Intensive Care Unit Professionals Research Articles

Tension between continuous and deep sedation and assistance in dying: a national survey of intensive care professionals’ perceptions

IntroductionThe situation in France is unique, having a legal framework for continuous and deep sedation (CDS). However, its use in intensive care units (ICU), combined with the withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies, still raises ethical issues, particularly its potential to hasten death. The legalization of assistance in dying, i.e., assisted suicide or euthanasia at the patient’s request, is currently under discussion in France. The objectives of this national survey were first, to assess whether ICU professionals perceive CDS administered to ICU patients as a practice that hastens death, in addition to relieving unbearable suffering, and second, to assess ICU professionals’ perceptions of assistance in dying. MethodsA national survey with online questionnaires for ICU physicians and nursesaddressed through the French Society of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. ResultsA total of 956 ICU professionals responded to the survey (38% physicians and 62% nurses). Of these, 22% of physicians and 12% of nurses (p < 0.001) felt that the purpose of CDS was to hasten death. For 20% of physicians, CDS combined with terminal extubation was considered an assistance in dying. For 52% of ICU professionals, the current framework did not sufficiently cover the range of situations that occur in the ICU. A favorable opinion on the potential legalization of assistance in dying was observed in 83% of nurses and 71% of physicians (p < 0.001), with no preference between assisted suicide and euthanasia. ConclusionOur findings highlight the tension between CDS and assisted suicide/euthanasia in the specific context of intensive care and suggest that ICU professionals would be supportive of a legislative evolution.

Psychological Symptoms Among Iranian Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected working conditions in healthcare systems and caused occupational stress and challenges for the majority of healthcare workers (HCWs). Objectives: This study aimed to examine the prevalence of anxiety, depression, burnout, and career resilience and assess the personal and occupational risk factors contributing to psychological symptoms in Iranian HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Through a cross-sectional study, HCWs were surveyed within January to February 2022 to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety and depression (using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]), burnout (using the Maslach burnout inventory health services survey for medical personnel [MBI-HSS-MP]), and career resilience (using the Career Resilience Questionnaire [CRQ]). The correlation between demographic-occupational factors and psychological symptoms was analyzed. A total of 610 complete responses were received from Iranian HCWs. Results: Approximately 87.9% of HCWs had symptoms of both anxiety and depression (HADS score ≥ 11). The results indicated that most HCWs experienced various signs of burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion, decreased sense of personal accomplishment, and depersonalization, respectively). The mean score for career resilience reported by the participants was appropriate; however, a fifth of the HCWs had poor career resilience. The highest scores of burnout, anxiety, and depression, in addition to the lowest scores of career resilience, were reported by intensive care unit (ICU) professionals. Conclusions: Marital status, long daily working hours, night shift work, access to personal protective equipment (PPE), and direct exposure to patients with COVID-19 had a significant impact on the anxiety, depression, burnout, and resilience of the HCWs.

Construction and Evaluation of a Realistic Low-Cost Model for Training in Chest-Tube Insertion.

Emergency thoracostomy is applied in life-threatening situations. Simulation plays a pivotal role in training in invasive techniques used mainly in stressful situations. Currently available commercial simulation models for thoracostomy have various drawbacks. We designed a thoracostomy phantom from discarded hospital materials and pigskin with underlying flesh. The phantom can be used alone for developing technical skills or mounted on an actor in simulation scenarios. Medical students, intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency department teams, and thoracostomy experts evaluated its technical fidelity and usefulness for achieving learning objectives in workshops. The materials used to construct the phantom cost €47. A total of 12 experts in chest-tube placement and 73 workshop participants (12 ICU physicians and nurses, 20 emergency physicians and nurses, and 41 fourth-year medical students) evaluated the model. All groups rated the model's usefulness and the sensation of perforating the pleura highly. Experts rated the air release after pleura perforation lower than other groups. Lung reexpansion was the lowest rated item in all groups. Ratings of the appearance and feel of the model correlated strongly among all groups and experts. The ICU professionals rated the resistance encountered in introducing the chest drain lower than the other groups. This low-cost, reusable, transportable, and highly realistic model is an attractive alternative to commercial models for training in chest-tube insertion skills.

