Care bundles for improving outcomes in patients with COVID-19 or related conditions in intensive care - a rapid scoping review

Effect of evidence-based nursing practices training programme on the competency of nurses caring for mechanically ventilated patients: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) has been recognised worldwide as a standardised approach for enhancing the quality of healthcare and patient outcomes. Nurses play a significant role in integrating EBP, especially in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Consequently, this study aims to examine the effect of an adapted evidence-based nursing practices training programme on the competency level of nurses caring for mechanically ventilated patients.

METHODS

A prospective open-label parallel 1:1 randomised controlled trial was conducted on 80 nurses caring for ICU patients at the National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute, Egypt. The trial was carried out between November 2022 and February 2023 under the registration number NCT05721664. The enrolled nurses were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received the evidence-based nursing practice training programme (EBNPTP) in accordance with the Johns Hopkins EBP conceptional model, whereas the control group received traditional in-service education. Four assessments (one pre- and three post-assessments) were conducted to evaluate nurses' competency level over time using the adapted evidence-based nursing competency assessment checklist. The primary endpoint was an increase the competency levels among nurses caring for mechanically ventilated patients.

RESULTS

The current study results revealed statistically significant differences between intervention and control groups in relation to their level of competency across the three post-assessments, with (p <.001). The study also demonstrated that the nurses' competency level continued to decline significantly over time, with (p <.001). Additionally, a significant correlation was found between the nurses' pre-assessment and educational level, acting as independent variables (predictors), and the third endpoint assessment (p <.01), indicated by multiple linear regression.

CONCLUSION

The EBP training programme demonstrated a significant increase in the nurses' level of competency compared with traditional in-service education. This suggests that by training the nurses in various settings with the essential skills and knowledge for EBP, their competency level can be enhanced, leading to the delivery of effective care and improving patient outcomes. However, the long-term sustainability of the EBP adoptions was insufficient; further studies are needed to investigate the factors that affect the durability of EBP adoption.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was registered with Clinical Trials.gov (Registration # NCT05721664) on 10/02/2023.

Close relatives' perspective of critical illness due to COVID-19: Keeping in touch at a distance

AIM

To elucidate the meaning of being a close relative of a critically ill person cared for in intensive care during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIGN

A narrative inquiry design following the COREQ guidelines.

METHODS

Individual interviews with fifteen close relatives of patients critically ill with COVID-19 were analysed using phenomenological hermeneutics.

RESULTS

The surreal existence of not being allowed to be near was emotionally difficult. While distancing due to restrictions was challenging, physicians' phone calls served as a connection to their relatives and brought a sense of security. Keeping notes helped them remember what happened and brought order to a chaotic situation.

CONCLUSION

Close relatives feel secure when they receive regular information about their critically ill relative, not just when their condition worsens. They wish to be physically near to their critically ill person; when this is impossible, digital technology can provide support, but further accessibility developments are needed.

Barriers to and facilitators of advance care planning implementation for medical staff after the COVID-19 pandemic: an overview of reviews

OBJECTIVE

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the capacity for advance care planning (ACP) among patients, families and healthcare teams. We sought to identify and review the barriers to and facilitators of ACP implementation for medical staff in different settings (eg, hospitals, outpatient palliative care, nursing and care homes) during the pandemic.

DESIGN

This study employed an overview of reviews design. We searched the MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Web of Science and Embase databases for studies published between 8 December 2019 and 30 July 2023. We used AMSTAR 2 to assess the risk of bias.

RESULTS

We included seven reviews. Common barriers to ACP implementation included visitation restrictions, limited resources and personnel and a lack of coordination among healthcare professionals. In care and nursing homes, barriers included a dearth of palliative care physicians and the psychological burden on facility staff. Using telemedicine for information sharing was a common facilitator across settings. In hospitals, facilitators included short-term training in palliative care and palliative care physicians joining the acute care team. In care and nursing homes, facilitators included ACP education and emotional support for staff.

CONCLUSIONS

Visitation restrictions and limited resources during the pandemic posed obstacles; however, the implementation of ACP was further hindered by insufficient staff education on ACP in hospitals and facilities, as well as a scarcity of information sharing at the community level. These pre-existing issues were magnified by the pandemic, drawing attention to their significance. Short-term staff training programmes and immediate information sharing could better enable ACP.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42022351362.

