Abstract
This paper discusses the progression of amendments to the critical care guidelines from 2001 to 2004. The author includes adult and pediatric critical care. The paper suggests for whom these guidelines would be appropriate and how they would be used.

From the Paper
"The critical care guidelines discussed here were found on the website of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) www.sccm.org. They were found by going to the search engine Google and typing in 'guidelines for critical care'. The guidelines were developed for the care of patients needing critical care. The guidelines were published in Critical Care Medicine between ... . The guidelines were developed to set standards of critical care for admission and discharge for triage."

Tags:critical, care

Abstract
This paper reviews how critical care practitioners in the United Kingdom can find information on new research in their area of specialty, how this can be communicated and how it can be implemented into their patient care. The author investigates clinical audits. The paper urges the establishment of a baseline audit before implementing new practices and monitoring their effects on patient well-being.

From the Paper
"Since there is great variety between institutions and between individual nurses and patients, there is no simple practice of critical care, which will suit call cases. Managers of clinical areas need to work with providers of education to make sure that ..."

Tags:critical care practitioners, research

Abstract
This paper discusses critical care nursing and the role of the critical care nurse. It describes the nurse's role from the point of view of the writer, who is a nurse, and presents some of her experiences in this position. The paper presents a case study of an elderly patient in a critical care setting and discusses both the patient's needs and experiences, as well as the nurse's.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
A Personal Point Of View Of My Nursing Experience
Comprehensive Discussion Of Critically Ill Patient And Their Experience Of Critical Illness
Personal Reflection About Visit To The CSICU
How This May Influence My Own Vision Of Myself As A Critical Care Nurse

From the Paper
"Knowing the patient's family and social environment would have given me a better idea about her outlook, whether she was optimistic or pessimistic about getting well, how she felt about her state of health in general, and what acts of daily life and independence were most important to her. It would also have helped me assess the family's ability to facilitate the patient's self-care, and their awareness of the seriousness of monitoring her health condition. Also, I would have liked to have known the patient's attitude, and her family's attitude regarding her other ailments, such as her diabetes, her adherence to a special diet, her ability to monitor her blood sugar and cholesterol, as well as her history in observing a medication regime with religiosity and diligence."

Tags:CSICU, geriatric, mitral, surgery

Abstract
The paper discusses how in working in a clinical care unit it is important to understand how the family experience of a dying patient will effect one as a nurse. The paper describes how there are emotional, spiritual and physical demands that the death of a patient brings to nursing each day. The paper explains that death is a challenging life event for all involved-a troubled spirit and psyche prevents a nurse from providing the highest quality of care available to the patient-and in the fast-paced world of a critical care unit it is sometimes challenging to provide compassionate care to the patient and family. The paper asserts that regardless of how challenging the job is a critical care nurse has a responsibility to provide the patient with an environment of caring, compassion and understanding.

From the Paper
"In working in a clinical care unit it is important to understand how the family experience of a dying patient will effect you as a nurse. There are emotional, spiritual and physical demands that the death of a patient brings to nursing each day. Death is a challenging life event for all involved--a troubled spirit and psyche prevents a nurse from providing the highest quality of care available to the patient. In the fast-paced world of a critical care unit it is sometimes challenging to provide compassionate care to the patient and family. Regardless of how..."

Tags:graduate, courses, debate

Abstract
The paper outlines the research questions and methodology to be used, and provides a brief literature review on critical thinking, characteristics of the critical thinker and the standards that the critical thinker uses to guide his thinking. The paper highlights how the literature stresses the necessity of the development of critical thinking skills in nursing professional critical care staff.

Outline:
Objective
Introduction
Purpose of the Study
Significance of the Study
Research Questions
Methodology
Critical Thinking Examined
Characteristics of the Critical Thinker
Standards That Guide the Critical Thinker's Thinking
Summary

From the Paper
"It is critically important that today's professional nursing staff are taught critical thinking skills and there is no better way to do just this than through the use of critical care workbooks on critical thinking in handling critical care patients properly and successfully. Critical care workbooks enhance the learning of the nursing science students in that common situations are addressed in the workbooks as well as uncommon and rare situations that the nursing professional is likely to be faced with sometime during the course of their professional career."

Tags:problem-solving, priority-setting, decision-making

Abstract
This paper looks at the reasons that the writer has chosen to work in critical care nursing and the importance that it has on the writer's life. The rationale for choosing this career is discussed along with these reasons. Following this, the background of the career is dealt with as the necessary preparation, the typical professional responsibilities and the personality traits that are best suited for this kind of career are important not only to a better understanding of the career and the writer, but also to those that might be considering this type of career for themselves in the future.

