Management of bed availability in intensive care in the context of hospitalization by court order.

OBJECTIVE: to identify, from the nurse perspective, situations that interfere with the availability of beds in the intensive care unit in the context of hospitalization by court order. METHOD: qualitative exploratory, analytical research carried out with 42 nurses working in adult intensive care. The selection took place by non-probabilistic snowball sampling. Data collected by interview and analyzed using the Discursive Textual Analysis technique. RESULTS: three categories were analyzed, entitled deficiency of physical structure and human resources; Lack of clear policies and criteria for patient admission and inadequate discharge from the intensive care unit. In situations of hospitalization by court order, there is a change in the criteria for the allocation of intensive care beds, due to the credibility of professionals, threats of medico-legal processes by family members and judicial imposition on institutions and health professionals. CONCLUSION: nurses defend the needs of the patients, too, with actions that can positively impact the availability of intensive care beds and adequate care infrastructure.

[Hospitalization by court order: ethical dilemmas experienced by nurses]. / Internação por ordem judicial: dilemas éticos vivenciados por enfermeiros.

A qualitative study aimed at describing the situations experienced and the ethical dilemmas of nurses in the process of referring and receiving hospitalized patients by court order who require admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A partially structured interview was conducted with 10 nurses who worked in the ICU and 10 who worked in the Emergency Room (ER) in public and private hospitals in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil. The data was analyzed following the Semantic Analysis. The results indicated that nurses experienced ethical dilemmas associated with problems of overcrowding in emergency rooms and ICUs, poor specialized technology and orientation as to the benefits provided by law. We concluded that it is essential for nurses to participate in discussions that allow the planning of the different instances that have been promoting this often chaotic situation.

Internação por ordem judicial: dilemas éticos vivenciados por enfermeiros / Internación por orden judicial: dilemas éticos vividos por enfermeros / Hospitalization by court order: ethical dilemmas experienced by nurses

Pesquisa qualitativa, cujo objetivo foi descrever as situações vivenciadas e os dilemas éticos dos enfermeiros no percurso de encaminhamento e recebimento, por ordem judicial, de pacientes com indicação de internação em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI). Foi efetivada entrevista parcialmente estruturada com 10 enfermeiros, que atuam em UTI e 10 que atuam em emergência de hospitais públicos e privados da região metropolitana de Porto Alegre, Brasil. Os dados foram submetidos à análise temática. Os resultados indicam que os enfermeiros vivenciam dilemas éticos consequentes aos problemas de superlotação das UTI e das emergências, da precária tecnologia especializada, da orientação quanto ao benefício concedido pela lei. Concluiu-se que é fundamental a participação dos enfermeiros em debates que possibilitem mapear as diferentes instâncias que têm promovido esta situação, muitas vezes caótica.

Investigación cualitativa cuyo objetivo fue describir las situaciones vividas y los dilemas éticos de los enfermeros en el transcurso del envío y recibimiento por orden judicial de pacientes con indicación de internamiento en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI). Se realizó una entrevista parcialmente estructurada con 10 enfermeros que actuaban en la UCI y 10 que actuaban en Emergencias de hospitales públicos y privados de la región metropolitana de Porto Alegre, Brasil. Los datos fueron analizados según el Análisis Temático. Los resultados indican que los enfermeros experimentan dilemas éticos consiguientes problemas de hacinamiento en emergencia y UCI, especialista en tecnología pobre, la orientación en cuanto a los beneficios establecidos por la ley. Se concluye que es fundamental la participación de los enfermeros en debates que posibiliten mapear las diferentes instancias que han promovido esta situación muchas veces caótica.

A qualitative study aimed at describing the situations experienced and the ethical dilemmas of nurses in the process of referring and receiving hospitalized patients by court order who require admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A partially structured interview was conducted with 10 nurses who worked in the ICU and 10 who worked in the Emergency Room (ER) in public and private hospitals in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil. The data was analyzed following the Semantic Analysis. The results indicated that nurses experienced ethical dilemmas associated with problems of overcrowding in emergency rooms and ICUs, poor specialized technology and orientation as to the benefits provided by law. We concluded that it is essential for nurses to participate in discussions that allow the planning of the different instances that have been promoting this often chaotic situation.

Against the grain? A reasoned argument for not closing a state hospital.

In the face of the Massachusetts Governor's attempts to close one of the state's four remaining state hospitals, Massachusetts legislators overrode the Governor's veto of funding for the hospital, but required the state's Mental Health Authority to author a study of the implications of further loss of public sector inpatient beds. The Center for Mental Health Services Research of the University of Massachusetts Medical School conducted its own study concluding that maintaining a longer-term inpatient capacity in the public sector in central Massachusetts was both necessary and accrued a significant number of benefits. This article can serve as a model for the reasoned position that a state hospital in 21st century psychiatry can be looked at as a multiservice center that fulfills a key role in a public sector, integrated system of treatment, care, training and research.

'Bed-blockers': delayed discharge of hospital patients in a nationwide perspective in Sweden.

Between 1989 and 1992 the number of 'bed-blocking' patients in Sweden decreased from 15 to 7% according to national registers containing approx. 4000 patients. Part of this reduction can be explained by the 1992 Elderly Reform, which placed economic responsibility for bed-blockers on municipalities. However, the decrease began before the economic reform, implying that other factors are also involved, such as access to alternative institutional beds and other forms of care. An in-depth study of one district has provided a description of these often elderly patients, their heavy hospital utilization both before and after the bed-blocking period and their mortality. Nearly half the patients were dead within a year. Bed-blocking is a poorly defined concept requiring urgent discussion. Other related topics to which attention should be drawn are the administrative costs of economic control systems and efficient utilization of public resources as a whole.

[Hospital "full"--must the emergency physician go farther?]. / Krankenhaus "belegt"--Muss der Notarzt weiterfahren?

All beds in the surgical department of a hospital are occupied. The dispatch center is announcing a rescue unit transporting a heavy injured casualty. The surgeon is running to the emergency room. What to do under the view of the german legal system?