16 research outputs found
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Management of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Patients’ Relatives and Intensive Care Personnel in a Teaching Hospital
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition triggered by the experience of traumatic events and it can lead to long-term difficulties for patients and relatives in regards with their quality of life. There is growing body of evidence regarding the prevalence of PTSD amongst intensive care personnel. We set out to investigate whether there is a need for psychological support for both critically ill patients’ relatives and the intensive care unit (ICU) personnel.
Method: A prospective two-stage survey was conducted in the ICU of a teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. Two predefined questionnaires composed of closed and open questions focusing on emotional needs and individual views of psychological support were distributed to Group 1 formed by families members (Group 1A) and ICU personnel (Group 1B) in the surveySupporting Families Emotional Needs, and to Group 2 composed by ICU personnel in the survey Supporting Staff Emotional Needs.
Results: There were 77 questionnaires completed. In Group 1 there were 41 questionnaires completed on the “Supporting Families Emotional Needs” survey (16 by Group 1A and 25 by Group 1B members) and in Group 2 there were 36 questionnaires completed on the “Supporting Staff Emotional Needs” survey. Both surveys highlighted the need for a psychological support service. The design of this type of service was also investigated and was formed by opinions of the participants.
Conclusion: There is a need for additional emotion support within the ICU. Yet further work is needed to identify strategies in order to provide this support
National survey of variations in practice in the prevention of surgical site infections in adult cardiac surgery, United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland
Background: Currently no national standards exist for the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) in cardiac surgery. SSI rates range from 1% to 8% between centres. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore and characterize variation in approaches to SSI prevention in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (ROI). Methods: Cardiac surgery centres were surveyed using electronic web-based questionnaires to identify variation in SSI prevention at the level of both institution and consultant teams. Surveys were developed and undertaken through collaboration between the Cardiothoracic Interdisciplinary Research Network (CIRN), Public Health England (PHE) and the National Cardiac Benchmarking Collaborative (NCBC) to encompass routine pre-, intra- and postoperative practice. Findings: Nineteen of 38 centres who were approached provided data and included responses from 139 consultant teams. There was no missing data from those centres that responded. The results demonstrated substantial variation in over 40 aspects of SSI prevention. These included variation in SSI surveillance, reporting of SSI infection rates to external bodies, utilization of SSI risk prediction tools, and the use of interventions such as sternal support devices and gentamicin impregnated sponges. Conclusion: Measured variation in SSI prevention in cardiac centres across the UK and ROI is evidence of clinical uncertainty as to best practice, and has identified areas for quality improvement as well as knowledge gaps to be addressed by future research
National Survey of Variations in Practice in the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections in Adult Cardiac Surgery, United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Currently no national standards exist for the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) in cardiac surgery. SSI rates range from 1% to 8% between centres. The aim of this study was to explore and characterise variation in approaches to SSI prevention in United Kingdom(UK) and Republic of Ireland (ROI)