When a patient is admitted to an ICU, the tension in the family can be cut with a knife! While doctors keep visiting the patient occasionally, it is the nurses who do much of the heavy lifting. ICU nurses have a critical role to play in helping a patient recover.
It is these healthcare professionals who constantly monitor the patient’s vitals and ensure that they receive all the care they need. It is easy for people to get intimidated when a patient is critically ill and the family members sitting outside are in a constant state of panic. Despite such anxious situations, ICU nurses make no mistakes in performing their duties and acting as a link between the patient, the doctor, and the patient’s family members.
Modern healthcare institutions also offer such nursing services to patients with ICU at home services. Here, ICU nurses and caregivers help set up an ICU at the patient’s home, helping them recover where they feel most comfortable. Such setups require meticulous care and precision. Needless to say, the nurses continue providing unwavering support to patients and their family members at home.
Whether a patient is treated at home or at a traditional hospital ICU, the contribution of the nursing staff should not be discounted. Here are the most common ways in which critical care nursing helps an ICU patient recover in the best way possible:
When a patient is in an ICU, every second of their life is important. Healthcare professionals cannot overlook the smallest discrepancies in their health until they recover. Considering this, ICU nurses monitor a patient’s vital signs 24/7. They keep a close look at vitals like heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, and more until the patient is out of danger.
Collaborating with the doctors, ICU nurses ensure that their patients receive the right medications at the right time. From administering the right intravenous medications to keeping track of the doses a patient receives, nurses are always on their toes when it comes to medication management.
While the doctors create personalized care plans for every patient admitted to the ICU, it is the ICU nurses who execute the same. They work in close collaboration with various specialists to understand the care plan devised for different patients. They understand the responsibility on their shoulders and treat patients with the much-needed sensitivity.
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While executing the care plans, it is an ICU nurse’s duty to assess the patient continuously. They keep a thorough check on every patient’s health and inform the doctors about any improvement or deterioration therein.
ICU nurses need to be impeccable in their communication skills. They are the links connecting patients, their family members, and doctors. An ICU nurse reports a patient’s health to the concerned doctor. They also communicate what the doctor says about the patient to their family members. Their role in the entire ecosystem is irreplaceable!
The family members of ICU patients are always distraught and stressed. Nurses often give them the emotional support and assurance they need while waiting outside. Depending on the patient’s health, they try their best to give their family members the confidence they need to carry on. In some cases, an ICU nurse may also be responsible for giving a patient’s family members news they do not want to hear.
Doctors are often too busy to explain the details of the patient’s health and recovery. This job is often done by ICU nurses. They educate the patient’s family members about the ongoing procedure, the patient’s health, and the details about the health complications they are dealing with. Having information about what is wrong is always more reassuring than being clueless and panicking.
ICU nurses are trained to handle a range of different medical emergencies. If anything goes wrong and the doctor is not around, they are equipped to matters into their own hands and try to save the patient until the doctor arrives. You can trust these professionals to save your loved ones’ lives if they are admitted to the ICU.
ICU nurses are also responsible for looking after the documentation related to the patients they look after. They maintain detailed records of every patient and keep updating them throughout their recovery journey.
If a patient nears the end of their life and saving them is no longer possible, ICU nurses, while maintaining the patient’s dignity, shoulder the responsibility of offering comprehensive end-of-life care. They may also give the news to their family members and do their best to console them.
When a patient recovers from the ICU, nurses help them regain normalcy with seamless rehabilitation. If a healthcare institution offers home nursing services, the nurses also visit their patients’ homes and stay with them until they recover.
Patients in the ICU should be safe from all kinds of infections. The smallest security compromise can have dire consequences. Keeping this in mind, an ICU nurse keeps the facility free from infection. It is their responsibility to keep the area thoroughly sanitized until the patient leaves.
If put in a position with no alternatives, ICU nurses shoulder the responsibility of making critical decisions on behalf of the doctors. While such circumstances are rare, nurses have the power to make such important decisions.
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If your loved one is suffering from a critical illness and you do not wish to keep them in the hospital ICU for long, Docville offers comprehensive ICU at home services. These services are the extensions of the traditional hospital ICU facilities, helping you set up a secure and equipment-rich ICU at home. With Docville, your loved ones can recover from serious health complications without leaving home. You can trust our team of qualified and experienced healthcare professionals for sensitive, precise, and comprehensive medical care.
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