Search Tag: Patients
Communication myths of anaesthetists
2019 14 Mar
Vital minutes before unconsciousness Anaesthesia is a diverse specialty with a wide range of necessary skills, one of which is effective communication. The myth that anaesthetists pick the specialty ‘because you don’t need to talk to your patients’ persists. Whether said in jest or disdain this concept gains ground because, yes... Read more
Noise pollution in hospitals a growing problem
2018 19 Nov
Noise levels in hospitals regularly exceed international recommendations, and the problem is getting worse, according to an editorial in the BMJ by a research team from King's College London and the University of the Arts London (UAL). You might also like : Music room soundproofing to reduce hospital noise Excessive noise can impact patients'... Read more
Bright spots: music in the ICU
2018 19 Jun
The intensive care unit (ICU) is a rather obscure place for many people. It is a place where you are exposed to the fragility of existence, where you have to deal with the fine line between life and death. Every day I desperately try to illuminate this dark place, with a conversation, with a joke, with trying to facilitate the patients’ or families’... Read more
How ICU diaries can help patients and families
2018 04 Jun
I work in a small intensive care unit (ICU) where we have been writing diaries since 1992. Initially, they were just little black books with notes by staff and families on how patients were doing during their ICU stay. In 1999, we began taking photos of the patients to illustrate their critically ill period, to help them understand and see what happened.... Read more
Making the case for social work practice in the care of critically ill ICU patients
2018 01 Jun
The role of the ICU social worker End-of-life issues occur frequently in the intensive care unit (ICU). The specific training and skills received by social workers provides them with the necessary tools to collaborate with the interdisciplinary team and provide holistic care to the patient and family. Research has shown that there is great variation... Read more
Stories from critical care: You can stop humming now
2018 23 Apr
Who should read You Can Stop Humming Now ? Everyone and anyone! These are the stories of what comes after the medical miracles, when the sirens and flashing lights have gone quiet, behind curtains and closed doors. In this book, you will meet those whose lives have been extended by days, months or years as a result of our treatments... Read more
Supporting the patient innovator
2018 16 Mar
Their inability to communicate effectively whilst he had a tracheostomy on the intensive care unit (ICU), had such a profound impact on Duncan Buckley and his wife, Lisa-Marie, that they developed a concept for a novel interactive communication device, called ‘ICU CHAT’. Together, they have been embedded within the multidisciplinary ICU research... Read more
Establishing a relationship of trust and care
2018 16 Mar
The chaplain is a resource of ethically competent support and a compassionate caring presence for patients, families and ICU staff. An admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) is often a traumatic experience for both patients and families. Although members of the critical care team are specially trained to provide care and treatment requiring... Read more
Five Reasons Why Value-Based Healthcare is Beneficial
2017 28 May
Patient-centered care is becoming a major topic in healthcare. Many initiatives have begun focusing their care around patients and their medical conditions. This requires focusing on patient value (Porter and Teisberg 2006). When focusing on value for patients, a few challenges may arise. Firstly, the meaning of value for patients varies widely among... Read more