ventilator associated pneumonia

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How does holistic care relate to nurses preventing ventilator associated pneumonia..

What are some ethical/moral/ and spirtual concepts related to that?

health promotion concepts?

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

I smell a homework assignment...

What do YOU think?

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No, not really. I want to be an ICU nurse and we need to discuss some ideas in class.

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holistic care means working with the patient as a WHOLE. This means we should be accurtely implementing the right care so prevent the patient from suffering or producing more complications. If a patient is on a vent, they are unable to care for themselves. This is where the nurse's role comes in. We are there for a reason. To help the patients relax, be comfortable, have a short hospital stay, decrease moratality rates.

Ethical and moral? RESPECTING the patient as a whole. Putting our self in their shoes, doing our duties and serving good, proper care. Using evidence based practices to improve quality of care..

Nonmalifience....to do no harm...well, when nurses arent doing proper oral care to ventilated patients cause VAP is harm...because it can lead to DEATH.

justice..being fair...being fair meaning helping the helpless. if they cant do their own care, who will? why arent nurses taking that into consideration?

accountiblity....yes, thats a BIG one...if nurses aren't practicing correctly....they should be held accountable for new complications that develop in these patients.

Thats what I THINK.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :) I think you're correct on most of your points, although they apply to pt care as a whole, not specifically to VAP.

However, I personally have never met an ICU nurse who doesn't take pt care--including oral care--into consideration. Q 2 hr oral care and subglottic suctioning is vented pt 101. If it were that simple it wouldn't be such an issue. Unfortunately, sometimes the pt's situation requires him/her to be on flat bedrest; can't raise the HOB up to 30 degrees, much less get them up to the chair. A while back there was also a thread about anesthesiologists not adhering to hand hygiene 100%...which ain't good for intubating. Yet VAP is assumed to be the result of nursing negligence? No. We hate it as much as anybody, except probably the patient who has to feel it.

Going to try to find that thread now

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There is plenty of evidenced based practice about how to prevent VAPs and we nurses have been doing them for years now. Oral care kits right at the bedside and high standards go a long way.

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Well, thats true, however, there are also barriers as well such as lack of knowledge about oral health and infections, nursing staff ratios, lack of experience with vent patients. I am not saying it is not performed, according to my research it is not done properly. Example, brushing the teeth should take 2 min. Is that being followed? not in all places it isnt

What are your hospital protocols?

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