Importance of Critical Care during Acute Illness

This article discusses the importance of critical care during acute illness and the role of nurses and physicians in the recovery process. It explores Serena's extensive injuries and her behavioral and psychological responses. The article also highlights effective communication strategies in the critical care unit.

Student Name | XXXXXX
Importance of Critical Care during Acute Illness
Unit name:
Code:
1

Student Name | XXXXXX
Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Analysis......................................................................................................................................3
Serena’s Extensive Injuries....................................................................................................3
Behavioral and Psychological Responses..............................................................................3
Communication Strategies......................................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................6
Reference List.........................................................................................................................8
2

Student Name | XXXXXX
Introduction
The main responsibility of anintensive care unit and its people is to provide high-
quality care, protect the safety of the patients and provide all the necessities required for the
patient's betterment. The nurses and physicians in a health care or intensive care unit shall
treat all the patients in a professional way with the utmost respect, care, compassion and
maintain their dignity (Lee et al. 2016). The nurses also need to perform their duties based on
the available infrastructures and ensure that they are honest in serving the patients by
ensuring safety and privacy. The current paper discusses an acute illness that was faced by
Miss Serena Tejpar in an accident and analysis to what extent the actions of the nurses in the
subjected critical care unit, helped Serena to recover from that illness. The paper explains the
details of the illnesses that were faced by Serena and how important is the role of the nurses
and physicians in the process of recovery of a patient.
Analysis
Serena’s Extensive Injuries
The concerned person whose behavioral and physiological responses are discussed here is
Serena Tejpar who is an 18 year old, third-year undergraduate medical student of MacMaster
University, who met in an accident due to car collision while she was traveling to Toronto,
seating in the backseat of a car as a passenger with seatbelt on (Stories of Illness & Health,
2017). The crash was horrifying that lead to Serena facing collapsed lungs, sheared aorta,
broken pelvis and sacrum, massive bleeding and brain hemorrhage, bruised liver, spleen and
pancreas, torn bladder and she was income. Her parents from Calgary who enquired about her
whereabouts were informed by the doctors of Victoria Hospital’s Critical care unit, over the
phone that she might not stay alive by the time they reach London. She was completely
unconscious initially and the story she shared was as narrated to her by her family members.
Along with Serena, her family members were also taken care of by the physicians and
residents of the intensive care unit. They were provided a separate room to make them feel
comfortable. A team of forty doctors and nurses dealt with Serena with utmost kindness,
honesty, and compassion.
Behavioral and Psychological Responses
Serena was in a coma for six weeks and the medical professionals of Victoria Hospital’s
Critical care along with her parents thought that even if Serena gains consciousness, it would
not be possible for her to ever walk or play a simple Tic-tac-toe game (Stories of Illness &
3

Student Name | XXXXXX
Health, 2017). Serena’s brain was damaged, she had two cardiac arrests and she was nearing
death, however, the team of doctors did not give up. They continuously provided blood on a
rotational basis. She was put in an ECMO machine and the lungs were kept to function
outside her body. However, as observed Serena's behavioral pattern such as her extreme will
to stay alive, helped her to recover much earlier than expected. The professionals in
healthcare put forward their best efforts and care to help Serena live. Every minute details
were taken care of so that the sentiments of the patient and the family is not affected. During
the time Serena was in a coma, her parents' questions, doubts were all answered patiently.
Serena just saw a few pictures of her days in a coma. The medical expert team who handled
Serena controlled the anxiety of her panic-stricken family compassionately with immense
sensitivity. Such physical and social environment is important for both the patient and her
family as these actions help to reduce stress (Hemsleyet al. 2012).
Becoming familiar with the situation in the hospital and identifying the people around
requires some amount of time (Nadzam, 2009).When Serena gained consciousness, she took
some time to overcome the immense panic, as she was too confused and perplexed to
understand the situation of how she arrived in the hospital at the time. Though the medical
team was always available for her she was in fear due to which she was unable to properly
communicate. However, Serena did not take much stress after understanding her situation.
Staying psychological strong without taking much stress is essential for a speedy recovery. In
spite of having damage to several organs having a will to live depicts how strong she is. It is
also necessary to have faith in miracles, have faith in one's own self and on the team of
medical professionals who are taking care. Physical and social environment experiences can
be enhanced only through the people working in the intensive care unit. Serena did fear that
the damage caused in the brain would lead to disabilities permanently. The tolerance and
reaction level of different people are different and maybe other people with the same serious
illness might lose the hope to stay alive (Athey & Stern, 2010). After recovery Serena was
thankful to the medical team of Victoria Hospital as they were very supportive and
encouraging.
Huge support from the nurses and physicians is necessary for quick recovery especially when
the condition is critical (Hasegawaet al. 2016).Each progress of Serena was celebrated by all
the staffs of the Hospital. Patients often go into depression when so much organ injuries take
place and providing a supportive and light environment surrounding them needs to be
ensured by both the hospital members, nurses, and the family. Serena's mother was also a
4

