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Article: Implementation of a nurse-driven sedation protocol in the ICU.(Intensive care units)
- Article from:
- Dynamics
- Article date:
- December 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Background
In our 22-bed, locum-dependent intensive care unit (ICU) at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC), there is great variation in physician practice and personal preferences for certain pharmacological agents when managing sedation. There are also several variations in medication mixing concentrations and types of infusion pumps available for medication administration.
Our geographical isolation often results in difficulty recruiting experienced critical care nurses. This, combined with the global nursing shortage, results in hiring and educating new graduates or nurses with no critical care experience. Currently in the ICU at the TBRHSC, greater ...