Search

The objective of this study was to observe the effect of nursing care based on goal-oriented mind-mapping on the prognosis of patients with severe brain injury. Clinical data of 116 patients with severe brain injury admitted to Qinghe County Central Hospital between March 2021 and August 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Based on the nursing mode the patients received, they were divided into an Observation group (n = 58, patients received nursing based on the goal-oriented mind mapping mode) and a Control group (n = 58, patients received routine care). Data on length of hospital stay, complications, functional recovery, cerebral oxygen metabolism, and quality of life scores of the 2 groups were collected and analyzed. The length of hospital stay of the Observation group was shorter than that of the Control group (P < .05). The total incidence of complications in the Observation group was lower than that in the Control group (P < .05). After intervention, neurological function, cerebral oxygen metabolism indicators, and quality of life of the 2 groups improved significantly compared with those before the intervention; furthermore, the neurological function and cerebral oxygen metabolism indexes of the Observation group were better than those of the Control group (P < .05). The nursing care based on goal-oriented mind-mapping model for patients with severe brain injury can effectively shorten the length of hospital stay, reduce the occurrence of prognostic complications, and improve the recovery of neurological and limb motor functions, and ultimately achieve the goal of improving the quality of life., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

This study aimed to assess the feasibility of a complex family nursing intervention (SAFIR©) designed to support families of patients with acquired brain injuries during the early phase of hospitalization, using a one-group pre- and post-test design with a one-month follow-up. Family members participated in four family meetings. Quantitative data were collected using an intervention protocol checklist and questionnaires. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, written open-ended questions, and note-taking. Feasibility outcomes revealed a family recruitment rate of 15.4% and a retention rate of 100%. Protocol adherence ranged from 94% in Phase 1 to 78% in Phase 3. Our results indicated that the intervention was meaningful and suitable for family members (n=7), healthcare provider (n=1), and nursing managers (n=6). From a sustainability perspective, our findings suggest the need to formally involve the entire inter-professional team in the intervention. Further evaluation of the intervention is warranted through a large-scale experimental., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: To summarize the best evidence-based strategies for the management of cognitive dysfunction in patients with brain injury and to provide a reference for clinical nursing practice., Design: Review., Methods: The review was presented using PRISMA guidelines. A systematic search of evidence on the management of cognitive dysfunction in patients with brain injury was conducted in computerized decision systems, guideline websites, professional association websites and comprehensive databases from the date of creation to 21 June 2023. The types of evidence included were clinical decision making, guidelines, evidence summaries, best practices, recommended practices, expert consensus, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Two researchers trained in evidence-based methodological systems independently evaluated the quality of the literature and extracted, integrated and graded the evidence for inclusion., Results: A total of 20 articles were selected, including nine guidelines, three expert consensus articles, one clinical practice article and seven systematic reviews, and the overall quality of the literature was high. Thirty pieces of evidence were summarized in seven areas: assessment, multidisciplinary team, rehabilitation program, cognitive intervention, exercise intervention, music intervention and medication management., Conclusions: This study summarizes the latest evidence on the management of cognitive dysfunction in the care of adults with brain injury and provides a reference for clinical nursing practice. The best evidence should be selected for localized and individualized application in clinical work, and the best evidence should be continuously updated to standardize nursing practice., Implications for the Profession And/or Patient Care: Patients with cognitive impairment after brain injury often suffer from memory loss, attention deficit and disorientation and are unable to have a normal life and experience much enjoyment, which seriously affects their physical and mental health and creates a great burden of care for their families and society. Best evidence-based strategies for the nursing management of cognitive impairment in brain injury are essential for standardizing clinical nursing practice and providing timely, professional, systematic and comprehensive nursing interventions for patients., Reporting Method: This review is reported following the PRISMA 2020 statement guidelines, as applicable, to enhance transparency in reporting the evidence synthesis., Trial and Protocol Registration: This study has been registered with the Fudan University Centre for Evidence-based Nursing, a JBI Centre of Excellence under registration number ES20232566, http://ebn.nursing.fudan.edu.cn/myRegisterList., Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background There is a need for improved access to evidence-based interventions supporting the wellbeing of caregivers of adults with acquired brain injury (ABI). Remotely delivered interventions could address this need. The present systematic review sought to collate studies evaluating remotely delivered interventions designed to improve the wellbeing of caregivers of adults with an ABI, to summarise findings and to comment on the quality of this research. Methods Systematic searches were conducted up until December 2023. Study characteristics, populations, interventions and outcomes were outlined, and papers were appraised on methodological quality. The review was pre-registered (PROSPERO: CRD42020189235). Results Eleven studies meeting inclusion criteria were identified. Methodological quality was generally low to adequate. Most studies evaluated an intervention for caregivers of people with stroke, with a variety of types of interventions trialled. The majority of studies reported non-significant findings on wellbeing outcomes when compared to control conditions. Conclusions There is limited evidence supporting a remotely delivered intervention to improve wellbeing outcomes for ABI caregivers. Specific recommendations are provided, including the development of a core set of outcomes and replication of findings over time, which can improve research into the development and evaluation of remote interventions for this population.

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess psychometric properties of the Perceptions of Brain Injury Survey (PBIS), an instrument designed to assess nurses' perceptions and preparation to care for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI)., Methods: We adapted two instruments to create the PBIS, and 724 nurses completed the PBIS at three hospitals., Results: Final instrument has 66 items and is composed of four subscales, which can be used independently. Results showed Cronbach's alpha for the overall scale was excellent (.93) and alphas for each composite subscale were acceptable to excellent (.73-.93). Findings also suggest good discriminant validity and evidence of external validity., Conclusions: The PBIS is a reliable and valid measure for assessing nurses' perceptions of caring for patients with TBI in practice or research., (© Copyright 2020 Springer Publishing Company, LLC.)

