Examining adverse events after intensive care unit discharge: Outcomes from a pilot questionnaire

Abstract

Adverse events are common in acute clinical settings but little is known about these events occurring after Intensive Care discharge. This study aimed to develop a reliable and valid tool for exploring clinicians' opinions of factors associated with post-Intensive Care adverse events. A convenience sample of Australian Intensive Care Liaison Nurses was invited to complete and appraise a questionnaire using structured guidelines. Content validity and internal consistency were assessed. Twelve Intensive Care Liaison Nurses completed the questionnaire. Cronbach?s alpha coefficient showed high internal consistency for the questionnaire; all 24 items on the questionnaire had coefficients greater than 0.852. The content validity index of the questionnaire overall was 0.76. The post-Intensive Care adverse events questionnaire demonstrated reliability and validity. It is a tool that can be used to explore clinicians? opinions of factors associated with these events. The tool is important as it facilitates further insight into the causes of post-Intensive Care adverse events.

The Effect of Liaison Nurse Service on Patient Outcomes after Discharging From ICU: a Randomized Controlled Trial

“… 28 However, Eliott et al, noted that liaison nurses can produce more significant effects on patient outcomes in large-scale hospitals that have several ICUs and higher ICU admission and discharge rates. 18 …”

“… 2 , 8 , 17 Liaison nurses are expected to manage post-ICU care, provide scientific and educational support to other nurses, establish relationship between ICU and ward nurses, and provide intensive nursing care to patients who are in medical-surgical wards. 15 , 18 Accordingly, they can maintain the continuity and the quality of care which finally improve patient outcomes. 15 Given the novelty of the nurse liaison strategy, few studies have investigated its effects on patient outcomes.…”

Cognition and practice on transitional care during the transfer from intensive care unit to a general ward among health care professionals: A qualitative study

“…With the rapid development of modern critical care medicine, the mortality of critical patients has been reduced, and the number of patients transferred from intensive care unit (ICU) has been increased. In recent decades, ICU medical team has improved the rescue rate of critically ill patients with effective use of ICU resources, while the patient safety during the transition from ICU to the general ward has often been ignored after their condition is stable (Elliott et al, 2013). Critical care staff tends to focus solely on what's happening at this moment timely but pays little attention to or spends little time preparing the patient for final transfer to a less intensive environment.…”