Nursing workforce allocation in the intensive care units of COVID-19-designated hospitals: A nationwide cross-sectional survey in China

AIM

To explore the nursing workforce allocation in intensive care units (ICUs) of COVID-19-designated hospitals during the epidemic peak in China.

DESIGN

A nationwide cross-sectional online survey.

METHODS

A total of 37 head nurses and 262 frontline nurses in 37 ICUs of COVID-19-designated tertiary hospitals located in 22 cities of China were surveyed. The self-reported human resource allocation questionnaire was used to assess the nursing workforce allocation.

RESULTS

The average patient-to-nurse ratio was 1.89 ± 1.14, and the median working hours per shift was 5 h. The top four majors of front-line nurses in ICUs were respiratory (31.30%), lemology (27.86%), intensive care (21.76%) and emergency (17.18%). We also found that a smaller average patient-to-nurse ratio (odds ratio [OR]: 0.328, 95% CI: 0.108, 1.000), longer average weekly rest time per person (OR: 0.193, 95% CI: 0.051, 0.729) and larger proportion of 6-9 working years (OR: 0.002, 95% CI: 0.001, 1.121) decreased the occurrence of nursing adverse events.

Direct anterior approach improves in-hospital mobility following hemiarthroplasty for femoral neck fracture treatment

INTRODUCTION

In elderly patients, an established treatment for femoral neck fractures is hip hemiarthroplasty (HHA) using the anterolateral approach (ALA). Early postoperative mobilization is crucial to reduce perioperative complications. The direct anterior approach (DAA) has been reported to facilitate early recovery of ambulation and is increasingly popular in elective hip surgery but rarely used in femoral neck fractures. The aim was to compare the outcome of the DAA and the ALA in patients treated for femoral neck fracture.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All HHAs with complete data sets were reviewed from a tertiary public healthcare institution (2013-2020). Propensity score matching was applied to compensate for possible confounders; outcome parameters were perioperative blood loss, postoperative mobility and pain. Secondary outcomes were duration of surgery, length of stay (LOS), complications, reoperation and mortality rates.

RESULTS

There were 237 patients (mean age 85.8 years) available for analysis. The DAA group mobilized earlier during hospitalization (outside patient room: 50.6 vs 38.6%, p = 0.01; walking on crutches/walker: 48.1 vs 36.1%, p < 0.01), had shorter surgeries (DAA vs ALA: 72.5 vs 89.5 min, p < 0.001) and a trend towards fewer complications (32.9% vs 44.9%, p = 0.076). Blood loss (286 vs 287 ml), LOS (10.4 vs 9.5 days), pain (cessation of opioid medication: 2.9 vs 3.3 days post-op), revision (2.5 vs 3.2%) or mortality (30-days: 7.6 vs 5.7%) did not differ between patient groups.

CONCLUSIONS

DAA for HHA led to earlier in-hospital mobility, shorter surgeries and a tendency towards fewer complications. No advantage was found regarding perioperative blood loss and pain.

Intensive care unit-acquired weakness: From molecular mechanisms to its impact in COVID-2019

Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness (ICU-AW) is a generalized and symmetric neuromuscular dysfunction associated with critical illness and its treatments. Its incidence is approximately 80% in intensive care unit patients, and it manifests as critical illness polyneuropathy, critical illness myopathy, and muscle atrophy. Intensive care unit patients can lose an elevated percentage of their muscle mass in the first days after admission, producing short- and long-term sequelae that affect patients’ quality of life, physical health, and mental health. In 2019, the world was faced with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. COVID-19 produces severe respiratory disorders, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, which increases the risk of developing ICU-AW. COVID-19 patients treated in intensive care units have shown early diffuse and symmetrical muscle weakness, polyneuropathy, and myalgia, coinciding with the clinical presentation of ICU-AW. Besides, these patients require prolonged intensive care unit stays, invasive mechanical ventilation, and intensive care unit pharmacological therapy, which are risk factors for ICU-AW. Thus, the purposes of this review are to discuss the features of ICU-AW and its effects on skeletal muscle. Further, we will describe the mechanisms involved in the probable development of ICU-AW in severe COVID-19 patients.