Some partners of people with an acquired brain injury experience the person with the injury and their relationship as continuous with the pre-injury person and relationship, but others experience the person and relationship as very different to what went before. Previous qualitative research has suggested that the experience of continuity may promote a more person-centred approach to how partners respond to challenging care needs. Given the value of triangulating evidence, this exploratory study used a mixed-methods design to investigate this suggestion. Twenty-six partners of people with an acquired brain injury completed the Birmingham Relationship Continuity Measure and a semi-structured interview about their response to challenging care needs. Interviews were coded and scored to provide a measure of the extent to which the participants' understanding, management and emotional responses showed a person-centred approach. The findings supported the hypothesis. Greater continuity was significantly correlated with a more person-centred approach. Associating relationship continuity and person-centred care is a novel approach to the issue of how family relationships may impact on care quality. Person-centred care can have important benefits for both the giver and receiver of care. Whether it can be promoted through fostering a sense of continuity in the relationship merits further investigation.

Caregivers play a crucial role in physical and psychological management in terms of assistance. For this reason, it is important for caregivers to find better coping strategies to minimize a possible physical and emotional burden. The aim of our study is to demonstrate how the religious coping can influence the burden of caregivers about health care of patients with severe brain injuries. Caregivers were, respectively, divided into two groups: 31 religious believers and 20 unbelievers. We submitted the questionnaires to participants, which investigate the caregiver burden, presence of depressive symptoms and kind of coping strategies adopted. Our results demonstrated that participants with religious belief used avoidance strategies more frequently compared to non-believers' group. We want to improve adaptive coping strategies to upgrade the awareness of caregiver, supporting burden and distress. A problem-solving training might improve quality of life in terms of social and psychological wellness.

Background: Brain injury with changes in clinical neurological signs and symptoms can develop while children are undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit. Critical care nurses routinely screen for neurological decline by using serial bedside neurological assessments. However, assessment components, frequency, and communication thresholds are not standardized., Objectives: To standardize neurological assessment procedures used by nurses, improve compliance with physicians' ordering and nurses' documentation of neurological assessments, and explore the frequency with which changes from preillness neurological status and previous assessments can be detected by using the assessment tool developed., Methods: A quality improvement intervention was implemented during a 1-year period in a 55-bed pediatric intensive care unit with 274 nurses. Procedures for neurological assessment by nurses were standardized, a system for physicians to order neurological assessments by nurses at a frequency based on the patient's risk for brain injury was developed and implemented, and a system to compare patients' current neurological status with their preillness neurological status was developed and implemented., Results: Process metrics that focused on compliance of ordering and documenting the standardized neurological assessments indicated improvement and sustained compliance greater than 80%. Exploratory analyses indicated that 29% of patients had an episode of neurological decline and that these episodes were more common in patients with developmental disabilities than in patients without such disabilities., Conclusions: Compliance with physicians' ordering and nurses' documentation of standardized neurological assessments significantly increased and had excellent sustainability. Further work is needed to determine the sensitivity of standardized nurses' neurological assessment tools for clinically meaningful neurological decline., (©2019 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.)

The cue-response theory is herewith proposed to replace the coma cue-response conceptual framework as a nursing theory for care of patients with acquired brain injury (ABI). After ABI, nurses assess patients and develop an understanding of their condition by interpreting meaning from physiologic and observational or behavioral cues. These interpretations form the basis for optimizing the timing of discrete nursing interventions; the outcome of which influences the trajectory toward recovery or toward secondary brain injury. The cue-response theory applies specifically for nurses' use to determine which interventions should be used and when those interventions should be carried out. The theory recognizes the knowledge potential and knowledge produced in the context of nursing care of all patients with ABI, not just those with coma, and broadens our understanding of how the timing of nursing interventions directly impacts secondary brain injury and the brain entropy state.

Aim of this study is to examine caregiver burden and family functioning in different neurological conditions. Forty-two primary caregivers of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's Disease and other dementia (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD), Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) were administered scales for the evaluation of caregiver burden (CBI) and family functioning (FACES IV). Caregiver burden was overall high, with caregivers of patients with ALS and ABI having exceeded the CBI cut-off score for possible burn-out. The average scores of caregivers of patients with AD or other dementia and PD were close to the cut-off score, whereas those of caregivers of patients with MS were significantly lower than the others. Family cohesion, family satisfaction and the quality of family communication were associated with reduced levels of caregiver burden, whereas disengagement was associated with a higher burden. The data from the present study confirm that caregiver burden is a relevant issue in the context of neurological diseases, especially for those causing higher degrees of impairment. Significant correlations with family functioning emerged as well, highlighting the importance of studying and treating caregiver burden within the context of family relations.

Purpose: To assess whether the collection and communication of intracranial pressure (ICP) values were standardized and reproducible., Methods: Integrative review of clinical trials ( n = 357) reporting ICP as a variable., Results: Only 24.1% of studies reported adequate data required for replication. Of the 357 reports, 342 provided information about the design, 274 discussed sampling strategy, 294 identified the ICP device type, 312 provided a unit of measure, 121 provided anatomical localization for measuring ICP, and 83 provided information about patient positioning., Conclusions: The majority of literature evaluated did not provide enough data for replication of results. Measuring and reporting ICP in the scientific literature is not standardized. A uniform standard would strengthen the quality of the evidence in neurocritical care and neurosurgical literature and better establish clinical guidelines for ICP management in neurologically injured patients., (© 2018 Springer Publishing Company, LLC.)

