The Important Role of ICU Nurses in Providing Critical Care

When a patient is admitted to an ICU, the stress in the family might be increased! While doctors keep visiting the patient sometimes, it is the nurses who do much of the heavy lifting. ICU nurses have a key role to play in helping a patient recover.

It is these healthcare professionals that regularly monitor the patient’s vitals and ensure that they receive all the treatment they require. It is easy for individuals to get intimidated when a patient is extremely ill and the family members sitting outside are in a constant state of dread. Despite such tense situations, ICU nurses make no mistakes in completing their tasks and functioning as a link between the patient, the doctor, and the patient’s family members.

Modern healthcare institutions also offer such nursing services to patients with ICU-at-home services. Here, ICU nurses and carers assist in setting up an ICU at the patient’s home, helping them recover where they feel most comfortable. Such systems demand precise care and precision. Needless to add, the nurses continue providing constant assistance to patients and their family members at home.

Whether a patient is treated at home or at a regular hospital ICU, the work of the nursing team should not be disregarded. Here are the most typical ways in which critical care nursing helps an ICU patient recover in the best way possible:

Monitoring Vital Signs

When a patient is in an ICU, every second of their life is vital. Healthcare experts cannot disregard the smallest variations in their health till they recover. Considering this, ICU nurses check a patient’s vital signs 24/7. They keep a watchful look at vitals, including heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, and more, until the patient is out of danger.

Medication Management

Collaborating with the doctors, ICU nurses ensure that their patients receive the proper medications at the right time. From giving the proper intravenous meds to keeping track of the doses a patient receives; nurses are always on their toes when it comes to medication management.

Executing Patient Care Plans

While the doctors establish specific care plans for every patient admitted to the ICU, it is the ICU nurses who implement the same. They work in close collaboration with numerous specialists to comprehend the care plan established for distinct patients. They recognise the duty on their shoulders and treat patients with the much-needed sensitivity.

Continuous Assessment

While executing the care plans, it is an ICU nurse’s obligation to assess the patient regularly. They keep a careful check on the patient’s health and inform the doctors about any progress or worsening therein.

Seamless Communication

ICU nurses need to be outstanding in their communication abilities. They are the links linking patients, their family members, and doctors. An ICU nurse communicates a patient’s health to the concerned doctor. They also communicate what the doctor says about the patient to their family members. Their importance in the overall ecosystem is irreplaceable!

Emotional Support

The family members of ICU patients are always disturbed and stressed. Nurses often provide them the emotional support and assurance they need while waiting outdoors. Depending on the patient’s health, they try their best to give their family members the confidence they need to keep on. In some situations, an ICU nurse may also be responsible for conveying a patient’s family members news they may not want to hear.

Imparting Education

Doctors are often too busy to explain the intricacies of the patient’s health and rehabilitation. This job is generally done by ICU nurses. They educate the patient’s family members on the ongoing procedure, the patient’s health, and the details regarding the health difficulties they are dealing with. Having information about what is wrong is always more reassuring than being clueless and anxious.

Giving Emergency Response

ICU nurses are trained to address a number of different medical situations. If something goes wrong and the doctor is not available, they are equipped to take matters into their own hands and try to save the patient until the doctor arrives. You can trust these professionals to save your loved one’s life if they are admitted to the ICU.

Seamless Documentation

ICU nurses are also responsible for taking care of the documentation relating to the patients they look after. They maintain extensive records of every patient and keep updating them throughout their rehabilitation journey.

End-of-life Care

If a patient nears the end of their life and saving them is no longer possible, ICU nurses, while retaining the patient’s dignity, undertake the burden of giving complete end-of-life care. They may also share the news with their family members and try their utmost to console them.

Patient Rehabilitation

When a patient recovers from the ICU, nurses help them restore normalcy with smooth rehabilitation. If a healthcare institution offers home nursing services, the nurses also visit their patients’ homes and stay with them until they recuperate.

Infection Control

Patients in the ICU should be safe from all forms of infections. The smallest security compromise can have devastating effects. Keeping this in mind, an ICU nurse keeps the facility free from infection. It is their obligation to keep the place fully cleaned until the patient leaves.

Critical Decision-making

If pushed into a position with no alternatives, ICU nurses assume the duty of making vital decisions on behalf of the doctors. While such scenarios are rare, nurses have the capacity to make such vital judgements.

In conclusion, if you want to work in Australia as an ICU nurse you need to qualify with a Graduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing (Critical Care Nursing). You should be aware that this role is full of challenges but also is very fulfilling. Get in touch with our team at MWT Education Consultancy for more information.