The Prevalence and Contributing Factors of Burnout Among Anesthesiologists and Intensive Care Unit Staff in Morocco: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Introduction Burnout is a common issue in the medical field, particularly in specialties like anaesthesiology and intensive care. It carries significant personal and professional consequences for healthcare providers and can impact the relationship between caregivers and patients. Despite its seriousness, there's been limited research on its causes in North Africa. In this study, our aim was straightforward: we wanted to find out how prevalent burnout is among Moroccan healthcare workers in anaesthesiology and intensive care and identify the main factors contributing to it. Methods To achieve this, we conducted a comprehensive multicenter cross-sectional study that included hospitals from different regions of Morocco. We focused on anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists currently practicing in these settings. We measured burnout using the French version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results We distributed 500 questionnaires and received and analyzed 396 of them, accounting for an 84% response rate. The results were striking: 48% of participants experienced high emotional exhaustion, 43.2% had a significant level of depersonalization, and 21% exhibited a low sense of personal accomplishment. When we looked at various factors, such as age, income, on-call duties, years of experience, and work location, our analysis showed statistically significant differences in all three dimensions of burnout. In our more complex multivariate analysis, we found that the risk factors for all three dimensions of burnout were practicing for 5 to 15 years and participating in on-call rotations. Surprisingly, practicing for over 25 years seemed to be a protective factor against all dimensions of burnout. Conclusion Our study clearly indicates that burnout is a shared issue among healthcare professionals in anaesthesiology and intensive care units in Morocco. Importantly, we've pinpointed specific risk factors that should be the foundation for a national strategy to prevent burnout in these critical healthcare sectors.

COVID-19 crisis management of German ICU clinicians in leadership - a metaphor analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic coincided with an already long-standing crisis in health systems around the world characterized by economic pressure and increasing staff shortage. "Crisis" became a global metaphor to convey collective experiences of the COVID-19 threat. Little is known on how crisis metaphors influence thought and speech on crisis management and the challenging staff situation of intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians in leadership positions and how they act. Therefore, we were interested in (1) which metaphorical concepts ICU clinicians in leadership use to express experiences and strategies in dealing with coinciding crises, (2) how these change over time, and (3) how metaphors in speech reveal self-images of crisis management. We conducted a systematic metaphor analysis focusing on data from three participants of a qualitative interview study with twenty-four healthcare professionals in ICUs in Germany. The participants were interviewed at two time points between April 2020 and March 2021. We identified and reconstructed metaphorical concepts of three interviewees (ICU clinicians in leadership) with regard to the pandemic management, and developed a typology based on the dimensions of mood, modus operandi, location, and scope. The typology consists of eight self-images (protagonists) for the crisis management of ICU clinicians in leadership, such as the figure of the soldier ("to unite everyone behind this flag"), the distributor ("sometimes it is a crazy patchwork [wahnsinniges Gestückel]") or the critic ("we are the fool for everything"). They embody different qualities of a leader and refer to intra- and inter-role conflicts within multiple crisis conditions. Metaphor analysis reveals different self-images of ICU leadership clinicians in relation to crisis management. This illustrates that thinking and perceptions of crisis management may strongly differ between and within leaders and may change over the course of crises. Our findings highlight the need both to improve knowledge on challenges associated with leadership in crises and preparedness, and to support clinicians in their leadership by recognizing and addressing differences and changes in leaders' self-image.

Perceptions, feelings, and attitudes towards death for Intensive Care Units professionals

Perceptions, feelings, and attitudes towards death for Intensive Care Units professionals

Intensive care unit professionals' responses to a new moral conflict assessment tool: A qualitative study.

Moral distress is a serious problem for health care personnel. Surveys, individual interviews, and focus groups may not capture all of the effects of, and responses to, moral distress. Therefore, we used a new participatory action research approach-moral conflict assessment (MCA)-to characterize moral distress and to facilitate the development of interventions for this problem. To characterize moral distress by analyzing responses of intensive care unit (ICU) personnel who participated in the MCA process. In this qualitative study, we invited all ICU personnel at 3 urban hospitals to participate in individual or group sessions using the 8-step MCA tool. These sessions were facilitated by either a clinical ethicist or a counseling psychologist who was trained in this process. During each session, one of the researchers took notes and prepared a report for each MCA which were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. A total of 24 participants took part in 15 sessions, individually or in groups; 14 were nurses and nurse leaders, 2 were physicians, and 8 were other health professionals. This study was approved by the Providence Health Care/University of British Columbia Behavioural Research Ethics Board. Each participant provided written informed consent. The main causes of moral distress related to goals of care, communication, teamwork, respect for patient's preferences, and the managerial system. Suggested solutions included communication strategies and educational activities for health care providers, patients, family members, and others about teamwork, advance directives, and end-of-life care. Participants acknowledged that using the MCA process helped them to reflect on their own thoughts and use their moral agency to turn a distressing situation into a learning and improvement opportunity. Using the MCA tool helped participants to characterize their moral distress in a systematic way, and to arrive at new potential solutions.

