Delirium prevalence, interventions and barriers in intensive care units in German-speaking countries: A retrospective cross-sectional secondary analysis.

Background: The prevalence of delirium in intensive care units (ICUs) is high and has a major impact on patient outcomes.

Aim: To describe delirium assessment instruments, prevalence, interventions and barriers in delirium management in adult and paediatric ICUs; and to explore the association between delirium prevalence and reported interventions and barriers at unit level.

Study Design: A secondary analysis of the cross-sectional World Delirium Awareness Day Delirium Survey on 15 March 2023.

Muscle excitability testing: Age and sex dependency of normative data.

Objective: To establish normative data for muscle excitability testing in the tibialis anterior muscle of a healthy population, and to determine their dependence on age and sex.

Methods: Parameters of muscle velocity recovery cycle recordings with 1, 2 and 5 conditioning stimuli of 197 healthy subjects and frequency ramp recordings of 151 healthy subjects were retrospectively analysed for age and sex differences.

Results: There were no differences by sex and only small age differences were found in healthy subjects older than 60 years for the muscle excitability parameters muscle relative refractory period, early supernormality and latency to the first response in a train at 15 Hz and 30 Hz.

Delirium prevalence and management in general wards, emergency departments, rehabilitation centres and nursing homes in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH countries): A secondary analysis of a worldwide point prevalence study.

Background: Delirium is a common neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with an increased risk of mortality and length of stay. Current delirium prevalence, assessments and management practices of delirium in DACH countries are unknown.

Objective: To examine the delirium point prevalence, assessment, management practices in general wards, emergency departments, rehabilitation centres and nursing homes in DACH countries.

[Challenges and perspectives of family support in the intensive care unit: focus on vulnerable relatives].

Background: Supporting relatives in the intensive care unit (ICU) is a complex task, especially when it comes to vulnerable people such as children, very old persons or socioeconomically disadvantaged persons. They are exposed to particular physical and psychological stress and require targeted awareness from healthcare professionals.

Objective: What person-centered challenges and support services are available for vulnerable relatives in the ICU?

Results: This article highlights the various challenges and support services for vulnerable relatives in ICUs.

Intensive care unit diaries-harmful or harmless: A systematic literature review and qualitative data synthesis.

Objective: The objective of this research was to evaluate the extent of harm for critically ill patients, family members, and healthcare professionals associated with writing and reading intensive care unit (ICU) diaries.

Review Method Used: A systematic literature review and a synthesis of qualitative data were performed. The protocol of this study has been registered in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (CRD42022376393).

A prospective longitudinal cohort study of the association between nurses' subjective and objective workload.

Critical care nurses have high workloads due to the severity of the disease and the complexity of the treatment and care. Understanding the factors that influence subjective workload as well as the association between subjective and objective workload could lead to new insights to reduce critical care nurses' workload. (1) To describe critical care nurses' subjective and objective workload per shift in a university-affiliated interdisciplinary adult intensive care unit in Switzerland and (2) to explore the association between objective and subjective workload.

Consequences of a stay in the intensive care unit and outpatient follow-up care for chronic critically ill patients: A retrospective data analysis.

Background: Patients with chronic critical illness (CCI) represent a particularly vulnerable patient population with significant quality-of-life consequences and a need for follow-up care. Existing research on their quality-of-life trajectory and outpatient follow-up care is limited.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to (i) describe a quality improvement project focussing on patients with CCI in the Swiss setting; (ii) explain the consequences of an intensive care unit (ICU) stay for patients with CCI; and (iii) evaluate outpatient follow-up care for patients with CCI.

Experiences of parents visiting an adult family member in the intensive care unit accompanied by their underaged children: A qualitative study.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore experiences and needs of parents visiting critically ill family members in intensive care units (ICUs) accompanied by their underaged children (<18 years).

Methods: Six semistructured interviews with parents were conducted in a qualitative design. Data analysis and synthesis were performed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis.

[Lessons from the COVID-19-Pandemic : Experiences of critical care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative explorative study].

Background: When the workload for critical care nurses becomes too high, this can have consequences for both personal health as well as patient care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, critical care nurses were confronted with new and dynamic changes.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of critical care nurses regarding the ad hoc measures taken and the perceived physical and psychological burden experienced during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Investigating the role of auditory and visual sensory inputs for inducing relaxation during virtual reality stimulation.

Stress is a part of everyday life which can be counteracted by evoking the relaxation response via nature scenes presented using immersive virtual reality (VR). The aim of this study was to determine which sensory aspect of immersive VR intervention is responsible for the greatest relaxation response. We compared four conditions: auditory and visual combined (audiovisual), auditory only, visual only, and no artificial sensory input.

Visual and auditory stimulation for patients in the intensive care unit: A mixed-method study.

Objectives: To determine what type (e.g., television, photographs, music, etc), content (e.

Critical care staffing ratio and outcome of COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care unit admission during the first pandemic wave: a retrospective analysis across Switzerland from the RISC-19-ICU observational cohort.

Study Aim: The surge of admissions due to severe COVID-19 increased the patients-to-critical care staffing ratio within the ICUs. We investigated whether the daily level of staffing was associated with an increased risk of ICU mortality (primary endpoint), length of stay (LOS), mechanical ventilation and the evolution of disease (secondary endpoints).

Methods: We employed a retrospective multicentre analysis of the international Risk Stratification in COVID-19 patients in the ICU (RISC-19-ICU) registry, limited to the period between March 1 and May 31, 2020, and to Switzerland.