Week 4 Blog Post: Delirium (Janell Nunn)

Briefly summarize your findings. Do you agree with the article? Why or why not? What are the next steps needed? Share your “finds” from your own blog for this week.

This was a very short section of a larger article. It agreed with the article and videos we all read. Stating that the CAM ICU Delirium tool is extremely helpful in catching more cases of delirium. The article discussed adding this and other tools to help prevent long term effects of delirium and was concerned with having these tools added to hospital protocols, especially given the success of the trials (done in four stages at large hospitals in ICUs only).

I agree with the article, mostly due to the evidence presented in the other article we read and the videos. The next steps needed for this article are: getting the CAM ICU added into hospital protocols; putting interventions in place for those identified to have delirium based on these new protocols.

My “Finds” from the reading/videos: This is an issue of which I was entirely unaware. The testimony the patient gave on video was astounding and the quote he gave from his psychiatrist stating that it was as real to him as any Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) sufferer from the military or police really made the issue come alive. This is what health care protocol is doing to survivors! It is made clear by the information given, that changes need to be made. Research for changes began back in the 1990s and is finally on its way into practice and needs to be taken seriously and swiftly added into daily best practice.

References:

Landro, L. (2011). Informed patient: changing sedation status quo in the ICU.  Health Blog, Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2011/02/15/changing-the-sedation-status-quo-in-the-icu/

Nulles, S. (2008).  Improving goal-directed sedation practices and recognition of delirium in the MICU. Critical Care Nurse, 28(2), 11.

Hello,

My name is Janell. I am first and foremost a wife and mother, then student and nurse. My daughter is our joy and blessing from above, she is now 15 months old and so much fun. I quit my job as a med/surg nurse after she was born just as school began- altogether with the hormones combined it was the best decision!

I have taken a very long route to my BSN. I started in a program for it in 2002 but was on an athletic scholarship and traveled with my sport, missing some key classes held once a week (on travel days) and had to drop, only to find out ALL prerequisites and nursing courses were offered IN order- no summer make ups etc… so I went with my double major and graduated with a Spanish (Languages) Degree –  from Liberty University, only to be wait-listed at Saddleback College back home for my ADN… finally I graduated in 2009, when the bonuses stopped, new grad programs dried up, no one was hiring ADNs and in 2010 “BSN in 10” began!…. SO here I am!

I do plan to go back to work but I would like to change fields. I am extremely interested in Labor and Delivery and Postpartum, my interest only increased with my own birth experience. I also really like the idea of becoming a Lactation Specialist, I know it is quite a journey from here- got to switch departments, get a new job, and graduate first!