Moral distress among intensive care unit professions in the UK: a mixed-methods study

ObjectiveTo assess the experience of moral distress among intensive care unit (ICU) professionals in the UK.DesignMixed methods: validated quantitative measure of moral distress followed by purposive sample of respondents who...

High-level burnout in physicians and nurses working in adult ICUs: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The prevalence of burnout in intensive care unit (ICU) professionals is difficult to establish due to the variety of survey instruments used, the heterogeneity of the targeted population, the design of the studies, and the differences among countries regarding ICU organization. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the prevalence of high-level burnout in physicians and nurses working in adult ICUs, including only studies that use the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) as a tool to evaluate burnout and involving at least 3 different ICUs. Twenty-five studies with a combined population of 20,723 healthcare workers from adult ICUs satisfied the inclusion criteria. Combining 18 studies including 8187 ICU physicians, 3660 of them reported a high level of burnout (prevalence 0.41, range 0.15-0.71, 95% CI [0.33; 0.5], I2 97.6%, 95% CI [96.9%; 98.1%]). The heterogeneity can be at least in part explained by the definition of burnout used and the response rate as confirmed by the multivariable metaregression done. In contrast, there was no significant difference regarding other factors such as the study period (before or during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic), the income of the countries, or the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) index. Combining 20 studies including 12,536 ICU nurses, 6232 of nurses were reporting burnout (prevalence 0.44, range 0.14-0.74, [95% CI 0.34; 0.55], I2 98.6% 95% CI [98.4%; 98.9%]). The prevalence of high-level burnout in ICU nurses for studies performed during the COVID-19 pandemic was higher than that reported for studies performed before the COVID-19 pandemic (0.61 [95% CI, 0.46; 0.75] and 0.37 [95% CI, 0.26; 0.49] respectively, p = 0.003). As for physicians, the heterogeneity is at least in part explained by the definition used for burnout using the MBI but not by the number of participants. When compared, the prevalence of high-level burnout was not different between ICU physicians and ICU nurses. However, the proportion of ICU nurses with a high level of emotional exhaustion was higher than for ICU physicians (0.42 [95% CI, 0.37; 0.48] and 0.28 [0.2; 0.39], respectively, p = 0.022). According to this meta-analysis, the prevalence of high-level burnout is higher than 40% in all ICU professionals. However, there is a great heterogeneity in the results. To evaluate and to compare preventive and therapeutic strategies, there is the need to use a consensual definition of burnout when using the MBI instrument.

Error disclosure in neonatal intensive care: a multicentre, prospective, observational study

ImportanceSurveys based on hypothetical situations suggest that health-care providers agree that disclosure of errors and adverse events to patients and families is a professional obligation but do not always disclose...

Time spent on documenting quality indicator data and associations between the perceived burden of documenting these data and joy in work among professionals in intensive care units in the Netherlands: a multicentre cross-sectional survey

ObjectivesThe number of indicators used to monitor and improve the quality of care is debatable and may influence professionals’ joy in work. We aimed to assess intensive care unit (ICU)...

Spirituality in Critical Care: An Observational Study of the Perceptions of Professionals, Patients and Families, in Spain and Latin America.

This research aims to describe the perspectives of health care professionals, patients, and family members regarding spiritual care options in intensive care units (ICUs). Participants were recruited consecutively from January to August 2019, during which time data collection was conducted. A total of 1211 Spanish-language questionnaires were collected from 41 ICUs in Spain and Latin America. Approximately 655 participants worked as ICU professionals (74.5% of these participants were women, and 47.5% were nurses). Additionally, 340 questionnaires were sent to patients' families, and patients completed 216 questionnaires; 59.7% of these participants were men, and their mean age was 59.4years. Most (69.7%) of the critical care professionals considered this type of care to be a part of their profession, 50.1% did not feel competent to provide this type of care, and 83.4% felt that training in this area was necessary. Most families (71.7%) and patients (60.2%) felt that spiritual suffering occurred during their stay in the ICU. The results of this study suggest a perceived deficit in spiritual care in ICUs.

What is appropriate care? A qualitative study into the perceptions of healthcare professionals in Flemish university hospital intensive care units

AimThis study examines when healthcare professionals consider intensive care as appropriate care. BackgroundDespite attempts to conceptualize appropriate care in prior research, there is a lack of insight into its meaning and implementation in practice. This is an important issue because healthcare professionals as well as patients and relatives report inappropriate care in the intensive care unit (ICU) on a regular basis. MethodsA qualitative study was designed, based on principles of grounded theory. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses, doctors and doctors in training from three Flemish university hospitals. Analyses followed the Quagol method; insights were gained by means of the constant comparative method. ResultsHealthcare professionals described appropriate care as socially sustainable care, high-quality care, patient-oriented care, dignified care and meaningful care. They considered it important that care is not only proportional to the expected survival and quality of life of the patient and in line with the patient's or relatives’ wishes, but also that the pursuit of the care goals is proportional to the patient's suffering.Although healthcare professionals indicated the same elements of appropriate care, they were defined and interpreted in individual and therefore different ways. This diversity lies at the basis of fields of tension and frustrations among healthcare professionals. ConclusionAppropriate care is defined and interpreted in individual and therefore different ways. In order to decide which type of care is appropriate for a specific patient, a process of open and constructive communication in a team is recommended.

