Impacts of fighting against COVID-19 on critical care nurses'psychological and physical health:a literature review

Objective:To provide insight into the effects of the coronavirus disease(COVID-19)pandemic on the physical and psychological health of critical care nurses in adult units.Methods:A systematic search through the CINAHL,MEDLINE,and EMbase databases were performed.Studies that addressed“critical care nurses,”“COVID-19,”“physical effect,”and“psychological effect”from different perspectives were reviewed.Results:A total of 42 ar ticles were reviewed based on 2 aspects:critical care nurses'psychological and physical health.Negative emotions were the most common conditions:fear,anxiety,depression,and post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD).Burnout,falling ill and having thoughts of self-harm,fatigue,physical burden,sleeping disorders,and chronic work overload also adversely affected the nurses'health.The nurses'health deteriorated because of the changes in the unfamiliar working environment and processes,colossal workload and chronic exhaustion,worries about themselves and their families,social response,and witnessing the death toll.Conclusions:Critical care nurses experienced adverse effects of the institutional reaction,social response,and individuals'reply to the COVID-19 pandemic upon their psychological and physical health.Suppor ting services and preparation for other unprecedented situations should be sustainably available.

Necessary prerequisites for evidence-based practice:results of investigating nurses'informatics competency and information literacy skills

This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between nursing informatics(NI)competency and information literacy skills for evidencebased practice(EBP)among intensive care nurses.This cross-sectional study was conducted on 184 nurses working in intensive care units(ICUs).The study data were collected through demographic information,Nursing Informatics Competency Assessment Tool(NICAT),and information literacy skills for EBP questionnaires.The intensive care nurses received competent and low-moderate levels for the total scores of NI competency and information literacy skills,respectively.They received a moderate score for the use of different information resources but a low score for information searching skills,different search features,and knowledge about search operators,and only 31.5%of the nurses selected the most appropriate statement.NI competency and related subscales had a significant direct bidirectional correlation with information literacy skills for EBP and its subscales(P<0.05).Nurses require a high level of NI competency and information literacy for EBP to obtain up-to-date information and provide better care and decision-making.Health planners and policymakers should develop interventions to enhance NI competency and information literacy skills among nurses and motivate them to use EBP in clinical settings.

Characteristic Duties of Critical Care Nurses in Japan: A Time-Study Comparison with Neurology Ward Nurses

Background: The importance of the acute phase in hospitals has been increasing. While administering high-level critical care, the working styles of critical care nurses, the types of clinical care they provide, and the way in which they prioritize tasks, remain unclear. Aim of this study was to elucidate the characteristic duties of critical care nurses through a comparison with neurological ward nurses. Methods: We recorded the duties of critical care nurses and neurology ward nurses (10 each) using a time-study design. Duties were measured separately by action, classified using a classification table, and differences between the two groups were compared. Results: No differences in the number of actions were observed between the two groups. The top five items that required the most time for critical care nurses were, “Movement”, “Administration and oxygen management”, “Handover process/Doctor’s rounds”, “Preparation for entry and exit management of patients”, and “Bed bathing (for bedbound patients)”. Of the 195 items, significant differences between the groups were noted for 34 items, while the duties of critical care nurses were best characterized by bed bathing (for bedbound patients), changing position, confirmation of infusion tubes, handover process/doctor’s rounds, and preparation for entry and exit management of patients. Conclusion: A characteristic of critical care nurses is that they must remain near patients and perform tasks while moving only a short distance. Moreover, the promotion of tasks while communicating with physicians is presumed to play a role in the promotion of team medicine. Furthermore, much time was spent caring for patients in bed, and a lot of time was devoted to the preparation and finalizing of treatments and care, suggesting the possibility that more time can be spent on caring for patients through a revision of duties.

Critical care nurses＇ attitude towards life-sustaining treatments in South East Iran

BACKGROUND:Life-sustaining treatments(LSTs)may prolong life but greatly decrease the quality of death.One factor influencing decision-making about withholding and withdrawing these treatments is the attitude of nurses.This study aimed to evaluate the attitude of critical care nurses towards life-sustaining treatments in South East Iran.METHODS:In this cross-sectional study,"Ethnicity and Attitudes towards Advance Care Directives Questionnaire"was used to investigate the attitude of 104 critical care nurses towards lifesustaining treatments in three hospitals affiliated to Kerman University of Medical Sciences.RESULTS:The findings of this study indicated that although a majority of critical care nurses(77%)did not have personal desire for use of LSTs including CPR and mechanical ventilation,they had moderately negative to neutral attitude towards general use of LSTs(2.95 of 5).CONCLUSIONS:These findings suggest that nurses'attitude towards LSTs can be changed by inclusion of specific courses about death,palliative care and life-sustaining treatments in undergraduate and postgraduate nursing curricula.Educating Muslim nurses about religious aspects of LSTs may also improve their attitudes.

Development of a prediction model for enteral feeding intolerance in intensive care unit patients:A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Enteral nutrition(EN)is essential for critically ill patients.However,some patients will have enteral feeding intolerance(EFI)in the process of EN.AIM To develop a clinical prediction model to predict the risk of EFI in patients receiving EN in the intensive care unit.METHODS A prospective cohort study was performed.The enrolled patients’basic information,medical status,nutritional support,and gastrointestinal(GI)symptoms were recorded.The baseline data and influencing factors were compared.Logistic regression analysis was used to establish the model,and the bootstrap resampling method was used to conduct internal validation.RESULTS The sample cohort included 203 patients,and 37.93%of the patients were diagnosed with EFI.After the final regression analysis,age,GI disease,early feeding,mechanical ventilation before EN started,and abnormal serum sodium were identified.In the internal validation,500 bootstrap resample samples were performed,and the area under the curve was 0.70(95%CI:0.63-0.77).CONCLUSION This clinical prediction model can be applied to predict the risk of EFI.

Nurses ’ knowledge and skills concerning cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a descriptive study

Background:Nurses are usually the first to identify and initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR)for cardiac arrest in hospitalized patients.Consequently,the assessment of nurses’knowledge of CPR is very important for improving training programs.Basic life support will be designed to achieve this goal.However,when received by adequately trained healthcare professionals,basic life support has been shown to reduce in-hospital deaths.Aims:The study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude of nurses when facing cardiac arrest regarding basic life support/cardiopulmonary resuscitation among nursing professionals and to design a proposed training program for nurses working in Al-Najaf Teaching Hospital in their training needs.Methodology:This descriptive and exploratory cross-sectional study will be conducted at Al-Najaf city in the southern region of Iraq in Al-Najaf teaching hospital to assess the nurses’knowledge concerning cardiopulmonary resuscitation.The methodological strategies for data collection will be using assessment questionnaire survey,participative observation,and questionnaires to evaluate the need to learn,the educational practices,and their methodology,allowing for grouping the results in nurses’expectations.Data collection will be from July to August of 2022 by the application of a semi-structured questionnaire developed by the authors,to be used toward 250 nurses who work at a hospital in Al Najaf city;those on sick leave or vacations will be excluded.The project was approved by the Committee of Ethics in Research from Al-Najaf health direction.Expected results:To know how CPR is performed and to check whether the actions taken differ from the knowledge and practice approved by nurses in their professional activities.Subsequently,to plan educational interventions associated with the practice if necessary.