Fig. 18.2 Inside a paramedic ambulance. Noise and daylight may render monitors and their alarms unreadable and inaudible. Ambulances rely on battery sources for electrical power. Consequently hospital-based equipment that…
IMPORTANCE OF GOOD RECORD KEEPING Record keeping is an integral part of nursing, midwifery and health visiting practice. It is a tool of professional practice and one that should help…
Macintyre and Schug (2007) METHODS OF ASSESSING PAIN The inability of health-care professionals to adequately assess pain is one of the primary reasons for inadequate pain management (Prevost 2009). The…
This formula is not suitable, however, for use in a child aged <1 year; although a term newborn infant averages 3.5 kg, by 6 months the birthweight has usually doubled…
Fresh Frozen Plasma and Cryoprecipitate Standard fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is produced from both UK and non-UK donors; methylene blue FFP is available for children under the age of 16…
Fig. 10.2 Blood glucose monitoring chart (Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust). Best Practice – Blood Glucose Measurements Use soap and water, not alcohol swab, to clean the site Ensure that test…
MONITORING FLUID BALANCE Monitoring fluid balance in critical illness is paramount. Constant monitoring and vigilance by the nurse coupled with an understanding of disease processes are vital because clinical conditions…
Care should be taken when using the tympanic thermometer, because poor technique can render the measurement inaccurate. To ensure that the temperature measurements are accurate, the tympanic thermometer probe should…
html xmlns=”http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml”> 16 Monitoring the Critically Ill, Pregnant Patient LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of the chapter the reader will be able to: outline the relevant physiological changes that occur…
The neurological status of the patient should be evaluated and closely monitored; in brief, the conscious level, motor movement, sensory pupil size and reaction to light should be examined. In…
