Background: The importance of the acute phase in hospitals has been increasing.\nWhile administering high-level critical care, the working styles of critical care nurses,\nthe types of clinical care they provide, and the way in which they prioritize tasks, remain\nunclear. Aim of this study was to elucidate the characteristic duties of critical\ncare nurses through a comparison with neurological ward nurses. Methods: We recorded\nthe duties of critical care nurses and neurology ward nurses (10 each) using a\ntime-study design. Duties were measured separately by action, classified using a classification\ntable, and differences between the two groups were compared. Results: No\ndifferences in the number of actions were observed between the two groups. The top\nfive items that required the most time for critical care nurses were, ââ?¬Å?Movementââ?¬Â,\nââ?¬Å?Administration and oxygen managementââ?¬Â, ââ?¬Å?Handover process/Doctorââ?¬â?¢s roundsââ?¬Â,\nââ?¬Å?Preparation for entry and exit management of patientsââ?¬Â, and ââ?¬Å?Bed bathing (for\nbedbound patients)ââ?¬Â. Of the 195 items, significant differences between the groups\nwere noted for 34 items, while the duties of critical care nurses were best characterized\nby bed bathing (for bedbound patients), changing position, confirmation of\ninfusion tubes, handover process/doctorââ?¬â?¢s rounds, and preparation for entry and exit\nmanagement of patients. Conclusion: A characteristic of critical care nurses is that\nthey must remain near patients and perform tasks while moving only a short distance.\nMoreover, the promotion of tasks while communicating with physicians is\npresumed to play a role in the promotion of team medicine. Furthermore, much time\nwas spent caring for patients in bed, and a lot of time was devoted to the preparation\nand finalizing of treatments and care, suggesting the possibility that more time can\nbe spent on caring for patients through a revision of duties.
Loading....