Assessment of the risk of burnout and its associated factors in healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: A prospective cohort study.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in tremendous physical and psychological pressure on healthcare professionals, especially on those working in intensive care units (ICUs) and Emergency Departments (EDs). The present study intended to characterize the profile of these professionals which is associated with burnout and determine the potential predictors of such condition. A Prospective cohort study was carried out in a tertiary hospital between March 2020 and March 2021, in Salvador, Brazil. A standardized and validated version of the Oldenburg Burnout inventory (OLBI) was applied to assess risk of burnout together with data forms designed to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics and religious beliefs. ICU and ED healthcare professionals were evaluated during off-hours at two distinct periods of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 and in 2021. Differences in the results obtained from each study participant between the timepoints were compared. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors of burnout development independent of other confounding factors. Seventy-seven healthcare professionals with a median age of 33 (interquartile range [IQR]: 31-37.5) years and predominantly female (72.7%; n = 56) were enrolled. There were 62 professionals at risk of developing burnout through the OLBI. Those had a median age of 33 (IQR: 31-37) and female predominance (71%, n = 44). Disengagement and burnout were the only features which frequencies significantly changed over time, with increasing detection at the latest timepoint. Alcohol consumption was found to be an important risk factor for burnout development [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 10.8 (95% CI: 1.8-64.2)]. Importantly, working in the ICU [aOR: 0.04 (95%CI: 0.01-0.32)] and the habit of praying daily [aOR: 0.07 (95%CI: 0.01-0.41)] were characteristics linked to reduced odds of burnout. Disengagement substantially increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in healthcare professionals. Alcohol consumption favors the onset of burnout whereas habit of praying daily and working in the ICU are protective against such outcome. Institutional policies aimed at minimizing etilism may positively impact mental health of these professionals.

A rare case of hepatic subcapsular hematoma presenting with severe anemia in a 20-hour old term newborn: case report

Hepatic subcapsular hematoma is an extremely rare clinical condition in the neonatal period. Being a life-threatening emergency, it requires prompt diagnosis and management. In a newborn presented with severe anemia, hypovolemic shock, and abdominal distention with hemoperitoneum without any identifiable risk factors hepatic subcapsular hematoma should be considered. Newborns may develop catastrophic acute and long-term complications if the diagnosis is not made timely. Obstetricians, pediatricians, neonatologists and pediatric surgeons should have a high of the index of suspicion of hepatic subcapsular hematoma in newborns to avoid delay in the diagnosis and to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality. &#x0D; Here, we report a 20 hour’s old male term newborn diagnosed with Hepatic Subcapsular Hematoma after he presented with progressive abdominal distension and severe anemia. Abdominal ultra-sound showed a well-defined round heterogenic echogenic liver mass and massive intra-peritoneal fluid collection. The newborn was managed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with Fresh Frozen Plasma transfusion, Whole blood transfusion and vitamin K administration, and discharged im-proved after a week. A high index of clinical suspicion is necessary to avoid delayed diagnosis and life-threatening complications among health professionals in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Nontechnical skills training in intensive care units: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study is aimed at describing a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of nontechnical skills training on the acquisition of knowledge, skills or attitudes, and changes in behavior at the workplace, of healthcare professionals working in intensive care units (ICUs), as well as the effect on outcomes at an organizational level. We will search for original studies in the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, EMBASE and PsycINFO databases. Studies with a clinical trial or quasi-experimental design will be included. Two reviewers will independently screen and assess the included studies, with any disagreements being resolved by a third reviewer. We will summarize the findings using a narrative approach and, if possible, conduct a quantitative synthesis (meta-analysis). We will conduct the protocol following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. The review will summarize the current evidence on nontechnical skills training in ICUs, examining satisfaction with the training program, improvements in knowledge about nontechnical skills and the adoption of safety behaviors, as well as improvement in outcomes for the organization, such as mortality rates, length of stay and cost indicators. We expect that the systematic review could indicate effective strategies for training ICU professionals in nontechnical skills and also determine whether these strategies really improve the safety culture and professional knowledge and behaviors, as well as patient outcomes and safety.