Serial pupil examinations remain a mainstay of neurological assessments performed by neuroscience nurses. Integration of pupillometer technology has increased in recent years, because of its ability to address limitations of manual examinations and to evaluate trended data over time. Preliminary research has linked pupillometer values to intracranial pressure (ICP) values, but data on pupillary changes in the setting of increased ICP remain sparse. The purpose of this study was to determine trends in pupillometer values in the setting of increased ICP among critically ill patients with neurological injury. This is a secondary analysis of data where serial pupillometer and ICP readings were recorded hourly on adult patients with neurological injury necessitating critical care management. More than 2100 paired serial pupillometer and ICP readings were obtained from 76 subjects, with a total of 2107 paired readings for the left eye and 2175 for the right eye. There were statistically significant differences in pupillometry values in the setting of increased ICP. Time series analysis indicates that spikes in ICP values resulted in corresponding variations in pupillometer values. Use of automated pupillometry remains a value adjunct to traditional invasive therapies. Evaluation of trended data may provide insight into ICP elevations in the absence of invasive monitoring and warrants additional research.

Background: Traumatic brain injury and cerebrovascular disease may lead to motor, behavioral, and/or cognitive disabilities. The associated neurologic and vascular damage triggers a chain of events that lead to a secondary brain injury (SBI), a preventable cause of adverse neurological outcomes. Proper prevention of these factors may limit undesirable outcomes. This article presents a concept analysis that aims to form a single definition of the term secondary brain injury for nursing personnel., Methodology: Concept analysis was used to clarify the concept of SBI. An electronic search was performed on existing nursing literature dating from 1995 to 2016 on PubMed, MEDLINE, Ovid Journal, Wiley, and ProQuest., Results: A clear definition and description of the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of SBI increases the knowledge and level of recognition of the secondary injuries. This may lead to strategies that reduce the risk of long-term effects (disability) and poor clinical outcomes., Conclusions: This concept analysis contributes to the endeavor of identifying phenomena that are pertinent for nursing; it also provides a basis for future research that leads to improving nursing interventions and creating educational programs and healthcare policies that prevent or eliminate the consequences of SBI.

Introduction: Severe acquired brain injury (sABI) is considered the most common cause of death and disability worldwide. sABI patients are supported by their caregivers who often exhibit high rates of psychological distress, mood disorders, and changes in relationship dynamics and family roles., Objectives: To explore lifestyle changes of caregivers of sABI patients during the postacute rehabilitation, by investigating possible differences between primary and secondary caregivers. Primary caregivers spend most of the time with the patient, providing daily care and taking most responsibility for the day-to-day decisions, while secondary caregivers are those who provide additional support., Methods: Three hundred forty-seven caregivers of sABI patients were asked to fill in an unpublished self-report questionnaire to explore their possible lifestyles changes., Results: A statistically significant difference was found between primary and secondary caregivers in time spent in informal caregiving (p<0.001). The primary caregivers reduced all leisure activities compared to secondary carers (p<0.05)., Conclusions: By comparing the percentage of leisure activities performed by caregivers before and after the patient's sABI onset, all caregivers showed high percentages of changes in lifestyle and habits, even though primary caregivers reported more negative lifestyle changes than secondary caregivers. Further studies are needed to investigate needs and burden experienced by caregivers of sABI patients during the postacute rehabilitation phase, also in relation to the patients' outcome, to address support interventions for them and improve their quality of life.

Neuromonitoring is important for patients with acute brain injury. The bedside neurologic examination is standard for neurologic monitoring; however, a clinical examination may not reliably detect subtle changes in intracranial physiology. Changes found during neurologic examinations are often late signs. The assessment of multiple physiological variables in real time can provide new clinical insights into treatment decisions. No single monitoring modality is ideal for all patients. Simultaneous assessment of cerebral hemodynamics, oxygenation, and metabolism, such as in multimodal monitoring, allows an innovative approach to individualized patient care., (©2018 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.)

