Critical Care Nursing

In this presentation, Acute kidney injury will be defined and discussed with regards to causes, mortality and how to detect it. Conventional biomarkers have been used to detect acute renal failure, such as urea and creatinine. New biomarkers will be discussed for detection of injury, as well as current treatment options.

In this programme, recent improvements in the understanding and treatment of sepsis will be presented, including how SARS-COV2 induces sepsis. A review of past therapies and the recent introduction of newer treatments for sepsis will be discussed. Updates from the Surviving Sepsis Campaign will be presented, as will recent studies that address the management of sepsis. Controversies in the treatment and identification of sepsis will be reviewed, as well as case studies using novel treatments in the care of the patient with sepsis. The emphasis on early identification and how to implement protocols in hospitals, from the ED and floor to the ICU will be highlighted. The program emphasises innovative learning strategies in an attempt to help the learner retain more information as well as make the program a more enjoyable event. 

In the year of the nurse, it is important to remember a famous quote by Florence Nightingale; “It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm”. In our current work cultures, some basic nursing care activities designed to prevent harm, are frequently seen as just tasks to be completed before the end of the shift or just one more project.  With health care infections a worldwide problem we can make a difference in preventing the invasion or halting the spread of microorganisms by implementing basic care strategies to reduce the source of the infection. This session provides an in-depth examination of the science of bathing critically ill patients and the impact it has on infection.  This session will seek to dispel any myths and address the evidence-based practice and provide suggestions for successful implementation leading to a change in care. 

On any given day, Critical Care Nurses may be called upon to assist with or admit complex, critically injured polytrauma patients into the adult Critical Care Unit. It is essential that nurses possess a solid and accurate understanding of best practice trauma resuscitation principles. This session identifies current, evidence-based practice guidelines for Critical Care Nurses for the restoration of hemodynamic stability and avoidance of complications, following the admission of the adult polytrauma patient to Critical Care. The “ABCDE” approach to trauma patients, shock, oxygenation, ventilation, fluid resuscitation, coagulopathies, and damage-control surgery, is described and discussed.

Determining body fluid balance in critically ill patients is a major challenge, particularly where patients have required extensive resuscitation and/or have renal impairment. Fluid imbalance and overload, key consequences of severe acute kidney injury, can lead to an increase in patient morbidity and mortality. Nurses play a critical role in the assessment of fluid balance and the management of patient care interventions such as renal replacement therapy which allow significant manipulation of body fluid status and require diligent management to ensure effective fluid balance maintenance.

Critical care practice is underpinned by policy and research which acknowledges the benefits of patient and family engagement in the intensive care unit. Engagement occurs across a continuum from low to high levels of engagement. In this session we will discuss how patient and family involvement in care delivery can be promoted, ways in which families might be engaged while their family member is in the ICU, the potential benefits to the patient, family and health professionals, and managing potential challenges. We will also discuss some novel approaches for more active family engagement and partnerships in the ICU.

We demonstrate the feasibility of introducing a non-ventilatory intervention of prone positioning in the management of patients with moderate to severe ARDS, which has been applied and demonstrated in the Regional Intensive Care in South East Queensland. This strategy could be replicated and adopted in other similar ICU's who do not have the ability to provide Tertiary services, such as extra-corporeal life support. The advantage of this process is its easy applicability and rapid implementation, especially in this era of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Is the spread of multi-drug resistant (MDRO) organisms a major problem in your patient care environment? Then consider designing a plan of attack using the latest evidence and implementation strategies to win the bug war. MDRO’s contribute to serious infections and higher mortality in acute and critically ill patients. This session will explore modes of transmission to outline a strategy for source control. Habitual care practices including bathing, oral hygiene, and handwashing will be examined closely as potential sources. An in-depth focus on the development of evidence-based care practices and protocols and the examination of resources and systems that support source control and reduce transmission will be discussed. Let’s eradicate the bugs together.

This talk examines key definitions relating to medication safety, including medication errors, adverse drug events, and adverse drug reactions. The talk also identifies the prevalence of medication errors, the outcomes and risk factors associated with medication errors in intensive care. After providing the context in which medication errors occur in intensive care, consideration is given to various interventions that have been shown to impact on reducing medication errors.

Patients continue to deteriorate. In this presentation, we will identify the context, the challenges, the solutions, and the future in relation to the nurse’s role in recognising and responding to patient deterioration.