influenced pain.

Respiratory physiotherapy in intensive care unit: Bibliographic review. / Fisioterapia respiratoria en la unidad de cuidados intensivos: Revisión bibliográfica.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Patients in intensive care unit are susceptible to complications due to different causes (underlying disease, immobilisation, infection risk…) The current main intervention in order to prevent these complications is respiratory physiotherapy, a common practice for nurses on a daily basis. Therefore, we decided to carry out this bibliographic review to describe the most efficient respiratory physiotherapy methods for the prevention and treatment of lung complications in patients in intensive care, taking into account the differences between intubated and non-intubated patients. METHODOLOGY: The bibliographic narrative review was carried out on literature available in Pubmed, Cinahl and Cochrane Library. The established limits were language, evidence over the last 15 years and age. RESULTS: Techniques involving lung expansion, cough, vibration, percussion, postural drainage, incentive inspirometry and oscillatory and non-oscillatory systems are controversial regarding their efficacy as respiratory physiotherapy methods. However, non-invasive mechanical ventilation shows clear benefits. In the case of intubated patients, manual hyperinflation and secretion aspirations are highly efficient methods for the prevention of the potential complications mentioned above. In this case, other RP methods showed no clear efficiency when used individually. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Non-invasive mechanical ventilation (for non-intubated patients) and manual hyperinflation (for intubated patients) proved to be the respiratory physiotherapy methods with the best results. The other techniques are more controversial and the results are not so clear. In both types of patients this literature review suggests that combined therapy is the most efficient.

Patients' perceptions of sleep in a Critical Care Unit. / Percepción del sueño de los pacientes en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Patients' sleep can be disturbed during their stay in an Intensive Care Unit. Many factors can explain this disturbance, both within the ICU environment and caused by patients' illnesses. There is evidence that patients' sleep can be improved within ICUs. The aim of this study is to describe patients perceptions of a night's sleep and develop a care plan that promotes a night's sleep. METHODOLOGY: A prospective descriptive study was performed in the ICU of a training hospital. The sleep of 125 patients was explored. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected from patients' medical records. The 5-item Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire was utilised to assess patients' perception of a night's sleep. In addition, an ad-hoc 9-item questionnaire was developed which included factors that can affect sleep according to the literature. Patients had to grade the level of interference of those factors with their night's sleep. RESULTS: The sleep of patients in our Intensive Care Unit was moderately deep, with light arousals and ease in falling sleep again. The average value on the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire was 52.92mm. The factors that significantly interfered with sleep were: pain (P=0.009), worries/anxiety (P=.01), staff voices (P=0.033), alarm/medical devices sounds (P=0.047) and peripheral intravenous lines (P=.036). CONCLUSIONS: Our patients' perception of a night's sleep in the ICU was fair. Optimising pain management, answering questions or worries, minimizing background noise and voices have the potential to improve sleep quality.

[Physical restraint use in critical care units. Perceptions of patients and their families]. / Restricciones físicas en UCI: su utilización y percepción de pacientes y familiares.

INTRODUCTION: The use of physical restraints in Intensive Care Units (ICU) is common although little is known about patients' and relatives' perceptions of this use. OBJECTIVES: 1) To analyze the prevalence and use of physical restraints in a general adult ICU; 2) to know the perceptions of patients who experienced use of physical restraints and; 3) to know the perceptions of relatives of patients who used physical restraints. METHODS: This descriptive study, which used both quantitative and qualitative methods, was carried out in an adult ICU. For the first objective, all the patients (101) who had used any kind of physical restraint were analysed. For the second and third objectives, 30 patients and 30 relatives were interviewed using the guidelines of Strumpf & Evans as modified by Hardin (1993). All interviews were recorded, fully transcribed and then submitted to a language content analysis using the method of Hsieh & Shannon. RESULTS: The only physical restraint used was the wrist restraint with a prevalence of 43.47%. Seventy-two percent of patients wore the restraint ≤12h and 28%>12h. Analysis of the patient interviews revealed 4 main themes: acceptance of the restraint conditioned by beliefs and information provided; feelings and sensations caused by the use of the restraint; alternatives proposed and future repercussions. Three themes emerged from the interviews with relatives: impressions caused by the use of the restrictions; reasons for accepting or rejecting them; alternatives to the use of restraints. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients used physical restraints for a short period of time and only the wrist restraint was used. Patients using physical restraints and their relatives expressed a wide range of feelings and sensations, with no negative future repercussions. In general, they agreed with the use of restraints although more precise information would lead to greater acceptance.