Background: Aggressive behaviours are common with people who have suffered brain injuries and induce difficult emotions among certified nursing assistants and medical-psychological assistants who take care of them. These caregivers carry out emotional labour whose content and strategies are little known., Aim: The study explores the emotional labour of certified nursing assistants and medical-psychological assistants faced with the aggressive behaviours of brain-injured patients., Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 caregivers. Interviews were analysed via a thematic content analysis., Results: The analysis shows that the emotional labour of caregivers varies in accordance with the state of "consciousness" or "non-consciousness" that they attribute to the brain-injured patient with regard to this aggressive behaviour. This is a deep acting strategy. Moreover, caregivers shut off their emotions in order not to transmit them to the patient. This surface acting has the first objective for the caregiver of maintaining control of the situation and a second objective of protecting the patient emotionally and therefore of being perceived as a "good" caregiver. Emotional labour also meets a need to preserve the professional self-image and professional status negatively affected in the interaction with the aggressive brain-injured patient., Conclusions: Our study specifies the different strategies of the emotional labour of caregivers and their circumstances of use when they are confronted with aggressive behaviour by brain-injured patients. Targeted support for this emotional labour, such as training and practical analysis, is essential for the development of care practices promoting a caring relationship., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims and Objectives: To explore caregivers' lived experience of reading slight movements of a child with severe brain injury., Background: Despite increased need, the development of individual care for children with severe brain injuries has been prevented by their severe physical state and the poor reproducibility of their movements. In addition to a lack of evidence on the motor characteristics of patients with severe brain injury with multiple disabilities, their own development contributes to increasing variability in their states. Thus, caregivers are compelled to rely on their experiences, which have not been academically explored., Design: A qualitative study based on van Manen's method of hermeneutic phenomenology., Methods: Data were obtained through twenty-one 3-hr observation sessions and five 15- to 45-min group interviews. We observed a child (called AK) with severe brain injury and his 61 caregivers, and conducted group interviews with 28 caregivers. We focused on caregivers' experiences of reading AK's slight movements. The data were interpreted based on van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological approach., Results: Four themes emerged as caregivers' experience in trying to read AK's slight movements. By considering "AK's physical state and his slight movements" and discovering "caregivers' 'sense of uncertainty' about AK's slight movements," caregivers could decipher "AK's multiple slight movements." "Sharing" was found as a necessary aspect of these other three themes of reading AK's slight movements., Conclusions: We presented caregivers' experiences as related to these four themes in their efforts to read the slight movements of AK. Due to AK's slight movements with poor reproducibility, "sharing" was necessary to read AK's slight movements, as it exposes caregivers' lived experience to the interpretation of multiple caregivers., Relevance to Clinical Practice: These four themes may be useful for assessing, guiding and promoting caregivers' use of sharing when reading the slight movements of children with severe brain injury., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The Brain Trauma Foundation has developed treatment guidelines for the care of patients with acute traumatic brain injury. The Adam Williams Initiative is a program established to provide education and resources to encourage hospitals across the United States to incorporate the guidelines into practice., Objective: To explore the relationship in hospitals between participation in the Adam Williams Initiative and adherence to the Brain Trauma Foundation guidelines for patients with acute traumatic brain injury., Method: Hospitals that participated in the Adam Williams Initiative entered data into an online tracking system of patients with traumatic brain injury for at least 2 years after the initial site training. Data included baseline hospital records and daily records on hospital care of patients with traumatic brain injury, including blood pressure, intracranial pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure, oxygenation, and other data relevant to the 15 key metrics in the Brain Trauma Foundation guidelines., Results: The 16 hospitals funded by the Adam Williams Initiative had good overall adherence to the 15 key metrics of the recommendations detailed in the Brain Trauma Foundation guidelines. Variability in results was primarily due to data collection methods and analysis., Conclusions: The Adam Williams Initiative helps promote adherence to the Brain Trauma Foundation guidelines for hospital care of patients with traumatic brain injury by providing a platform for developing and standardizing best practices. Participation in the initiative is associated with high adherence to clinical guidelines, a situation that may subsequently improve care and outcomes for patients with traumatic brain injury., (©2018 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.)

Background: Acquired brain injury (ABI) during childhood typically causes behaviour problems in the child and high levels of stress in the family., Objectives: (1) To investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of a parenting programme to: improve behaviour and self-regulation (SR) in Mexican children with ABI, enhance parenting skills, and decrease parental stress in parents of children with ABI; (2) to explore the impact of parent SR on child., Methods: Case study design with four participants post-ABI, aged 7-12 years, recruited in Mexico City. A parenting programme (Signposts for Building Better Behaviour) was delivered and provided parents with strategies to manage child behaviour. Child behaviour, child self-regulation, parental stress and parenting practices were measured before, immediately post-intervention, and three months post-intervention., Results: At immediate and three months post-intervention improvements in parenting skills, reduction in parental stress, and improvement in child behaviour were identified., Conclusions: The programme is feasible in a Mexican population and was effective in improving parenting skills and reducing stress in parents of children with ABI, as well as improving child behaviour and behavioural SR. These domains continue improving three months after the intervention. The improvements in challenging behaviour at home did not transfer to the school environment.

In the acute phase of the treatment of patients with brain injuries, the management of secondary brain injuries of systemic origin is a priority. A neurosurgical intensive care paramedical team shares their experience of the care delivered and the constant monitoring carried out to optimise, with the medical team, the patient's outcome and to innovate practices., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Automated pupillometry is emerging as a mainstay in neurocritical care primarily because it overcomes limitations of manual pupillary examinations. Although several recent studies show improved assessment accuracy with a pupillometer, few investigate clinical use, specifically how well parameters correlate with multimodality monitoring and outcomes. The primary aim of this study was to examine correlations between serial pupillometer readings and intracranial pressure (ICP) values among neurocritically ill patients., Design: Prospective cohort, repeated measures., Sample: The study sample was composed of adult patients with neurological injury who were admitted to intensive care unit, requiring hourly neurological assessment and pupillary checks within a level I trauma, urban, academic medical center., Procedures: Hourly pupillometer readings and corresponding ICP values were consecutively recorded for 72 hours after intensive care unit admission., Results: Serial assessments resulted in more than 2100 pupillometer readings from 76 subjects. Mean age of the study sample was 55.4 years, with a mean Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8.9. The mean pupillometer values for the enrolled subjects included left constriction velocity of 1.22, left neurological pupil index of 4.21, left pupil size of 2.69, right constriction velocity of 1.18, right neurological pupil index of 4.18, and right pupil size of 2.57. The mean ICP of the study sample was 12, with mean cerebral perfusion pressure of 77. Pupillometer values significantly correlated with ICP values in bivariate (P < .001, r = 0.13-0.23) and multivariate regression models (F(6) = 17.63, P < .001)., Conclusions: Automated pupillometry in neurocritical care is a valuable adjunct to traditional invasive monitoring. Integration of routine pupillometer assessments not only improves accuracy of examinations but also correlates with ICP values.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to describe how paid carers use humor in providing compassionate post-intensive rehabilitation care to young adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) who are unable to perform or direct their own care., Design: This is a qualitative study underpinned by symbolic interactionism., Methods: Paid carers in a residential aged care facility were interviewed. Interview data were analyzed using grounded theory methods of coding, comparative analysis, memoing, and theoretical sampling., Findings: With young adult's assent, paid carers appropriately used humor, at times even crude humor, as a rehabilitative tool to activate and elicit responses from young people with ABI who could not perform or direct their own care. The use of humor while caring for this population demonstrated that compassion still exists within nursing; however, it may not always be reverent., Conclusions/clinical Relevance: Humor may be an effective way to provide compassionate care and can be used as a rehabilitative tool to elicit responses from young people with ABI who have no means of verbal communication.

