Nursing Care of ICU Patients Lightly Sedated with Dexmedetomidine

• Background: Intensive care patients are often in need of sedation to endure being intubated. Lightsedation is increasingly common since it has been proved to offer benefi ts such as faster recovery to patients.Aim: The aim of this study was to describe critical care nurses’ experiences of nursing patients lightlysedated with dexmedetomidine.Research Methodology: Qualitative personal interviews were conducted during 2015 with 10 critical carenurses in Sweden. Interview transcripts were analysed using inductive qualitative thematic analysis.Results: Light sedation of the patient facilitated communication and interaction with him or her, and therelationship between the patient and his or her family members. Dexmedetomidine was described as a fairlynew drug, and the critical care nurses stated that they needed more knowledge about it and about sedationscales in order to learn more about the drug’s mechanism of action and its potential side effects on patients.Conclusion: It is important to critical care nurses to learn more about dexmedetomidine and about sedationscales to assess levels of sedation, as light sedation has been shown to benefi t the patient as opposed to deepsedation that can increase recovery time.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Annan hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Other Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Health Science

Hälsovetenskap

Nursing

Omvårdnad

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