Date of Defense

12-11-2015

Date of Graduation

12-2015

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Elizabeth Phillips

Second Advisor

Sally Vliem

Abstract

More than 5 million patients are admitted each year to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in the US, and approximately 55,000 critically ill patients are cared for each day. ICU patients are a diverse population that has a need for an increased level of care. These patients often require ventilatory or cardiovascular support, invasive monitoring, and intense nursing and physician observation (Society of Critical Care Medicine, 2015). There are five primary admitting diagnoses for adults, which include respiratory failure, postoperative management, ischemic heart disorders, and sepsis. The mean age of patients is rising, particularly due to the baby boom generation, and the number of patients 65 years and older is projected to increase by 50% between 2000 and 2020 (Angus et al., 2000).

In 2000, children and adolescents accounted for 18%, or 6.3 million of the hospital stays. As of 2007, the US had 337 pediatric ICUs with 4,044 beds, and 1,500 neonatal ICUs with 20,000 beds (Halpern and Pastores, 2010). Some of the most common admitting diagnoses for neonates include respiratory problems or infections, screening for infections or immunizations, other conditions that occur around the time of birth such as jaundice, premature birth, low birth weight, medical evaluation, fluid and electrolyte disorders (most commonly dehydration), asthma, and other birth defects (Odetola et al., 2005)

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

PFCC in ICU.pdf (3787 kB)
Defense Presentation

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