[Care quality in intensive care evaluated by the patients using a service quality scale (SERVQUAL)]. / La calidad asistencial en cuidados intensivos evaluada por los pacientes mediante la escala SERVQUAL.

INTRODUCTION: The evaluation made by the patients on the quality of service received is important to introduce improvement strategies in the care quality. OBJECTIVES: 1. To evaluate the care quality through the analysis of the differences obtained between expectations and perceptions, that the patients have of the service received in the ICU. 2. To analyze if there is any relationship between care quality evaluated by the patients and the sociodemographic variables. METHOD: A total of 86 patients who were conscious and oriented during their stay in the ICU were studied prospectively. At 24h of the discharge from the ICU, the SERVQUAL (Service Quality) scale, adapted for the hospital setting by Babakus and Mangold (1992), was applied. This scale measures the care quality based on the difference in scores obtained between expectations and perceptions of the patients. The positive scores indicate that the perceptions of the patients exceed their expectations. The scale has 5 dimensions: Tangibility, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurances and Empathy. It includes 15 items for perceptions and the same for expectations, with 5 grades of response (1 totally disagree - 5 totally agree). RESULTS: The mean score of perceptions 66.92) exceeded that of the expectations (62.30). The mean score of the difference between perceptions and expectations for the total of the SERVQUAL scale was 4.62. It was also positive for each one of the dimensions: Tangibility=1.44, Reliability=0.53, Responsiveness=0.95, Assurances=0.99, Empathy=0.71. No statistically significant associations were found between care quality evaluated by the patients and the sociodemographic variables. CONCLUSION: The care quality perceived by the patients in the ICU exceeds their expectations, and had no relationship with the sociodemographic characteristics.

[Evaluation of care quality in the ICU through a computerized nursing care plan]. / Evaluación de la calidad de los cuidados en la UCI a través de un plan de atención de enfermería informatizado.

The computerized systems that are being implemented for the recording of the Nursing Care Plan may facilitate the performance of continuing follow-up of the care quality. This retrospective descriptive study has been performed in a polyvalent Intensive Care Unit with the following objectives: a) describe the evaluation of the care quality, performed through the computerized record of the Nursing Care Plan; and 2) compare this evaluation with that performed in 1998, when the Nursing Care Plan had not yet been computerized. In the 98 revised computerized Nursing Care Plans, corresponding to the same number of patients with a mean stay of 13.8 days, the following results were obtained. Artificial airway. 74 patients had an endotracheal tube with a mean stay of 5.4 days, 11 patients had a cannula tracheotomy (time period of 45.7 days); no events occurred. Central venous lines: 91 patients were carriers of 163 catheters, the mean presence time was 9.9 days; three with withdrawn due to obstruction, there was one accident withdrawal and two were self-removed. Arterial catheter: the total number of arterial lines, corresponding to 87 patients, was 101 with a mean presence of 6.7 days; 15 obstructions, six accidental withdrawals and four self-removals were recorded. Bladder catheter: 91 patients had a bladder catheter (mean presence 12.9 days); no event occurred. Nasogastric tube: 83 patients were carriers of 98 tubes (63 Salem type and 35 for nutrition), with a mean presence of 10.1 days; five were withdrawn due to obstruction, three accidental withdrawals and 40 self-removed (23 in one patient). Skin integrity: nine patients developed bedsores, eight grade II and two grade III, the mean stay was 26.6 days. No patients had an accidental fall. As study conclusions, it stands out that the preestablished standards for the evaluation of the care were achieved in most and the care quality is maintained in relationship with our 1998 study, remaining within a level considered as good.

[Drug administration through enteral feeding catheters]. / Administración de fármacos por sonda digestiva.

Because of easiness and accessibility, the oral route of administration is usually the route of choice for medication delivery, as long as the oral drug form is available and the patients' circumstances allow it.In patients admitted to the intensive care unit this route is frequently altered. This provokes difficulties in swallowing and consequently an enteral feeding catheter must be inserted to supply the patient's nutritional requirements. This catheter is also used for the drug administration, which necessitates opening capsules or crushing pills before dilution. When added to drug-nutrient interactions, this process alters the drug's properties and modifies its pharmacokinetic profile, its pharmacological effect and the intensity of side effects. It can also provoke catheter obstruction. The aim of this study was to establish guidelines for drug administration through enteral feeding catheters. We provide a thorough review of the literature, describe oral drug forms, present a protocol for correct drug administration and provide a guide to the most commonly used drugs in our unit. For each of these drugs we include recommendations on administration and possible alternatives.