History Of Critical Care Nursing

Critical care nursing is a significant part of medical-care which has the specialty within nursing that deals specifically with human responses to life-threatening problems. A critical care nurse is a certified professional nurse who is responsible for ensuring that intensely and critically ill patients and their families receive optimal care. Critically ill patients are considered as those patients who are at high risk for actual or potential life-threatening health ailments. The more critically ill the patients are the more likely they are to be highly vulnerable, unstable and complex, thereby requiring intense and vigilant nursing care.

According to The Registered Nurse Population survey conducted in March 2004 by the Department of Health and Human Services, there are 503,124 nurses in the United States who care for critically ill patients in a health care setting. Among these 229,914 spend at least half their time in an intensive care unit (ICU); 92,826 spend at least half their time in step-down or transitional care units; 117,637 spend at least half their time in emergency departments; and 62,747 spend at least half their time in post-operative recovery. Critical care nurses in the health care clinics account for an estimated 37% of the total number of nurses working in the hospital setting.

According to The Registered Nurse Population survey 56.2% of all the professional critical care nurses work in a hospital setting, and critical care nurses work wherever critically ill patients are found - intensive care units, pediatric ICUs, neonatal ICUs, cardiac care units, cardiac catheter labs, telemetry units, progressive care units, emergency departments and recovery rooms. Now gradually more critical care nurses work in managed care organizations, home healthcare, nursing schools, outpatient surgery centers and clinics. Critical care nurses perform in settings where critically ill patients require multifaceted assessment, high-intensity therapies and interventions, and continuous nursing vigilance.

Critical care nurses depend upon a particular body of knowledge, skills and experience to provide care to patients and families and create environments that are healing, humane and caring. Firstly the critical care nurse is a severe patient advocate. AACN defines advocacy as regarding and supporting the basic values, rights and beliefs of the critically ill patient. In this health care role, critical care nurses respect and support the right of the patient or the patient's designated surrogate to autonomous informed decision making; intervene when the best interest of the patient is in question; help the patient obtain necessary care; respect the values, beliefs and rights of the patient; provide education and support to help the patient or the patient's designated surrogate make decisions; represent the patient in accordance with the patient's choices; support the decisions of the patient or designated surrogate, or transfer care to an equally qualified critical care nurse; intercede for patients who cannot speak for themselves in situations that require immediate action; monitor and safeguard the quality of care the patient receives and act as a liaison between the patient, the patient's family and other healthcare professionals.

Critical care nurses provide services with a wide variety of settings, filling many roles. Bedside clinicians the nurses are nurse educators, nurse researchers, nurse managers, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners. With the onset of managed health care and the resulting migration of patients to alternative settings, critical care nurses are caring for patients who are more ill than ever before. Managed health care service has also fueled a growing demand for advanced practice nurses in the acute care setting. Advanced practice critical care nurses are those who have received advanced education at the master's or doctoral level.

• Matt Thompson
• 25/01/2009, 6:59 PM
• 0 Comments