Background: Intracranial pressure is measured continuously, and nursing behaviors have been associated with variations in the measurements., Methods: A prospective pilot observational study was done to develop a comprehensive list of nursing behaviors that affect patients' intracranial pressure. Data on nurses were obtained by self-reports and video recording. Patient-level data were collected via chart abstraction, video recording, and patients' monitors., Results: Data on 9 patients and 32 nurses were analyzed. A total of 6244 minutes of data were video recorded. Intracranial pressure was changed because of a nursing intervention during 3394 observations. Compared with baseline levels, intracranial pressure was significantly higher if a nursing intervention was performed (odds ratio, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.71-2.24; P < .001)., Conclusion: Studying nursing behaviors is feasible. Synchronizing and analyzing mutually exclusive and exhaustive behaviors indicated that nursing behaviors have an effect on patients' intracranial pressure., (©2017 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.)

Background : in a neurosurgery unit, nurses selected the Critical Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) based on evidence to assess pain in brain-injured patients. However, months after implementation, nursing managers have observed an underutilization.Objectives : support a care team to overcome the pitfalls encountered during the implementation of the CPOT scale for brain-injured patients in neurosurgery unit.Methods : the Lescarbeau, Payette and St-Arnaud's Integrated Model of Consultation was selected. In addition to a scientific literature review, self-administered questionnaire and three interview guides were developed to gather the views of caregivers.Results : the process allowed to identify pitfalls at level of interprofessional collaboration CPOT scale and implementation processes. Improving interprofessional collaboration and adaptation of CPOT scale for brain-injured patients were withholding action priorities.Discussion : a rigorous methodology, the mutual recognition of clinical skills and the development of relationship of trust are prerequisites for the success of clinical innovation.Conclusion : the Integrated Intervention Model is a methodology of choice allowing to take into consideration both evidence and preferences of all actors at every step of the process led to informed choices and priorities setting for a successful implementation.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to use actor-partner interdependence modeling (APIM) to examine the simultaneous effects of both acquired brain injury (ABI) patient and caregiver ratings of patient impairments on both patient and caregiver ratings of caregiver psychosocial dysfunction., Method: A sample of 968 individuals with ABI and their caregivers (n = 1,936) from 4 countries completed the European Brain Injury Questionnaire, a measure of ABI impairments and caregiver psychosocial functioning in the context of providing care for the person with ABI., Results: An APIM with all adequate or good fit indices found that patient ratings of their own impairments in the domains of social disadaptation and depression were uniquely and positively associated with patient ratings of caregiver psychosocial dysfunction, yet none of the patient ratings of their own impairments were uniquely associated with caregiver ratings of caregiver psychosocial dysfunction. Caregiver ratings of patient impairments across all 3 domains (cognition, social disadaptation, and depression) were uniquely and positively associated with caregiver ratings of caregiver psychosocial dysfunction. Yet only caregiver ratings of patient social disadaptation were uniquely and positively associated with patient ratings of caregiver psychosocial dysfunction., Conclusions: These findings suggest that caregivers' views of ABI patients' impairments are likely much more associated with caregiver psychosocial functioning than are patients' views of their own impairments, pointing to caregivers' interpretations of their patients' impairments as a primary target for cognitive behavioral interventions., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Damage to the brain due to low birth weight appears to have lessened due to support in neonatal intensive care units over the past 40 years.

Environmental enrichment (EE) promotes behavioral recovery after experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, the chronic rehabilitation provided in the laboratory is not analogous to the clinic where physiotherapy is typically limited. Moreover, females make up approximately 40% of the clinical TBI population, yet they are seldom studied in brain trauma. Hence, the goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that abbreviated EE would confer neurobehavioral, cognitive, and histological benefits in brain injured female rats. Anesthetized rats received a cortical impact of moderate-to-severe injury (2.8mm tissue deformation at 4m/s) or sham surgery and then were randomly assigned to groups receiving standard (STD) housing or 4h, 6h, or 24h of EE daily. Motor function (beam-balance/walk and rotarod) was assessed on post-operative days 1-5 and every other day from 1 to 19, respectively. Spatial learning/memory (Morris water maze) was evaluated on days 14-19, and cortical lesion volume was quantified on day 21. No statistical differences were appreciated among the sham controls in any assessment and thus the data were pooled. All EE conditions improved motor function and memory retention, but only 6h and 24h enhanced spatial learning relative to STD (p<0.05). Moreover, EE, regardless of duration reduced cortical lesion volume (p<0.05). These data confirm that abbreviated EE confers robust neurobehavioral, cognitive, and histological benefits in TBI female rats, which supports the hypothesis and strengthens the utility of EE as a pre-clinical model of neurorehabilitation., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) in military and veteran populations mirrors the experience of chronic pain in America; however, these two populations have unique characteristics and comorbid conditions such as traumatic brain injuries, postconcussive syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder, and behavioral health disorders that complicate the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain. Military members and veterans may also be stigmatized about their conditions and experience problems with integration back into healthy lifestyles and society as a whole following deployments and after military service. The military and veteran health care systems have made chronic pain a priority and have made substantial strides in addressing this condition through advances in practice, education, research, and health policy. Despite this progress, significant challenges remain in responding to the wide-spread problem of chronic pain. The purpose of this article is to: (a) examine the state of CNCP in military and veteran populations; (b) discuss progress made in pain practice, education, research, and health policy; and (c) examine research, evidence-based practice guidelines, and expert consensus reports that are foundational to advancing pain care and improving health for military service members and veterans with CNCP. In addition, recommendations are proposed to address this widespread health problem through the expanded use of advanced practice registered nurses, the implementation of models of care, and use of national resources to educate health care providers, support practice, and promote effective pain care., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This article has summarised a critical discussion of the human factors that contributed to the death of a patient from a failure to respond appropriately to a 'can't intubate, can't ventilate' scenario. The contributory factors included the clinical team's inability to communicate, prioritise tasks and demonstrate effective leadership and assertive followership. The film Just a routine operation has now been in circulation for several years. When a system is designed and introduced with the intention of making a change to clinical practice, it can quickly become just another component of an organisation's architecture and complacency around its use can develop. This article has been written specifically for perioperative practitioners to renew the debate around the human factors that contribute to patient harm. By critically discussing Just a routine operation and attempting to review why the incident occurred, this article has attempted to emphasise that some of the conditions and behaviours that contributed to the death of Elaine Bromiley may be latent within our organisations and teams, and may continue to contribute to failures that affect patient safety.

