2007 Datascope-AACN excellence in collaboration nurse to physician award.[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]Intensive Care Unit Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center, Clackamas, OR In my seven years as a CCNS CCNS Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety CCNS Canadian Congress of Neurological Sciences CCNS Cape Cod National Seashore CCNS Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist CCNS Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist in my current unit, I have experienced the best nurse-physician collaborative partnership of my career. The development of our Mild Therapeutic Hypothermia hypothermia Abnormally low body temperature, with slowing of physiological activity. It is artificially induced (usually with ice baths) for certain surgical procedures and cancer treatments. for patients following cardiac arrest cardiac arrest n. Abbr. CA A sudden cessation of cardiac function, resulting in loss of effective circulation. Cardiac arrest A condition in which the heart stops functioning. is an example. Research was presented to our nurses that mild hypothermia following cardiac arrest improved neurological outcome. The medical director and I presented this to the nursing partnership council, and they supported the concept. The medical director and I developed a procedure, guidelines, order sets and quick-start directions. We partnered to educate the ICU ICU intensive care unit. ICU abbr. intensive care unit ICU see intensive care unit. ICU and ED nursing staffs, cardiology cardiology Medical specialty dealing with heart diseases and disorders. It began with the 1749 publication by Jean Baptiste de Sénac of contemporary knowledge of the heart. Diagnostic methods improved in the 19th century, and in 1905 the electrocardiograph was invented. , ICU and ED physicians, and internists/hospitalists. We implemented our program as the AHA added recommendations to resuscitation resuscitation /re·sus·ci·ta·tion/ (-sus?i-ta´shun) restoration to life of one apparently dead. cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines for this therapy. Maintaining patients at 33 degrees centigrade centigrade /cen·ti·grade/ (sen´ti-grad) having 100 gradations (steps or degrees); see under scale. cen·ti·grade adj. Celsius. was difficult; however, nursing continues to champion the program. They have seen surprising outcomes and aggressively identify potential candidates and advocate for this therapy. We have worked together to streamline the process. The medical director and I tracked outcomes and presented at the citywide critical care conference. This program was the first in the city, and we have shared our experience locally and nationally. Many hospitals in our region now have a similar program. Many patients we treated do not receive care in our system. We carefully explained to families this strange treatment. Patients and families have expressed gratitude for this novel therapy. Nursing staff satisfaction is high. The support tools make the process easier, and it is rewarding to be able to do something beneficial to improve neurological outcomes instead of waiting for patients to wake up. We have worked on many projects and initiatives with the same spirit of collaboration. Our nursing and physician staff finds this relationship rewarding and beneficial to patient outcomes. |
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