From the Paper
"Why someone chooses a particular career path has much to do with the personality that the individual has and what type of work appeals to that person. This is very important in many different types of jobs, as some people are just not 'cut out' to work in a particular field, and some do not have the desire to perform the functions of a particular job. This is very apparent in nursing, as it takes a certain kind of person to do the work of caring for others and deal with the lack of recognition and lack of high pay that many nurses must face. For those that work in critical care, witnessing the deaths and dying of others are also a part of the job and the individual that chooses this occupation must be able to accept this issue and have empathy for the patient and the patient's family without becoming so emotionally attached that he or she is unable to do the job competently and correctly."

Tags:nurse, profession

Abstract
This paper proposes a study in the form of a qualitative examination of the effects of the implementation of an outreach service and modified early warning system on re-admissions to critical care. An enormous body of literature suggests a need for outreach services in the medical community, particularly in large hospitals. Re-admissions are generally considered a measure of critical care quality in the field of medicine. The paper shows that, generally, outreach teams are considered a mechanism for improving the overall critical care delivery system and quality of medical care service. Thus, the researcher proposes that the implementation of an outreach service and modified early warning system will improve the overall quality of medical care services within hospitals and potentially reduce the re-admissions rates.

From the Paper
"Bristow et. al (2000) finds in a study conducted of patients at a hospital utilizing an outreach program that fewer patients were unexpectedly admitted to the ICU and there were fewer non-DNR deaths in a hospital using this type of approach than in other hospitals. Further the study suggests that outreach programs and other critical care teams may have important "implications for patient care in hospitals." Bristow et. al (2000) suggests a need exists for further large scale studies of outreach programs in hospital institutions large and small."

Tags:ICU, discharge, mortality, rate

Abstract
This paper studies how medical professionals diagnose and treat thrombolysis during critical care for patients experiencing chest pain. The paper provides a detailed analysis of scientific and clinical evidence indicating that patients experiencing acute myocardial infarction benefit from the early administration of thrombolytic therapy. The paper then discusses the challenge for multidisciplinary providers in ensuring that patients give true informed consent for all procedures, from administration of medication to invasive procedures. The paper explains that the setting can be chaotic, however, it maintains that effective communication between patients and providers is imperative.

From the Paper
"The definitive diagnosis of AMI is best obtained by following a standard chest pain protocol. Most accident and emergency wards have these in place. It is standard to initially obtain a 12 lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and begin cardiac monitoring. Patient's routine laboratory studies include electrolytes, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), complete blood count (CBC) and markers for myocardial injury (Creatinine Kinase isoenzyme-myocardial (CK-MB) or troponin). Normal serial CK values rule out an acute infarction but are negative in the setting of acute unstable angina. A slight rise in CK-MB or troponin indicates myocardial injury but is not specific for ischemic syndromes. Troponin assay is highly sensitive for identifying acute coronary syndromes. Troponin has longer half life in the system than CK-MB but is less specific for the identification of infarction as opposed to repeated episodes of myocardial ischemia. As the total CK greater than two times the upper ranges of normal is indicative of infarction it can be used as an adjunct in diagnosis ischemia versus infarction and also in determining the relative efficacy of reperfusion. Serum troponin may take up to six hours to become diagnostically sensitive enough (Dougan, 2001)."

Tags:heart, attack, chest, pain, hospital, doctor, nurse, informed, consent, myocardial, cardiac, arrest, emergency, room

Abstract
This paper provides a detailed account of the Music therapy method of treatment especially in the critical care units. It shows how modern scientists agree that many different kinds of music can be therapeutic. Some people respond well to reggae or jazz. Others are uplifted or in fact healed, when they listen to Gregorian chant, or heavy metal.

From the paper:

"Music Therapy is a form of sound wave therapy which includes several other different tools and methods. The music therapists or the sound therapists in general work with tuning forks, song pods, toning, and music. Tuning Forks produce pure sounds when tapped. The human bodies in actual acts like a resonating board to the pulses of the universe as the major part of the human body is water. The human cells resound with the vibrations of the sounds by which they are surrounded in the daily life. When tuning forks are being used the energy blocks can be released and the physical system can be brought back into alignment. The sounds can also balance the spiritual, emotional and mental bodies by creating sounds through the tuning fork that the nervous system and the whole body can harmonize to. The other tool is the song pods."

Tags:ailment, patients, treatment, energy, mental, rehabilitation, mood, pain

Abstract
This paper describes how in working in a clinical care unit it is important to understand how the family experience of a dying patient will effect you as a nurse. According to the paper, there are emotional, spiritual and physical demands that the death of a patient brings to nursing each day. The paper further points out that death is a challenging life event for all involved,and the nurse must provide the highest quality of care available to the patient.

From the Paper
"In working in a clinical care unit it is important to understand how the family experience of a dying patient will effect you as a nurse. There are emotional, spiritual and physical demands that the death of a patient brings to nursing each day. Death is a challenging life event for all involved--a troubled spirit and psyche prevents a nurse from providing the highest quality of care available to the patient. In the fast-paced world of a critical care unit it is sometimes challenging to provide compassionate care to the patient and family. Regardless of how..."

Tags:pusher, syndrome, nurse