No abstract

The delivery of optimum nursing care to morbidly obese patients in critical care presents unique challenges in critical thinking, planning, and teamwork. The purpose of this article is to review the special needs of this patient population and to provide a template to guide proactive nursing care planning in critical care settings.

Staff turnover in critical care units is a persistent problem. This very brief, pilot study examines the effects of hardiness and its impact on critical care nurses.

The increasing complexity and acuity of the patient population at a southwest United States medical center was a catalyst in updating, revising, and distributing a current extravasation guideline document to caregivers. The guidelines provide information on initial treatment for nurses and the process for documentation and tracking of extravasations. The authors describe how a synthesis of the Nursing and Pharmacy partnership at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center resulted in the creation of current extravasation guidelines for the facility.