british bird

hi there! we're currently auditing the problems associated with delays in clearing spines, in trauma patients. Does anyone out there already have a protocol in place? Once radialogically cleared do you remove hard collars or do you wait until the patient is able to report whether or not they have neck pain?

ICu nursing is a roller coaster ride. you never know what is around the corner, both physically and emotionally. it is different to ward nursing, in the view that i go home every day knowing that i gave the patient ALL the care they required. yet on the wards, you'd be lucky to find the time to say hello to some of them. In the 6 years i've worked in ITU, i have learnt and experienced so much; it scares me to think of the lack of knowledge in certain areas of nursing, that i had when i worked on the wards!!!