High-Acuity Nursing -- Pearson eText

Kathleen Wagner, EdD, MSN, RN, is now faculty emerita, having recently retired from the University of Kentucky College of Nursing after many years of teaching pathophysiology, pathopharmacology, and high-acuity nursing to undergraduate nursing students. She was also the educational consultant for the Undergraduate Nursing Program at the University of Kentucky. She has a doctorate in instructional systems design and continues to work on a team developing web-based clinical simulations for nursing students. Melanie Hardin-Pierce, DNP, RN, APRN, ACNP-BC, is a tenured associate professor in the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, where she has over 30 years of experience as a critical care nurse and has taught high-acuity nursing to undergraduate and graduate nursing students. She currently teaches in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program and is the Coordinator of the Adult Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner DNP Option. In addition to teaching, she has been active in curriculum development in both baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at the University of Kentucky, having studied oral health in mechanically ventilated patients. She is a board-certified acute care nurse practitioner who practices as a critical care intensivist in the Veterans Health Administration Medical Center, Cooper Drive Division, Lexington. She is active in research of critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients; evidence-based practice; and interdisciplinary collaboration. Darlene Welsh, PhD, MSN, RN, is Associate Professor, BSN Program Director, and Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Faculty Affairs at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing. Dr. Welsh earned a PhD in Educational Psychology and an MS in Nursing from the University of Kentucky. Her experiences in the care of critically ill patients include direct patient care, the conduct of research, and supervision of undergraduate and graduate students. Her research interests center on the provision of dietary instruction for patients with heart failure and interprofessional education for clinicians.

Brief Contents

PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO HIGH-ACUITY NURSING

High-Acuity Nursing
Holistic Care of the Patient and Family
Palliative and End-of-life Care
The Older Adult High-Acuity Patient

PART 2: THERAPEUTIC SUPPORT OF THE HIGH-ACUITY PATIENT

Acute Pain Management
Nutrition Support
Mechanical Ventilation
Basic Hemodynamic Monitoring
Basic Cardiac Rhythm Monitoring
Complex Wound Management

PART 3: PULMONARY

Determinants and Assessment of Pulmonary Function
Alterations in Pulmonary Function

PART 4: CARDIOVASCULAR

Determinants and Assessment of Cardiac Function
Alterations in Cardiac Function
Alterations in Myocardial Tissue Perfusion

PART 5: NEUROLOGIC

Determinants and Assessment of Cerebral Function
Mentation and Sensory Motor Complications of Acute Illness
Acute Stroke Injury
Traumatic Brain Injury
Acute Spinal Cord Injury

PART 6: GASTROINTESTINAL

Determinants and Assessment of Gastrointestinal Function
Alterations in Gastrointestinal Function
Alterations in Liver Function
Alterations in Pancreatic Function

PART 7: FLUID AND ELECTROLYTES

Determinants and Assessment of Fluid and Electrolyte Balance
Alterations in Fluid and Electrolyte Balance
Alterations in Kidney Function

PART 8: HEMATOLOGIC

Determinants and Assessment of Hematologic Function
Alterations in Red Blood Cell Function and Hemostasis
Alterations in White Blood Cell Function and Oncologic Emergencies

PART 9: NUTRITION AND METABOLISM

Determinants and Assessment of Nutrition and Metabolic Function
Metabolic Response to Stress
Diabetic Crises

PART 10: MULTISYSTEM DYSFUNCTION

Determinants and Assessment of Oxygenation
Multiple Trauma
Acute Burn Injury
Shock States
Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome
Solid Organ and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation