In this issue, guest editors bring their considerable expertise to this important topic.Provides in-depth reviews on the latest updates in the field, providing actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create these timely topic-based reviews.

In this issue of Critical Care Nursing Clinics, guest editor and Instructor of Clinical Nursing Dr. Sherry Rivera brings her considerable expertise to the topic of Nephrology. Nurses care for patients with acute, chronic, and end-stage kidney disease in all patient care settings. Early recognition of risk and disease can improve health outcomes and delay progression of disease. In this issue, top experts provide expert coverage of issues frequently encountered when providing nursing care to individuals with kidney disease. - Contains 14 practice-oriented topics including medications and the kidney; race-based estimated glomerular filtration rate; acid-base disturbance and electrolyte disorders in nephrology patients; complications of kidney disease; COVID-19 and kidney disease; and more. - Provides in-depth clinical reviews on nephrology in critical care nursing, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. - Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.

Intensive care units (ICUs) provide comprehensive, advanced care to patients with serious or life-threatening conditions and consequently, a significant amount of end-of-life care (EOLC). Indeed, approximately 20% of deaths in the U.S. are associated with an ICU stay, and nearly half of U.S. patients who die in hospitals experience an ICU stay during the last 3 days of life. Despite the commonality of the ICU experience, ICU patients typically suffer from a range of distressing symptoms such as pain, fatigue, anxiety, and dyspnea, causing families significant distress on their behalf. Thus, there is a growing imperative for better provision of palliative care (PC) in the ICU, which may prevent and relieve suffering for patients with life threatening illnesses. Effective palliative care is accomplished through aggressive symptom management, communication about the patient and family’s physical, psychosocial and spiritual concerns, and aligning treatments with each patient’s goals, values, and preferences. PC is also patient-centered and uses a multidisciplinary, team-based approach that can be provided in conjunction with other life-sustaining treatments, or as a primary treatment approach. Failure to align treatment goals with individual and family preferences can create distress for patients, families, and providers. If implemented appropriately, palliative care may significantly reduce the health care costs associated with intensive hospital care, and help patients avoid the common, non-person centered treatment that is wasteful, distressing, and potentially harmful. Due to the success of many PC programs, administrators, providers, and accrediting bodies are beginning to understand that palliative care in the ICU is vital to optimal patient outcomes.

Pain Management, An Issue of Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America

In this issue of Critical Care Nursing Clinics, Guest Editor Justin Dilibero brings his considerable expertise to the topic of resuscitation. Top experts in the field cover key topics such as trauma, sepsis, burns, pediatrics, cardiac arrest, and more. - Provides in-depth, clinical reviews on resuscitation for critical care nurses, providing actionable insights for clinical practice. - Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field; Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create these timely topic-based reviews. - Contains 12 relevant, practice-oriented topics including improving resuscitation outcomes in severe traumatic brain injury; targeted temperature management after cardiac arrest; family presence and support during resuscitation; the role of the tele-ICU; and more.

This issue contains a series of articles focused on various initiatives aimed at improving the quality of patient care delivery and promoting safe passage across the continuum of care. Exemplary, evidence-based nursing practice is the cornerstone of quality care, and this issue highlights many ways in which nurses have led changes to optimize patient outcomes. In addition, quality care enhances cost-effectiveness by reducing avoidable complications and diminishing avoidable hospital readmissions, a concept more important than ever due to value-based purchasing and the Affordable Care Act. Articles are specifically devoted to prevention of delirium in critical care patients, palliative care in the intensive care unit, prevention of pressure ulcers, fall prevention in high-risk patients, prevention readmissions, preventing sepsis mortality, and nursing interventions in the elderly critical care patient, to name a few.

In this issue of Critical Care Nursing Clinics, guest editor Dr. Melissa Nunn, Instructor of Clinical Nursing at LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing, brings her considerable expertise to the topic of Pediatric Intensive Care Nursing. Top experts in the field present systematic, evidence-based processes for decision making and care, addressing topics such as palliative communication in the PICU; dialysis care in the PICU; caring for hematology/oncology emergencies in the PICU; nurse-led rounds in the PICU; asthma care protocol implementation in the PICU; and more. - Contains 12 relevant, practice-oriented topics including acute pain management protocols in the PICU; kangaroo care implementation; unplanned extubations in the PICU; pediatric delirium screening in the ICU; battling alarm fatigue within the PICU; and more. - Provides in-depth clinical reviews on pediatric intensive care nursing, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. - Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.