Assessment of the cleaning and disinfection practices among healthcare workers in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) post-patient discharge

Introduction: Patients being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) pose a risk of developing common healthcare acquired infections. Healthcare workers (HCWs) must be well-equipped and knowledgeable to deliver effective cleaning and disinfection protocols to reduce the chances of hospital-acquired infections. Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of cleaning and disinfection after the discharge/death of patients among the HCWs in selected ICUs. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted in selected ICUs of a tertiary care hospital. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants which included 106 staff nurses and 47 housekeeping staff and 110 events of cleaning and disinfection were observed. A structured knowledge questionnaire was used to collect the knowledge among the participants and a practice checklist was used to collect the practice regarding cleaning and disinfection separately from both staff nurses and housekeeping staff. The study was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Good knowledge was reported among 75 (70.8%) nursing staff and 28 (59.6%) housekeeping staff on cleaning and disinfection. It was found that in all the observed events, 110 (100%) of the HCWs had worn gloves and discarded the single-used items and linens of the patients. Conclusions: Most of the HCWs used good barrier techniques while at work and cleaning and disinfection practices were found to be appropriate in maintaining the ideal infection control practices in ICUs with compliance with the hospital policies

Nursing management of adults with severe traumatic brain injury: A narrative review

Effective nursing management strategies for adults with severe traumatic brain injury (STBI) are still a remarkable issue and a difficult task for neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neuronurses. A list of justified indications and scientific rationale for nursing management of these patients are continuously evolving. The objectives of the study are to analyze the pertinently available research and clinical studies that demonstrate the nursing management strategies for adults with STBI and to synthesize the available evidence based on the review. A comprehensive literature search was made in following databases such as Google Scholar, Cochrane, J‑Gate, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect for retrieving the related studies. In the included studies, data were extracted and evaluated according to the objective. Narrative analysis was adopted to write this review. Patients with STBI have poor prognosis and require quality care for maximizing patients’ survival. With a thorough knowledge and discernment of care of such patients, nurses can improve these patients’ neurological outcomes

Effectiveness of voice stimulus on the level of consciousness, physiological parameters and behavioural responses in comatose patients – A feasibility study

PurposeThis research aimed to determine the effectiveness of voice stimulus on the level of consciousness, physiological parameters and behavioural response of comatose patients in a tertiary care hospital of Udupi district, Karnataka, India.MethodsA randomised control trial was undertaken with 20 comatose patients, 10 in each group. The participants in the intervention group were provided with the voice stimulus of their close relative for 3 times a day for 5 consecutive days and were assessed for any change in the level of consciousness, physiological parameters and behavioural responses. RMANOVA was computed to evaluate the effectiveness of voice stimulus.ResultsThe results showed a significant improvement in the level of consciousness in the interventional group compared to the control group ((F = 11.756, p = 0.003). The behavioural responses before and during the intervention on day1 (p 0.001), day 2 (p 0.000), day 3 (p 0.002), day 4 (p 0.002) and day 5 (p 0.004) and also before and after the intervention on day 1 (p 0.023), day 4 (p 0.031) and on day 5 (p 0.030) were significant among the intervention group. However physiological parameters did not show significant variation with the voice stimulus among the comatose patients SBP (p 0.213), DBP (p 0.155), and SpO2 (p 0.601).ConclusionsThe results of the research showed that the voice stimulus with familiar voice showed a positive response among comatose patients on their level of consciousness and behavioural responses

Cardiovascular complications of spinal cord injury

Patients with spinal cord injury have a high risk of cardiovascular complications. Complex anatomy and physiology of the brain and spinal cord make it difficult to understand the pathophysiological changes and the complications of an injury to the spinal cord. This review was aimed to analyse the pertinently available research and clinical studies that demonstrate the cardiovascular complications of spinal cord injury and to synthesize the available evidence on how seriously spinal cord injury affects the cardiovascular system and how it can be managed. A comprehensive literature search was made in following databases like Google Scholar, Cochrane, J- Gate, ProQuest, PubMed, Web of Science and Science Direct for retrieving the related studies. In the included studies, data were extracted and evaluated according to the objective. Narrative analysis was adopted to write this review. Patients with spinal cord injury and cardiovascular complications have a poor prognosis and require quality care for maximizing patients’ survival. With a thorough knowledge and discernment of care of such patients, nurses can improve these patients’ neurological outcomes. A detailed understanding of cardiovascular impairment following SCI is significant for establishing a diagnosis and improving clinical outcomes

A new approach for scoring in Objective Structured Clinical Examination

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a useful multi-use assessment tool which may be used to evaluate health care providers of various disciplines in a clinical setting. It appraises proficiency, through direct observation based on objective or unbiased testing. It is accurate, objective and consistent letting uniform testing of clinical skills among an extensive range of students. OSCE software, developed at Manipal College of Nursing (MCON), a constituent unit of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) is a windows-based platform which is integrated with student’s information system and is designed to access only through the intranet of MAHE. It is a smart approach which enables the examiners to mark the response of each student in different OSCE stations accurately with a single click; the report can be generated in excel format and is reproducible multiple times. It is undeniably a valued assessment tool with extraordinary features and advantages

Prevalence of depression among post-stroke survivors in South Asian Region: A narrative review

Stroke is the third biggest reason for mortality and has a massive emotional effect on clients and the members of their family. Depression is a debilitative complication of stroke, with repeated occurrences of depressive ailments after the stroke. Prevalence of post-stroke depression (PSD) has always remained unknown and is a disabling entity among the stroke survivors. Objective: The aim of this narrative review is to determine the prevalence of depression among post-stroke survivors. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was made in the following databases such as the Web of Science, PubMed-Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, J gate, and IndMED for studies between 2005 and 2016, which provided the prevalence data for depression among post-stroke survivors. Results: The number of hits from the database search comprised 1,243 studies, out of which nine studies were included in this review. It was found that there were disparities in the prevalence among the different studies. Conclusion: PSD is an emotional disorder that usually affects patients with stroke. The study of the prevalence of PSD at an initial stage is very essential for its timely treatment to enhance the results of the rehabilitative process of stroke patients. This narrative review provides a clear estimate of the burden of depression in South Asian Region among post-stroke survivors

Nursing management of adults with severe traumatic brain injury: A narrative review

Effective nursing management strategies for adults with severe traumatic brain injury (STBI) are still a remarkable issue and a difficult task for neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neuronurses. A list of justified indications and scientific rationale for nursing management of these patients are continuously evolving. The objectives of the study are to analyze the pertinently available research and clinical studies that demonstrate the nursing management strategies for adults with STBI and to synthesize the available evidence based on the review. A comprehensive literature search was made in following databases such as Google Scholar, Cochrane, J‑Gate, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect for retrieving the related studies. In the included studies, data were extracted and evaluated according to the objective. Narrative analysis was adopted to write this review. Patients with STBI have poor prognosis and require quality care for maximizing patients’ survival. With a thorough knowledge and discernment of care of such patients, nurses can improve these patients’ neurological outcomes

Glomus Jugulare: A Case Series

Background: Glomus Jugulare tumours arise within the jugular foramen of the temporal lobe. Treatment and management of these very rare, slow growing and hypervascular tumours are always challenging. Patients with these tumours will have their lower cranial nerves affected. With the involvement of lower cranial nerves, the patients may have altered functions of swallowing, chewing, hearing, speaking, balance and coordination. Thus, these patients can be managed effectively by a nurse with the thorough knowledge and understanding of the signs and symptoms. The nurses taking care of these patients should anticipate these dysfunctions and plan the care of patients accordingly