Intensivist Role
In cases of severe sepsis or septic shock, intensivists frequently administer this class of medications to support blood pressure and ensure adequate perfusion to vital organs.
What are vasopressors?
An ICU nurse works closely with other members of the healthcare team to assess and monitor for signs of this serious complication, which can occur when a patient’s organs are not receiving enough blood flow
What is Shock ?
In the ICU, this type of monitoring system is used to continuously assess heart rhythm, detect arrhythmias, and alert healthcare providers to critical changes in the patient's cardiac status.
What is telemetry ?
In ICU interdisciplinary rounds, this team member is often the leader, coordinating patient care, assigning tasks, and making final decisions regarding treatment plans.
Who is the intensivist
When an ICU nurse must explain complex medical procedures or diagnoses, they often use this approach to ensure the information is clear and understandable for the family, especially when they are emotionally distressed.
What is plain language or simple explanations?
In addition to medical knowledge, an intensivist in the ICU plays a critical role in managing the psychosocial aspects of care, such as counseling families about complex medical decisions. This role often includes leading discussions about the prognosis and goals of care.
What is communication and family support?
An ICU nurse plays a key role in ensuring patient comfort, which may involve providing this form of support to help manage pain and anxiety in critically ill patients.
What is pain management or sedation?
ICU patients who are unable to eat due to illness may receive this type of feeding, which delivers nutrition directly into the stomach or small intestine through a tube.
What is enteral nutrition (tube feeding)?
This type of healthcare provider often contributes to ICU rounds by discussing nutritional needs, recommending feeding methods, and monitoring for signs of malnutrition in critically ill patients.
Who is the dietitian?
In the ICU, communication between the nurse and the interdisciplinary care team is critical. This tool, used by the nurse, ensures a clear understanding of patient needs and helps prevent errors during shift changes.
What is a hand-off or handover report?
An intensivist coordinates with multiple specialists to manage patients with acute respiratory failure. One key procedure in these cases is this, which helps support a patient’s breathing when they cannot do so on their own.
What is mechanical ventilation?
In addition to providing medical care, ICU nurses often serve as the key point of communication between the medical team and family members, helping them understand complex treatment plans and prognosis. This involves demonstrating strong skills in what type of care?
What is emotional or psycho-social support?
In the ICU, this type of infection prevention practice involves using specialized techniques, such as frequent handwashing, sterile procedures, and barrier precautions, to minimize the risk of healthcare-associated infections.
What is infection control or aseptic technique?
During interdisciplinary rounds, this specialist may be called upon to manage the pharmacologic aspect of patient care, ensuring medications are appropriately prescribed and adjusted.
who is the Pharmacist?
An ICU communicator often facilitates discussions about a patient's prognosis with family members. This communication skill involves listening to the family’s concerns and addressing their emotional needs.
What is active listening?
In addition to managing medical therapies, intensivists in the ICU may coordinate with this healthcare professional to perform non-invasive procedures to support patients with respiratory failure, such as using CPAP or BiPAP devices.
Who is a respiratory therapist?
This life-saving procedure, which ICU nurses assist with, involves administering fluids or medications directly into a patient's vein to maintain circulation or manage critical conditions.
What is intravenous (IV) therapy?
ICU nurses frequently perform this non-invasive procedure to assess a patient’s level of consciousness and neurological status, particularly after head trauma or surgery.
What is the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)?
In interdisciplinary ICU rounds, this role is vital for coordinating the transition of critically ill patients to different levels of care, ensuring that discharge plans are in place and that post-ICU care needs are met.
Who is the Case Manager?
In the ICU, this type of communication tool is often used to quickly convey vital information about a patient's status and needs during emergencies or code situations.
What is a SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation)?
An intensivist often uses this technique to monitor the oxygenation of critically ill patients, which involves analyzing the amount of oxygen in the blood without needing to draw blood
What is pulse oximetry ?
When a patient in the ICU is on mechanical ventilation, the nurse may be responsible for monitoring this important indicator, which measures the amount of oxygen in the patient’s blood.
What is arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis?
This term refers to a serious complication that may occur in ICU patients due to immobility, leading to blood clot formation, often in the legs.
What is Deep Vein Thrombosis?
During rounds, this team member often works closely with intensivists to assess the patient's renal function, manages dialysis, and recommends adjustments to fluid balance for critically ill patients with kidney failure.
Who is the nephrologist ?
ICU nurses use this technique to ensure that families understand and retain the important information shared with them, especially when explaining critical care interventions or a patient's status.
What is teach-back or confirmatory questioning?