Patients with refractory intracranial pressure represent a challenge to the multidisciplinary critical care team. Myriad diagnoses: traumatic brain injury, subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracranial hemorrhage, and ischemic stroke, are among the causes commonly seen in patients with elevated intracranial pressure. Clinicians tasked with caring for these patients must be aware of available interventions and management strategies to improve outcomes. Nurses as the bedside clinician most frequently assessing these patients are ideally situated to detect changes and act efficiently to lower refractory intracranial pressure., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A variety of neuromonitoring techniques are available to aid in the care of neurocritically ill patients. However, traditional monitors lack the ability to measure brain biochemistry and may provide inadequate warning of potentially reversible deleterious conditions. Cerebral microdialysis (CMD) is a safe, novel method of monitoring regional brain biochemistry. Analysis of CMD analytes as part of a multimodal approach may help inform clinical decision making, guide medical treatments, and aid in prognostication of patient outcome. Its use is most frequently documented in traumatic brain injury and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Incorporating CMD into clinical practice is a multidisciplinary effort., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: Both resveratrol (RV) and enriched environment (EE) exert beneficial effects on neurological functional recovery after an ischemic brain injury., Methods: The neuroprotective effect of combined treatment of RV and EE was examined in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), aiming to further promote neurological functional recovery., Results: The combined therapy of RV and EE clearly improved locomotor activity and behaviour examination, compared to the monotherapy of RV or EE alone. Stroke severity was also markedly ameliorated by the co-treatment. Mechanistic study revealed that the combined treatment reduced oxidative stress. Moreover, the detrimental ERK1/2 signalling upregulated by MCAO injury was markedly suppressed by the co-treatment, compared to RV or EE monotherapy., Discussion: Altogether, the combined therapy of RV and EE showed a clearly enhanced neuroprotective effect, compared to RV or EE monotherapy, which might be a new strategy for the treatment of ischemic brain injury.

Primary Objective: To study predictors of community integration (CI) and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) in a sample of Canadian adult, urban, multi-ethnic persons with acquired brain injury (ABI) receiving publicly-funded community services. Hypothesis 1 examined the predictive utility of age, ratings of disability, functioning and cognition for CI and HRQoL. Hypothesis 2 examined the correlation between CI and HRQoL., Research Design: Cohort study., Methods and Procedures: A convenience sample of community-residing clients completed measures with their care co-ordinators: Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care (RAI-HC), Disability Rating Scale (DRS), Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) and the Quality-of-Life after Brain Injury Instrument (QOLIBRI)., Results: Regression analysis showed DRS scores explained significant variance in CIQ and QOLIBRI. Correlations also showed that cognitive skill and ADL/IADL functioning are strongly related to CI and the Daily life and autonomy QOLIBRI sub-scale. The CIQ Total was not correlated with QOLIBRI Total, although there were some significant correlations between the CIQ social sub-scale and QOLIBRI., Conclusions: Lesser degree of disability is a key predictor of greater CI and QoL. The present findings suggest that rehabilitation efforts should focus on minimizing disability and promoting social integration and involvement to avoid adverse long-term effects of ABI for community-resident persons.