Trait and state anxiety in healthcare professionals of intensive care unit

RESUMO Objetivo: Estimar os níveis de ansiedade traço e estado entre profissionais da saúde daterapia intensiva durante a pandemia Covid-19. Método: Estudo transversal, analítico, realizado de abril-julho de 2022, num hospital de ensino do sul do Brasil, utilizando a escala Inventário de Ansiedade Traço-Estado. Resultados: A ansiedade traço e estado estiveram presentes em mais da metade da amostra, sendo associada ao sexo, faixa etária, ter filhos, carga horária semanal, tempo de trabalho no hospital e na UTI (p&lt;0,05) para o estado; e associada ao sexo, ter filhos, profissão, carga horária diária e semanal, e tempo de trabalho no hospital (p&lt;0,05) para o traço. Conclusão: A ansiedade traço e estado foram de nível médio a alto para mulheres, jovens, sem filhos, não enfermeiras, com jornada diária de 9 a 18 horas trabalhadas, carga horária semanal acima de 40 horas, com experiência menor de cinco anos em terapia intensiva e quanto ao tempo de atuação na instituição maior que cinco anos.

Analysis of the influence of occupational, sociodemographic and health factors on the demotivation of the intensivist.

Understanding motivation, identifying motivational factors of health professionals, and recognizing how managers and leaders can successfully motivate healthcare professionals is a growing concern. To assess the occupational, sociodemographic, and health factors that influence the occurrence of demotivation in the intensive care unit professionals. We performed a cross-sectional study with health professionals from nine intensive care units in João Pessoa, Paraíba state, Brazil. Data were collected using an adapted version of the Health Care Establishment Questionnaire. We built a Logistic Regression model to analyze the influence of variables on the motivational state, and variables were selected by the Backward method. We used 80% of the sample for parameter estimation and the remaining 20% for testing and validation. We used the R software for the analyses, with a significance level of α ≤ 0.05. We identify that the variable with the greatest power over the intensivist's demotivation was shift work (odds ratio [OR] = 4.215, p = 0.006). The number of symptoms (OR = 1.206, p = 0.000) and working time (OR = 1.080, p = 0.031) were also significant risk variables. When the three variables were combined, the professional's chance of feeling unmotivated increased by 38 times (OR = 38.99, p = 0.000). Based on these results, it is possible to identify aspects that will require organizational adjustments so that intensivists remain satisfied and motivated.

Burnout, ethical climate and work organization in covid-19 intensive care units: mixed method study.

to analyze the association between burnout and the perception of the ethical climate in nursing professionals in the covid-19 Intensive Care Unit and the relationship with the organization of work from the perspective of managers of these units. mixed method study conducted in three university hospitals in southern Brazil from December 2021 to March 2022. A cross-sectional study was developed with 110 nursing professionals, followed by an exploratory-descriptive study through semi-structured interviews with six managers. Descriptive and analytical statistics and discursive textual analysis were used. the prevalence of burnout was 10% and the perception of negative ethical climate was 24.5%. The association between burnout and ethical climate revealed overload and fatigue during working hours, related to tension, fear, and stress that emerged from the consequences of the organization and relations of work in the covid-19 Intensive Care Unit. there was an association between burnout and ethical climate and elements of the work organization.

Continuous EEG of memories of Near-death and mystical experiences: Preliminary research

We recently recorded, processed, and published brain activity by quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) and quantitative electroencephalography (QEEGt), comparing separate subjects remembering their near-death experience (NDE) and mystical experience. Our studies refer to a mystical experience as a spiritual contemplative experience (SCE). We found neural and Greyson Scale (GS) correlations between them. This study is a real-time enhancement of that study using the emerging technology of continuous EEG monitoring (CEEG), which intensive care unit (ICU) professionals use to identify malignant EEG patterns quickly and provide care effectively. EEG monitoring encompasses a wide range of technical and clinical issues in successfully monitoring critically ill patients to detect significant changes in cerebral function and prevent serious neuronal injury over time. Because the brain undergoes continuous and dynamic changes, CEEG was considered an important method for real-time monitoring of functional brain changes while remembering near-death experiences (NDE) and spiritual contemplative experience (SCE). The CEEG envelope showed an incremental amplitude coinciding with NDE and SCE remembering the time, but an increase of amplitude was greater for SCE. CEEG also demonstrated a greater amplitude in frontal lobes for SCE. Statistical increments of absolute power for alpha and gamma bands were demonstrated during both NDE and SCE. We conclude that CEEG is a useful method for continuously assessing dynamic changes while remembering NDE and SCE.