Student Name | XXXXXX
nurse and hence each procedure or treatments through which she has to undergo was
explained to her families before applying on her. Along with the physical struggle, the
emotional struggle through which a patient goes through is immense. A strong determination
to get better and get disconnected from all sorts of physical help such as machines, tubes or
wires, is what that kept Serena motivated. It is necessary that the patients are always greeted
with a smiling face showing warmth and care so that a feeling of safety and comfort prevails
within the patient. A family of the patient does not stay in the Hospitals usually at the
midnight hours and during that time the patient might face some difficulty, so Hospitals
should always make a nurse available for the patients at all time. The nurses need to stay
alarmed and attend a patient whenever the need arises. The behavior that the nurses
demonstrate on a regular basis needs to be filled with compassion and care. As per Serena,
she was spoilt with love by all the nurses and physicians in the Victoria Hospital, when she
was unconscious as well as when she was recovering. Clean, secure and loving environment
often leads to the betterment of the patient. Constant motivation to make the extra push or
extra effort provided by the medical professionals towards recovery is always beneficial for
any patients along with ensuring the families about hopeful and positive results.
Communication Strategies
Providing live to Serena were both tough and challenging for the doctors attending Serena
(CBC News. 2019). And refusing to surrender was the main attribute of Serena that helped
her recover and come back to normal life again. Serena wanted to get free from all the
machines or equipment connected to her so that she can communicate with her family,
doctors, and nurses freely. Initially, when she waking up enquiring about what happened, she
was unable to say anything due to the tracheostomy placed in her windpipe to help in
breathing. She was engulfed in paralyzing fear and was provided a board with a pen to write
and communicate. However, her muscles were so weak and injured that she was unable to
even hold a pen Later she was given an iPad to communicate through small sentences, which
was also not easy. She was unable to sit or walk or even stand. When Serena gained
consciousness in the Victoria Hospital she was curious to know what was going around her. It
is necessary that the doctors communicate and educate the patients with details of his/her
recovery process so that the patients' mind is filled with positive thoughts (Gardiner, Gott,
&Ingleton, 2012). Hence often the doctors showed her X-rays copies or scans and explained
her way of treatment. Nurses were very supporting and helpful and they provided her full
privacy that could maintain her dignity. Often nurses and doctors appear to be the source of
5