Aims and Objectives: To describe the nature of falls in an inpatient traumatic brain injury rehabilitation setting., Background: Falls are the most frequently recorded patient safety incident in the inpatient context. However, higher rates of falls are reported in rehabilitation settings compared to acute care settings. In the rehabilitation setting, patients with a traumatic brain injury have been identified as at a high risk of falling. However to date, research into the nature of falls involving this patient population is limited., Design: Five-year retrospective cohort study design., Methods: Falls data from an inpatient traumatic brain injury rehabilitation unit were retrieved from the NSW Ministry of Health Incident Information Management System and patient clinical notes; nursing shift data were retrieved from the local rostering system., Results: The fall rate was 5·18 per 1000 patient bed days. Over a 24-hour period falls (n = 103) occurred in a trimodal pattern. The median fall free period after admission was 14 days and 22% of traumatic brain injury patients had at least one fall. 53% of falls occurred in the patient's bedroom and 57% were attributed to loss of balance. At time of fall, 93% of fallers had impaired mobility and 85% required assistance for transfers., Conclusion: Falls within inpatient traumatic brain injury rehabilitation are a significant and complex clinical issue. While many patients continued to be at risk of falling several months after admission, a repeat faller's first fall occurred earlier in their admission than a single faller's., Relevance to Clinical Practice: Generic falls prevention measures are insufficient for preventing falls in the brain injury rehabilitation population. Falls prevention initiatives should target times of high patient activity and situations where there is decreased nursing capacity to observe patients. Rehabilitation clinicians need to be mindful that a patient's risk of falling is not static and in fact, may increase over time., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims and Objectives: To test the feasibility of an evidence-based care bundle in a Thai emergency department. The specific objective of this study was to examine the impact of the implementation of the care bundle on the initial emergency nursing management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury., Background: A care bundle approach is one strategy used to improve the consistency, quality and safety of emergency care for different patients groups, however, has not been tested in patients with severe traumatic brain injury., Design: A pretest/post-test design was used. The study intervention was an evidence-based care bundle for initial emergency nursing management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury., Methods: Nonparticipant observations were conducted between October 2012-June 2013 at an emergency department of a 640 bed regional hospital in Southern Thailand. The initial emergency nursing care was observed in 45 patients with severe traumatic brain injury: 20 patients in the pretest period and 25 patients in the post-test period., Results: There were significant improvements in clinical care of patients with severe traumatic brain injury after implementation of the care bundle: (1) use of end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring, (2) frequency of respiratory rate assessment, (3) frequency of pulse rate and blood pressure assessment, and (4) patient positioning., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that implementation of an evidence-based care bundle improved specific elements of emergency nurses' clinical management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury., Relevance to Clinical Practice: The study suggests that a care bundle approach can be used as a strategy to improve emergency nursing care of patients with severe traumatic brain injury., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: To assess burden in the caregivers of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) 1 year postinjury, related to caregiver's demographic data and social network, patient's demographic data, injury severity, and functional status., Design: Prospective national multicenter study. Self-report from caregivers, patient data collected from the national cohort on patients with severe TBI., Participants: 92 caregivers., Main Outcome Measure: The Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS)., Results: Total caregiver burden was reported high in 16% of caregivers and moderate in 34%. The mean total burden index was 2.12, indicating a moderate burden. Caregivers reported highest scores on the General strain index, followed by the Disappointment index. Poor social network, feeling loneliness, and caring for patients with severe disability were significant predictors of higher burden in univariate analyses (P < .01). Multiple linear regression analyses showed that experiencing loneliness and caring for a patient with more severe disability were independent predictors for higher caregiver burden for all CBS indices. Marital status (married) and low frequency of meeting friends were significant results in some indices., Conclusions: Lack of a social network, feeling loneliness, and patient's functional status are predictors of caregiver burden. General strain, disappointment, and isolation were identified as areas in which caregiver burden is high.

Aim: To explore the lived experiences of parents caring for their child following a severe to moderate acquired brain injury (ABI)., Methods: A Heideggerian phenomenological approach was used and the research set within the naturalistic paradigm. Eight parents were identified using purposive sampling. Each parent was interviewed on a one-to-one basis using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were typed up verbatim and the data were analysed using thematic analysis., Findings: Every parent acknowledged the need to maintain hope. The other themes identified were: the effects on the child post ABI, the need for accurate information, emotional support, effects on the family, fear of death, transition, family accommodation and funding., Conclusion: Following a childhood brain injury it is important that parents can maintain a sense of hope and receive emotional support and accurate information. Staff could use these research findings to increase their awareness and inform their own practice.

Objective: This systematic review describes effects of body temperature alterations defined as fever, controlled normothermia, and spontaneous or induced hypothermia on outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adults., Data Sources: A search was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane Library database, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science in July 2013 with no back date restriction except for induced hypothermia (2009)., Study Selection: Of 1366 titles identified, 712 were reviewed. Sixteen articles met inclusion criteria: randomized controlled trials in hypothermia since 2009 (last Cochrane review) or cohort studies of temperature in TBI, measure core and/or brain temperature, neurologic outcome reporting, primarily adult patients, and English language publications. Exclusion criteria were as follows: most patients with non-TBI diagnosis, primarily pediatric patients, case reports, or laboratory/animal studies., Data Synthesis: Most studies found that fever avoidance resulted in positive outcomes including decreased length of stay in the intensive care unit; mortality; and incidence of hypertension, elevated intracranial pressure, and tachycardia. Hypothermia on admission correlated with poor outcomes. Controlled normothermia improved surrogate outcomes. Prophylactic induced hypothermia is not supported by the available evidence from randomized controlled trial., Conclusion: Setting a goal of normothermia, avoiding fever, and aggressively treating fever may be most important after TBI. Further research is needed to characterize the magnitude and duration of temperature alteration after TBI, determine if temperature alteration influences or predicts neurologic outcome, determine if rate of temperature change influences or predicts neurologic outcome, and compare controlled normothermia versus standard practice or hypothermia.

In neurologically impaired adult patients, endotracheal suctioning is a potentially dangerous nursing procedure because it can increase intracranial pressure (ICP) and decrease cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). This article presents an overview of the literature relating to the appropriate techniques (open system suctioning and closed system suctioning) for minimizing variability in ICP and CPP. The research used databases such as Medline, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and TripDataBase. Literature published from January 1, 2002, to August 31, 2013, that involved adult patients was reviewed. The main search strings were obtained using the following keyword combinations: "suction AND intracranial pressure AND cerebrovascular circulation," "brain injuries OR craniocerebral trauma AND suction," and "brain injuries OR craniocerebral trauma AND suction AND intracranial pressure." Fourteen articles were included: two systematic reviews, two prospective nonrandomized studies, two prospective double-blind clinical trials, a crossover single-blind clinical trial, three prospective interventionist case studies, a case-control study, and three observational studies. Although most of the articles show an increased ICP above 20 mm Hg when using open system suctioning (as opposed to closed system suctioning), it is still not clear which technique is best for maintaining CPP. Therefore, further studies are needed to determine the best technique for nursing practice.

