Nursing Acutely Ill Adults

Philip Woodrow is the Practice Development Nurse for Critical Care in East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, UK. He teaches a number of critical care courses, and maintains clinical practice across the Trust’s three intensive care units.

• 1. The Deteriorating Patient 2. Vital Signs 3. Blood Results 4. Respiratory Failure 5. Oxygen Therapy 6. Airway Management 7. Intrepleural Chest Drainage 8. Arterial Blood Gas Interpretation 9. Non-invasive Ventilation 10. Perfusion 11. Heart Failure 12. Acute Coronary Syndromes and Recovery from Acute Heart Failure 13. Shock 14. Cardiac Rhythms 15. Haemaglobinopathies 16. Vascular Access 17. Neurological Deficits 18. Psychological Needs 19. Thermoregulation 20. Acute Pain Management 21. End-of-life Care 22. Tissue Donation 23. Fluid Balance 24. Acute Kidney Injury 25. Fluid Management 26. Gut Function Failure 27. Diabetic Emergencies 28. Nutrition..29. Infection Control 30. Accountability

In acknowledging that nurses are an important safety net in hospital, this text sets out to provide information for nurses on how to recognise, understand and respond to problems in the acutely unwell ward patient. Even a cursory glance over the contents list gives an indication of the breadth of this book. Chapters cover a wide range of topics including vital signs, intrapleural chest drainage, acute kidney injury, tissue donation, and accountability. This text can be used to dip in - and - out of whilst working on the ward, or to sit down and read systematically: there is something here for everyone. So whether you’re ‘old hand’ in ward nursing or a novice nurse just about to embark on your hospital career, this text is recommended reading.Maureen Coombs, Victoria University of Wellington, NZ