Examining adverse events after intensive care unit discharge: outcomes from a pilot questionnaire

Cognition and practice on transitional care during the transfer from intensive care unit to a general ward among health care professionals: A qualitative study

AIM

The aim of this study is to explore the cognition and practice on transitional care during the transfer from intensive care unit to a general ward among health care professionals in China.

BACKGROUND

Due to the significant differences in the medical and humanistic environment at home and abroad, the safety of patients during the transmission from intensive care unit to the general ward is often ignored when their conditions become stable. There are few qualitative studies on the cognition and practice on transitional care during the transfer from intensive care unit to the ward among health care professionals in China.

METHODS

With a qualitative research design, 20 medical and nursing staff in the neurosurgery intensive care unit and ward were interviewed from May 2021 to August 2021. NVivo 11.0 software was utilized for Colaizzi's (1978) method of data analysis.

RESULTS

Based on data analysis, perceptions of transitional care, the influencing factors for transitional care and the recommendations for improving transitional care were obtained.

CONCLUSION

To ensure the continuity of care and improve patient safety during the period from intensive care unit to a general ward in China, we should clarify the expectation for the content of intensive care unit transitional care services, establish the transitional nursing team, guide nursing work, standardize the handover mode and process from intensive care unit to the general ward, promote the communication and coordination of health care professionals and improve the transitional nursing security system from the perspective of institutional level.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

This study can be used as a guide to help health care professionals provide a reference for the comprehensive development of transitional care services and the formulation of targeted intervention measures during the transfer from intensive care unit to a general ward in China.

The Effect of Liaison Nurse Service on Patient Outcomes after Discharging From ICU: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: Recent studies suggest that liaison nurse intervention might be effective to solve the gap between intensive care unit and wards, but little studies are known about the effect of this intervention. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of liaison nurse service on patient outcomes after discharging from intensive care unit.

Methods: In this single blinded randomized controlled trial, a total of 80 patients were selected by convenience sampling method from two teaching hospitals located in Tehran, Iran. Patients were randomly allocated to either the experimental or the control groups. Patients in the experimental group received post-ICU care from a liaison nurse and patients in the control group received the routine care. After the intervention, patients’ vital signs, level of consciousness, length of hospital stay, need for re-hospitalization in ICU, and satisfaction with care were measure. Data were analyzed by SPSS Ver.13 software.

Results: None of the participants experienced ICU re-hospitalization. According to the result and there were no significant differences between the study groups regarding heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, post-ICU level of consciousness, satisfaction with care, and length of hospitalization in medical-surgical wards. However, the study groups differed significantly in terms of body temperature.

Conclusion: Care services provided by an ICU liaison nurse has limited effects on patient outcomes. However, considering the contradictions among the studies, further studies are needed for providing clear evidence about the effectiveness of the liaison nurse strategy.