Awareness of bispectral index monitoring system among the critical care nursing personnel in a tertiary care hospital of India

Sudden speechlessness (SS) is commonly experienced by patients admitted to critical care units. Although literature findings document challenges associated with periods of SS, the prevalence is unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence and characteristics of adult SS patients in four critical care units at a university-affiliated tertiary care hospital. Data are collected on 9 randomly selected days over a 4-month period. The daily prevalence of SS ranges from 16% to 24% in each unit. Characteristic data collected includes patient age, gender, medical diagnosis related to SS episode, type of speechlessness, days since SS began, and communication strategies in use. Respiratory intubation related to various clinical diagnoses is the main cause for SS. Use of multiple specific strategies to convey needs during SS periods are identified. Follow-up studies to further define the prevalence of SS in settings beyond the critical care environment are recommended.

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Critical Care Nurses’ Knowledge of Sedation and Its Management in Mechanically Ventilated Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan

Connect The World of Critical Care Nursing ◽

10.1891/wfccn-d-20-00001 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 7-18

Author(s):

Samuel Masih ◽

Khairunnisa Aziz Dhamani ◽

Sadia Farhan Khan

Keyword(s):

Critical Care ◽

Tertiary Care Hospital ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Critical Care Nurses ◽

Good Knowledge ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Poor Knowledge ◽

Mechanically Ventilated ◽

Mechanically Ventilated Patients ◽

Ventilated Patients

BackgroundSedation assessment and management is an essential part of critical care nursing. The patients are at significant risks of undersedation and oversedation. Critical care nurses must possess sufficient knowledge about sedation assessment and its management.AimThis study aimed to determine critical care nurses’ knowledge of sedation and its management in mechanically ventilated patients in Pakistan.MethodologyA cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. The participants were recruited from three critical care units of a tertiary care hospital using a consecutive sampling technique. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire.FindingsIn total, 91 critical care nurses participated in this study. Most of them had less than 2 years of experience as registered nurses and as intensive care unit nurses. The majority of them had insufficient knowledge (poor knowledge 18.7% and fair knowledge 63.7%), whereas only 17.6% had good knowledge of sedation and its management. The average correct response rate for general knowledge of sedation management practices was 71.3%. Almost half of the participants (51.6%) had poor knowledge of assessing undersedation and oversedation. Overall, 67% of nurses had good knowledge of managing sedative drugs.ConclusionThe majority of critical nurses lacked sufficient knowledge related to sedation and its management in mechanically ventilated patients. This poses risks to patients’ safety and quality of care.

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