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Routine care

In this section, we've provided some information about everyday patient care, including how we wean patients off the ventilator or breathing machine and how we make sure that they are as comfortable as possible (sedation). Rehabilitation also begins in the Intensive Care Unit, so we've included information about the role of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians and speech and language therapists.

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Article: Nutritional support

Why is nutrition so important in Intensive Care? Being very ill can increase the rate at which the body uses up energy, which means that patients can lose a lot of weight while they're in Intensive Care.Another common effect of very severe illness is muscle wasting,which can affect things like mobility and result in patients becoming tired very easily. Putting weight back on and regaining muscle can often take some time. It is therefore very important that patients are well fed...

Document: Patient profile: helping staff to get to know you better

This document is the "Patient profile", a document created by Helen Whiting, a senior staff nurse in Intensive Care at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. It aims to help the ICU staff to get to know you better as an individual, and to help improve your experiences of Intensive Care. It is a simple form that the staff can complete, soon after admission to ICU. It can be done with the help of your family members.This can be done very easily over the phone or during video calls...

Article: Personal care

Personal care includes things like giving bed baths, mouth care,skin care, moving patients in bed and doing gentle exercises to help keep the patient's joints from becoming stiff.Patients receive a bedbath (a complete body wash in bed) at least once a day and whenever else needed. Mouth care is provided every 2 to 3 hours, using soft moist sponges to clean and moisturise the mouth, and vaseline to stop the lips from cracking.The nurse will also change the position of the...

Article: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. It includes gloves, aprons, face masks and visors, tight-fitting respirators (breathing masks), and fluid repelling gowns. It is designed to protect staff from being exposed to COVID-19 while delivering patient care. Staff are carefully trained in its use and disposal, including separate, dedicated areas where they put on (“don”) and take off (“doff”) their PPE e.g. when starting and ending shifts or taking breaks.

Article: Physiotherapy in Intensive Care

What do physiotherapists do in Intensive Care? Physiotherapy has a very important role in the care and treatment of patients in Intensive Care. There are two main things that the physiotherapist can help with; breathing and exercises. Help with breathing Many patients in Intensive Care need help with their breathing, even if they're not connected to a ventilator or breathing machine. Patients who are not connected to a ventilator or breathing machine may struggle to...

Article: Pressure area care

Patients in Intensive Care may spend long periods of time in bed in the same position, especially if they are attached to a ventilator or breathing machine, and receiving drugs to keep them sleepy and comfortable (sedation). This means that they may be more likely to develop pressure (or bed) sores. Special low pressure or pressure relieving mattresses are widely used in Intensive Care, to help reduce this risk. Pressure care for patients who are proned (nursed face down) Pressure area...

Article: Proning

What is proning? It means turning the patient onto his or her front. One arm is usually raised above his or her head, with the other by their side, in what’s sometimes called the “swimmer’s position”. It can look a bit strange to see. Why is it done? Proning has been used internationally, and for many years, to improve lung oxygen in patients with severe respiratory (breathing) problems. How is it done? Patient safety and comfort are very, very important. Patients...

Article: Sedation (drugs to keep patients comfortable)

What is sedation? Sedatives are the drugs we give patients to keep them sleepy and comfortable whilst in Intensive Care.They are usually given into a line or drip, directly into the patient's bloodstream. Why are sedatives used in Intensive Care? When a patient is very ill, the body may struggle to cope with the severity of their illness or with some of the things we have to do in order to treat their illness. Being connected to a ventilator or breathing machine via a...

Article: Supporting patients

The Intensive Care Unit can be a very strange and sometimes frightening place for patients, especially if they are starting to become more awake and more aware of their surroundings. Even when patients are unconscious (either due to their illness or the drugs we give them to keep them sleepy and comfortable), it is possible that they can feel and hear what is going on around them.For this reason,the nurses will tell the patient about everything they're doing and why. The...

Web Link: Tests & treatments: find out more

This link will take you to the webpage of NHS Inform.Here, you'll find easily understandable information on common tests (eg blood tests, various types of scans, etc ), medical treatments and surgical procedures (everything from a knee replacement to heart surgery).

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Routine care

You have 23 results.