Objective: To examine the efficacy of counselor-assisted problem solving (CAPS) in improving long-term caregiver psychological functioning following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adolescents., Methods: This randomized clinical trial compared CAPS (n = 65), a predominantly online problem-solving intervention, with an Internet resource comparison (n = 67) program. Families of adolescents with TBI completed a baseline assessment and follow-up assessments 6, 12, and 18 months later. General linear mixed models were used to examine longitudinal changes in caregiver global psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and caregiving self-efficacy. Family income and injury severity were examined as moderators of treatment efficacy., Results: Family income moderated long-term changes in caregiver psychological distress. For lower-income caregivers, the CAPS intervention was associated with lower levels of psychological distress at 6, 12, and 18 months post baseline., Conclusions: These findings support the utility of Web-based interventions in improving long-term caregiver psychological distress, particularly for lower-income families., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: To address the unique needs of our returning military and veterans, the White House initiated the Joining Forces campaign and has encouraged colleges of nursing throughout the nation to support this mission., Methods: At the University of South Florida College of Nursing, we have implemented a multifaceted approach that addresses education, research, and employment. These military-related programs have been unified under our RESTORE LIVES (Research and Education to Rehabilitate and Restore the Lives of Veterans, Services Members and their Families) initiative., Results: To accomplish this mission, we enhanced our curriculum to include veteran health care issues, developed research that addresses veteran wellness, launched an accelerated program to enable veterans and military personnel with medical experience to obtain their baccalaureate in nursing, and encouraged a culture within the college that is supportive of military-based health care and employment needs., Conclusions: We have shared our experiences through webinars and presentations and by hosting a national conference., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To survey the current practice of monitoring and management of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients in the critical care units across the United Kingdom., Methods: A structured telephone interview was conducted with senior medical or nursing staff of all the adult neurocritical care units. Thirty-one neurocritical care units that managed adult patients with severe TBI were identified from the Risk Adjustment in Neurocritical Care (RAIN) study and the Society of British Neurological Surgeons., Results: Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring was used in all the 31 institutions. Cerebral perfusion pressure was used in 30 of the 31 units and a Cerebral perfusion pressure target of 60 to 70 mm Hg was the most widely used target (25 of 31 units). Transcranial Doppler was used in 12 units (39%); brain tissue oxygen (PbtO(2)) was used in 8 (26%); cerebral microdialysis was used in 4 (13%); jugular bulb oximetry in 1 unit; and near-infrared spectrometry was not used in any unit. Continuous capnometry was used in 28 (91%) units for mechanically ventilated patients. Mannitol was the most commonly used agent for osmotherapy to treat intracranial hypertension., Conclusions: We identified that there was no clear consensus and considerable variation in practice in the management of TBI patients in UK neurocritical care units. A protocol-based management has been shown to improve outcome in sepsis patients. Given the magnitude of the problem, we conclude that there is an urgent need for international consensus guidelines for management of TBI patients in critical care units.

There is known variation in Thai nurses' knowledge regarding the best available evidence for care of patients with severe traumatic brain injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an evidence-based care bundle on Thai emergency nurses' knowledge regarding management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury. A pre-test/post-test design was used. The study intervention was an evidence-based care bundle for initial nursing management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Data were collected from 31 Registered Nurses using multiple choice questions. Results revealed a statistically significant improvement in overall knowledge scores after care bundle implementation (p < 0.001). There were statistically significant improvements in five areas of knowledge: understanding of target end-tidal carbon dioxide levels (p < 0.001), implications of hypocapnia in severe traumatic brain injury (p = 0.01), implications of hypercapnia in severe traumatic brain injury (p = 0.02), importance of maintaining head and neck in neutral position (p = 0.05), and administration of sedatives and analgesics in severe traumatic brain injury (p = 0.01). This study suggested that implementation of an evidence-based care bundle improved emergency nurses' knowledge regarding management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Many patients with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) cannot communicate because of altered level of consciousness. Although observation of pain behaviors (e.g., frowning) is recommended for pain assessment in nonverbal populations, they are attenuated and sometimes even suppressed in patients with TBI receiving high doses of sedatives. This study explored the potential utility of the bilateral bispectral index system (BIS) for pain detection in critically ill adults with TBI and altered level of consciousness., Methods: Using a repeated measure within-subject design, participants (N = 25) were observed for 1 minute before (baseline), during, and 15 minutes after two procedures: (a) noninvasive blood pressure (nonnociceptive) and (b) turning (nociceptive). At each assessment, BIS indexes (0-100) of the right (R) and left (L) hemispheres and pain behaviors were documented., Results: Compared with baseline, significant median increases (p ≤ .05) in BIS-R (+4.93%) and BIS-L (+8.43%) and in the frequency of pain behaviors (+3.00) were observed during turning but not noninvasive blood pressure. Interestingly, increases in BIS-R were more pronounced in participants with left-sided TBI (+17.23%, p = .021) than those with right-sided TBI (+3.01%). BIS-R fluctuations in participants with left-sided TBI were also positively correlated (r(s) = .986, p ≤ .001) with the frequency of pain behaviors observed during turning., Conclusions: Overall, only increases in BIS-R were correlated with participants' pain behaviors and in those with left-sided TBI exclusively. Although further research is needed, our findings support the potential use of the bilateral BIS for pain detection in nonverbal patients with TBI who cannot behaviorally respond to pain, but only when they have a left-sided injury.