Biomaterial Database

Rethinking the critical care environment: luxury or necessity? 2001

P B Kritek

University of Texas Medical Branch, School of Nursing at Galveston, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555-1029, USA. pkritek@utmb.edu

Rethinking the critical care environment, an implicit call to change, can catalyze a return to nursing's intellectual roots. Healing environments, as envisioned by Florence Nightingale, involve system-level changes that require effective negotiations on behalf of our patients and ourselves. The nurse-patient relationship is central to the patient's environment and requires a comprehensive understanding of healing. Only nurses can articulate the changes necessary to ensure quality nursing care, and our collective "silencing" must be confronted if it is to change. Nurses' tendency to avoid, accommodate, or compromise when faced with conflict also must change. Giving voice to nursing concerns itself becomes a call to excellence, and those unwilling to change are best excluded. Although all of this is difficult, it is no more difficult than the nonhealing environments where we now work, and at least gives promise of more positive outcomes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010687	Philosophy, Nursing	The underlying rationale or theoretical basis for the principles of NURSING.	Nursing Philosophy,Nursing Philosophies,Philosophies, Nursing
D003422	Critical Care	Health care provided to a critically ill patient during a medical emergency or crisis.	Intensive Care,Intensive Care, Surgical,Surgical Intensive Care,Care, Critical,Care, Intensive,Care, Surgical Intensive
D006272	Health Facility Environment	Physical surroundings or conditions of a hospital or other health facility and influence of these factors on patients and staff.	Environment, Health Facility,Family Planning, Environment,Environments, Health Facility,Facility Environment, Health,Health Facility Environments
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D015279	Organizational Culture	Beliefs and values shared by all members of the organization. These shared values, which are subject to change, are reflected in the day to day management of the organization.	Corporate Culture,Corporate Cultures,Culture, Corporate,Culture, Organizational,Cultures, Corporate,Cultures, Organizational,Organizational Cultures
D016529	Emergency Nursing	The specialty or practice of nursing in the care of patients admitted to the emergency department.	Emergency Room Nursing,Nursing, Emergency,Nursing, Emergency Room
D017008	Negotiating	The process of bargaining in order to arrive at an agreement or compromise on a matter of importance to the parties involved. It also applies to the hearing and determination of a case by a third party chosen by the parties in controversy, as well as the interposing of a third party to reconcile the parties in controversy.	Arbitrating,Mediating,Arbitration,Conflict Resolution,Mediation,Negotiation,Conflict Resolutions,Negotiations,Resolution, Conflict