8 Communication Issues In A Critical Care Unit
8 Communication Issues in a Critical Care Unit
Good communication in an ICU is a matter of insight and self-awareness, not just language skills (Langley and Schmollgruber, 2006). There will always be inherent difficulties with the ICU environment because of its unpredictability and lack of quality time for critical care nurses to care for dying patients and the patients’ families. Other problems include communication between doctors, nurses, and patient’s families in an ICU. It is said that end-of-life care or care of the dying can be improved if communication measures ensure that all members of the multidisciplinary team are working towards the same goals for the patients and their families (Fouche, 2006).
According to Urden, Stacy and Lough …show more content…
Often the critical care staff is so focused on saving a life that they ignore that the quality of the life saved and the pain and suffering inflicted to save the life are ignored. The findings of the study that was done by Zomorodi and Lyn (2010) revealed that nurses lacked preparedness when dealing with end-of-life care in a critical care environment. Prolonged exposure to the stress and trauma that accompanies patients death and dying, can compromise the critical care nurse’s ability to cope, both at home and at work. The study also suggested that emotionally disturbing experiences with death led to ICU nurses presenting with hyperactivity, aggressive outbursts, sleep disturbances and impaired concentration which led to withdrawal, emotional instability and …show more content…
Nurses were reportedly usually in short supply in the ICUs and could not adequately meet family members’ needs in addition to caring for critically ill patients. Engström (2006) reported that ICU nurses wished that one nurse could take care of family members, while another one cared for the critically ill patient, especially when they had just arrived in the ICU. In this study, having one nurse look after the patient and another one take care of family members was unfeasible due to the shortage of nurses.
The continuous presence of family members in the ICUs was stressful to the ICU nurses, interfering with the care rendered to the ICU patients. This “perceived interference” might be due to different cultural, educational and religious backgrounds and dynamics, which could affect family members’ behavior in ICU.
Engström (2006) reported that families from different cultures were problematic due to diverse views of appropriate behavior when patients are critically ill. It was reported that nurses needed to be culturally sensitive to family members’ needs and should integrate preferred cultural routines into patients’ nursing care
Good communication in an ICU is a matter of insight and self-awareness, not just language skills (Langley and Schmollgruber, 2006). There will always be inherent difficulties with the ICU environment because of its unpredictability and lack of quality time for critical care nurses to care for dying patients and the patients’ families. Other problems include communication between doctors, nurses, and patient’s families in an ICU. It is said that end-of-life care or care of the dying can be improved if communication measures ensure that all members of the multidisciplinary team are working towards the same goals for the patients and their families (Fouche, 2006).
According to Urden, Stacy and Lough …show more content…
Often the critical care staff is so focused on saving a life that they ignore that the quality of the life saved and the pain and suffering inflicted to save the life are ignored. The findings of the study that was done by Zomorodi and Lyn (2010) revealed that nurses lacked preparedness when dealing with end-of-life care in a critical care environment. Prolonged exposure to the stress and trauma that accompanies patients death and dying, can compromise the critical care nurse’s ability to cope, both at home and at work. The study also suggested that emotionally disturbing experiences with death led to ICU nurses presenting with hyperactivity, aggressive outbursts, sleep disturbances and impaired concentration which led to withdrawal, emotional instability and …show more content…
Nurses were reportedly usually in short supply in the ICUs and could not adequately meet family members’ needs in addition to caring for critically ill patients. Engström (2006) reported that ICU nurses wished that one nurse could take care of family members, while another one cared for the critically ill patient, especially when they had just arrived in the ICU. In this study, having one nurse look after the patient and another one take care of family members was unfeasible due to the shortage of nurses.
The continuous presence of family members in the ICUs was stressful to the ICU nurses, interfering with the care rendered to the ICU patients. This “perceived interference” might be due to different cultural, educational and religious backgrounds and dynamics, which could affect family members’ behavior in ICU.
Engström (2006) reported that families from different cultures were problematic due to diverse views of appropriate behavior when patients are critically ill. It was reported that nurses needed to be culturally sensitive to family members’ needs and should integrate preferred cultural routines into patients’ nursing care