Needs of Patients' Family Members in an Intensive Care Unit With Continuous Visitation.

BACKGROUND: Although many critical care experts and national organizations support open visitation in intensive care units (ICUs), most ICU visiting policies do not allow unrestricted presence of patients' family members. OBJECTIVE: To describe how well the needs of family members were met in an adult neuroscience ICU with a continuous visitation policy and an adjoining private suite for patients' family members. METHODS: An exploratory, descriptive study design was used to identify the effects of continuous family visitation in the neuroscience ICU on patients' family members and their needs and experiences during their time in the unit. A convenience sample of consenting family members completed a survey of family need items 72 hours after the patient was admitted to the unit. RESULTS: The most important needs identified by the 45 family members surveyed were items relating to information about the patient, visiting the patient, being given hope, talking with a doctor each day, and being assured that the best care is being given to the patient. Least important items were related to physical comforts for the family members. The vast majority of family members rated their needs as being met for all of the items in the survey and reported a high level of satisfaction with care. CONCLUSION: In a neuroscience ICU with an open visitation policy and a private suite for patients' family members, family members rated their needs as being met at a high level, unlike in prior studies in units with limitations on family visitation. The rank order of the importance of each need in the survey was similar to rankings in prior studies in a variety of critical care units.

Rapid onset of Parkinsonian-like symptoms in a geriatric dental patient: a case report.

This article reviews the clinical issues regarding adverse drug reactions in geriatric dental patients. Accurate clinical observations and diagnosis are complicated in geriatric patients because they are predisposed to chronic illnesses, various prescribing physicians, and a decreased ability to metabolize and detoxify multiple medications. The authors have further reviewed neurological motor reactions with a detailed review of the physical presentations of Parkinson's disease. As such, the dental professional has a unique opportunity to provide observational feedback to other healthcare providers concerning the health status of their geriatric patients. In this case report, the changes in the patient's physical status and mental well-being were not a result or associated with a catastrophic event (eg, stroke, cardiovascular event, or head injury). The patient's rapid degeneration was anecdotally associated with a recently prescribed group of medications, which shows the need for healthcare professionals to be aware of changes in medications when assessing patients' health.

An uncommon dental presentation during pregnancy resulting from multiple eating disorders: pica and bulimia: case report.

Pica is a compulsive eating disorder involving non-nutritive substances. The etiology of this eating disorder is unknown but it often is associated with subclinical mineral deficiencies. This article focuses on the simultaneous occurrence of two types of eating disorders, the co-existence of depression during four pregnancies, and the resulting dental clinical implications. The literature is substantial enough to support a possible etiological association between these eating disorders and depression during pregnancy. Associations between eating psychopathology, depression, and anxiety have been described consistently. The diagnosis of pica and the dental treatment related to it are not a common part of most dental practices; knowing the clinical features and detecting the condition depend on careful questioning and diligence. At present, no one has described the physiologic or psychological basis for pica. This article reviews the published literature pertaining to pica, specifically pagophagia.