Student Name | XXXXXX
encouragement to the patient. Since she was unable to speak the nurses became her voice as
well as her extended family in that critical care unit. After feeding her with liquid food, they
moved to feed her with solid food and her progress was celebrated by all the staffs with an
encouraging and happy attitude.
It is important that the nurses make personal connections with the patients by creating a
compassionate and warm experience (Cunha & Silva, 2015). Interacting as a basic language
and at a slow pace is essential to enhance understanding of the patient. Serena was questioned
about her dreams and desires and was motivated by the nurses to recover soon in order to
follow them. However, here printed materials for patient education was not provided.
Supporting and promoting a friend and positive environment by the nurses is crucial. In this
case, verbal communication was difficult, hence at times when Serena has to call the nurse,
she has to make some sound with her hand. A bedside call button or a nurse always sitting
next to her all the time might have prevented her from making that extra effort to attract the
attention of the nurse for her problem (Miro et al. 2012). The nurse was supportive however
at times communication was a bit difficult which can be made smoother, since instead of
technology interpersonal interaction are more beneficial.
Recommendation:
Serena still faces health issues and even after her accidents she had to go to the
Hospital critical care for regular checkups. One thing she appreciates is that the medical team
at the hospital always looked after her with love and care and ensured that she is pushed and
encouraged for a better future. However, there were areas where more improvement can be
done. Along with the physicians the nurses are also needed to consult as well as properly read
the daily progress report of the patient. In this case, some new nurses may lack the regular
detailing of the patients' progress and cannot provide immediate help until suggested by the
doctors in case of urgent requirement. Though nurses are given rotational duty in the hospital,
regular up gradation would help them have accurate and updated information and all question
of the patient can be answered when it arises.
Conclusion
Electronic infrastructures may be used for printing the details of all the medical procedures
undertaken by the medical team for that patient. In addition to this observing, the body
language closely such as expressions on face or postures of hand is crucial. The treatment
provided to Serena Tejpar at Victoria Hospital were good which helped her speedy recovery
6

Student Name | XXXXXX
and motivated her to take nursing as a profession. However, more privacy such a proper
locked room with no residents or visitors especially males, if prevented can provide a much
better secure environment to the patient.
7

Student Name | XXXXXX
Reference List
Case study link- Stories of Illness & Health: Critical Illness Experiences. (2017). Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8SV0TJdZ80&t=1573s
Athey, S., & Stern, S. (2010). The impact of information technology on emergency health
care outcomes (No. w7887). National Bureau of Economic Research.5(2), 89-96
Cunha, M., & Silva, N. (2015). Hospital noise and patients’ wellbeing. Procedia-Social and
Behavioral Sciences, 171, 246-251.
Gardiner, C., Gott, M., &Ingleton, C. (2012). Factors supporting good partnership working
between generalist and specialist palliative care services: a systematic review. Br J
Gen Pract, 62(598), e353-e362.
Hansagi, H., Olsson, M., Sjöberg, S., Tomson, Y., & Göransson, S. (2001). Frequent use of
the hospital emergency department is indicative of high use of other health care
services. Annals of emergency medicine, 37(6), 561-567.
Hasegawa, A., Ohira, T., Maeda, M., Yasumura, S., &Tanigawa, K. (2016). Emergency
responses and health consequences after the Fukushima accident; evacuation and
relocation. Clinical Oncology, 28(4), 237-244.
Hemsley, B., Balandin, S., & Worrall, L. (2012). Nursing the patient with complex
communication needs: time as a barrier and a facilitator to successful communication
in hospital. Journal of advanced nursing, 68(1), 116-126.
'It just all sank in': student attends convocation after recovering from near fatal crash | CBC
News. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/western-
university-graduate-car-crash-survivor-1.4879529
King, D. L., Ben‐Tovim, D. I., & Bassham, J. (2006). Redesigning emergency department
patient flows: application of lean thinking to health care. Emergency Medicine
Australasia, 18(4), 391-397.
King, D. L., Ben‐Tovim, D. I., & Bassham, J. (2006). Redesigning emergency department
patient flows: application of lean thinking to health care. Emergency Medicine
Australasia, 18(4), 391-397.
8

Student Name | XXXXXX
Lee, S. H., Phan, P. H., Dorman, T., Weaver, S. J., &Pronovost, P. J. (2016). Handoffs, safety
culture, and practices: evidence from the hospital survey on patient safety culture.
BMC health services research, 16(1), 254.
Miro, O., Antonio, M. T., Jimenez, S., De, A. D., Sanchez, M., Borras, A., & Milla, J. (1999).
Decreased health care quality associated with emergency department overcrowding.
European journal of emergency medicine: official journal of the European Society for
Emergency Medicine, 6(2), 105-107.
Nadzam, D. M. (2009). Nurses' role in communication and patient safety. Journal of Nursing
Care Quality, 24(3), 184-188.
9