The changing role of coronary care nurses

Nurses’ decision-making in clinical practice

“…Critical care Coronary care and intensive care units are critical care areas. Critical and crisis are two terms that have had a close association (Caunt 1992). Both these terms broaden nursing activities to include more of the nurse's intellectual and decision-making processes.…”

“…Critical care nurses need to have advanced knowledge in cardiac nursing, specifically pathophysiology and pharmacology, be highly skilled in the use of the equipment and develop characteristics such as alertness, sensitivity and a full understanding of body haemodynamics to be able to interpret the patient's needs and take the necessary actions. Defibrillation, emergency intravenous drug therapy and recording and interpretation of electrocardiograms have become integral to nursing practice in many critical care areas (Caunt 1992).…”

A brief history of British cardiac nursing and achievements

“…The role of the cardiac nurse continues to evolve and has changed markedly from that of the coronary care nurse (Caunt 1992, Jones & Johnson 2008. Since the beginning of the 21 st century there has been a significant growth in and impact made by cardiac nurses, with many developing, leading or coordinating new clinical initiatives, such as nurse-led cardiovascular disease prevention, management and rehabilitation .…”

A European perspective of clinical decision-making

“…Furthermore, the average length of stay for the acute MI patient had decreased from 21 days in 1970, to 6 days in 1995 (Wilson & Waugh, 1996). The reduction of mortality rate and reduced in-patient stay was significantly and positively affected by nurses who were able to interpret the electrocardiograph (ECG) findings displayed on the cardiac monitors (Adams & Perez, 1991), recognise the significance of changes in cardiac rate and assume a decision-making role in an emergency situation (Caunt, 1992). This, combined with increased levels of responsibility associated with technology and specialisation, requires nurses to be autonomous decision-makers (Boney & Baker, 1997).…”