Nurses' experiences of managing cognitive problems in intensive care unit patients: A qualitative study

Scandinavian healthcare professionals' perceptions of rehabilitation practices in the intensive care unit. A cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVE

To describe healthcare professionals' perception of current early rehabilitation practices and their preconditions, focusing on functional and cognitive stimulation facilitated by nurses and other healthcare professionals in Scandinavian intensive care units (ICUs).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional electronic survey administered to healthcare professionals. The survey was developed in Danish, translated into Norwegian and Swedish, and delivered using Google Forms. The qualitative data were analysed using the framework method.

SETTING

Scandinavian ICUs.

RESULTS

Practices facilitated by nurses and other healthcare professionals in the ICU often began with weaning from the ventilator and reducing sedation. This was followed by increased mobilisation and building physical strength. There was attention to optimising nutrition, swallowing function, and oral intake. Enabling communication and employing cognitively stimulating activities and bodily stimulation to engage the patient's mind were also framed as rehabilitation. To avoid delirium and overexertion, it was important to balance rest and activity and to shield the patient from unnecessary stimulation. Furthermore, it was important to support the patient's will to live and to involve the family in rehabilitation. Post-discharge rehabilitation activities included reaching out to patients discharged to wards and homes.

CONCLUSION

Rehabilitation was described as progressing from passive to active as patients gained consciousness and strength. Weaning, balancing rest and activity, supporting the patient's life courage and will to recover, open visitation policies, and multi-professional collaboration were important prerequisites for rehabilitation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

All aspects of patient care can function as important opportunities for physical and cognitive rehabilitation. Balancing rest and activity is important for conserving the patient's energy for rehabilitation.

Detecting and managing cognitive impairment in cardiac patients: insights from qualitative interviews with nurses

Background: Cognitive impairment and cardiovascular disease often coexist, and nurses are ideally positioned to detect and manage cognitive impairment in cardiac patients.Objectives: This study explored nurses' perspectives on understanding, detecting, and acting on cognitive impairment in cardiac patients.Design and Methods: Using an exploratory descriptive design, nurses from acute and outpatient cardiac units were interviewed. Data were thematically analyzed.Results: Sixteen nurses were interviewed, working in acute cardiology (n=7), cardiothoracic and intensive care (n=4), and cardiac rehabilitation (n=5). Three themes emerged: (1) Cognitive screening was not routine, with no clear protocols on who, when, and how to screen; (2) Nurses had varying understanding of cognitive impairment, dementia, and delirium; (3) Nurses acted on suspected cognitive changes to ensure patient safety, including referrals and care modifications.Conclusions: Cognitive screening was inconsistent, with barriers, such as workload and lack of education. Guidelines for feasible screening across settings are needed.

Assessment of nurse practitioners' capacity of using the ABC/2 formula for intracranial lesion volume measurement

BACKGROUND

This study investigates the precision of nurse practitioners (NPs) in measuring intracranial lesion volumes using the ABC/2 method, a simple yet widely used technique in neurosurgical practices. Amidst physician workforce shortages, the role of NPs in clinical practice, including specialized tasks like lesion volume estimation, is gaining importance.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study involving patients treated for intracranial meningiomas. NPs estimated tumor volumes using the ABC/2 method, which was then compared with automated ABC/2 estimations considered as the gold standard. Statistical analyses, including paired sample t-tests, Bland-Altman analysis, and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) analysis, were employed to assess measurement accuracy and consistency.

RESULTS

Among the 265 meningioma patients included, NPs measured the average tumor volume as 36.95 ml, generally underestimating it compared to the 39.57 ml average obtained by the automated ABC/2 method. This underestimation, however, was clinically modest, indicated by an average percentage difference of 6.59% and a Cohen's d value of 0.08. Consistency in measurements, assessed using Bland-Altman and ICC analyses, demonstrated a high level of agreement between NPs measurements and the automated method. Additionally, no significant differences in measurement accuracy were observed either among different NPs or across NPs with varying levels of work experience.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurse practitioners can effectively employ the ABC/2 method for estimating intracranial lesion volumes with reasonable accuracy and consistency, irrespective of their work experience. This finding is pivotal in enhancing the role of NPs in neurosurgical practices and could be significant in alleviating the strain caused by the global shortage of physicians. Future research may explore extending NPs' roles in other clinical diagnostic and therapeutic tasks.

Survey on nurse-physician communication gaps focusing on diagnostic concerns and reasons for silence

Diagnosis improvement requires physician-nurse collaboration. This study explored nurses' concerns regarding physicians' diagnoses and how they were communicated to physicians. This cross-sectional study, employing a web-based questionnaire, included nurses registered on Japan's largest online media site from June 26, 2023, to July 31, 2023. The survey inquired whether participants felt concerned about a physician's diagnosis within a month, if they communicated their concerns once they arose, and, if not, their reasons. The reasons for not being investigated were also examined. The nurses' frequency of feeling concerned about a physician's diagnosis and the barriers to communicating these concerns to the physician were evaluated. Overall, 430 nurses answered the survey (female, 349 [81.2%]; median age, 45 [35-51] years; median years of experience, 19 [12-25]). Of the nurses, 61.2% experienced concerns about a physician's diagnosis within the past month; 52.5% felt concerned but did not communicate this to the physician. The most common reasons for not communicating included concern about the physician's pride, being ignored when communicating, and the nurse not believing that a diagnosis should be made. Our results highlight the need to foster psychologically safe workplaces for nurses and create educational programs encouraging nurse involvement in diagnosis.

Cognitive impairment in intensive care unit patients: A qualitative exploration through observations and interviews

OBJECTIVES

Many patients experience cognitive impairments while being admitted to an intensive care unit due to critical illness affecting their well-being and rehabilitation. Little is known about how patients experience cognitive impairments. This study aimed to explore patients' and relatives' experiences of patients' cognitive impairments while in the intensive care unit.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A multi-centre qualitative study, inspired by Ricoeur's phenomenological-hermeneutic approach, was conducted at four intensive care units at two hospitals in Denmark. Data collection encompassed participant observation and semi-structured single or dyadic interviews with 20 patients and 15 relatives, conducted in the intensive care units. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist was used.

FINDINGS

Four themes emerged during the analysis: 'Having a hazy memory and a foggy brain', 'Frustrations due to difficulties in speaking', 'An altered sense of self' and 'A feeling of disconnect between body and mind'. In the intensive care unit, patients experienced multiple cognitive impairments across several cognitive domains, significantly affecting their overall well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings provided a nuanced exploration of how patients in the intensive care unit grapple with cognitive impairments, leaving them feeling exposed and vulnerable due to increased dependency and loss of dignity. Relatives' presence and help was a huge support during admission.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE

This study highlights patients' and relatives' experiences of patients' cognitive impairments in the intensive care units. There is a need for nurses and allied healthcare professionals to address and manage reduced cognition in intensive care unit patients. This is particularly important to underpin recovery and rehabilitation processes, improve quality of life and optimise patients' return to everyday life. Future research must investigate how and when intensive care patients would benefit from preventive initiatives and initiatives to support recovery and rehabilitation of cognitive impairments.