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Background&Objective: Hospital infection is one of the important determinants on lengthening hospitalization and increasing the costs and mortality rates in hospitals. Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is one of the wards that are most afflicted with the incidence of this morbidity. This study involves investigating the incidence of infection in one of the Intensive Care Units. Materials&Methods: This study was designed in the form of a prospective cohort which was implemented on patients who were hospitalized in the ICU of Khatamol Anbia Hospital from September 21st 2002 for at least 72 hours and didn’t reveal signs of infection. The status and duration of using tracheal tube, ventilator, urinary catheter, and venous catheter, the duration of hospitalization in ICU and the time infection appeared were all recorded. Results: During the six months spent on this study, 234 patients were hospitalized in ICU, among which 50 patients were investigated. The group of these 50 patients cumulatively spent 528 days in ICU. During their hospitalization, 9 cases of infection occurred in these patients. The incidence of infection was 18% (with a 95% confidence interval of 7.35% to 28.65%). The incidence rate was 17 patients in 1000 person-year of hospitalization in ICU (with a 95% confidence interval of 8.8 to 106.3). Conclusion: Hospital infection is a relatively common complication among patients who have been hospitalized in ICU for at least 3 days. The frequency of infection reported in Iran is equal or more than the results of studies carried out in other parts of the world.

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Background & Objective: Nutritional support is a basic process for survival in trauma patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the daily nutritional support practice in head injury patients admitted to Neurosurgery Intensive Care Unit.

 

Materials & Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was done on 115 Head injury adults patients who received enteral nutrition for at least 48h in Rasht Poursina hospital during 2005. Nutritional measurements were included the number of patients who received enteral nutrition, the time to initiate nutritional support, amount of initial feeding and clinical outcome were included the duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU and in-hospital length of stay (loss), in-hospital mortality rates .Data was reported as Mean±SD and percent. T-test analysis was used for comparing of calorie and nutrient intakes and requirements.

 

Results: Mean±SD of age patient was 41.22±21.9, 84% of patients received enteral nutrition. The time to feeding and the amount of initial feeding was 4.6±1 day and 52.79±27.83 ml/h respectively. Duration of ventilation was 12±13.4 day and ICU length of stay 18.96±18.3 day, Hospital length of stays 24.47±19.84 day. Mortality rate in six month was 48%. Mean of energy, carbohydrate, fat and protein (P<0.05) intakes had significant differences compared with requirements.

 

Conclusion: The recording process has revealed undesirable feeding practice in head injury patients. Nutritional outcomes would be improved with implementation of standard protocol in neurosurgery intensive care unit.

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Background and Objective: Hospitalization of patients in the intensive care units frequently results in anxiety of the family members. This study was performed to investigate the effect of a family-centered clinical intervention on the anxiety of family members of the patients hospitalized in intensive care units.

Methods: In this clinical trail study, eighty family members of the patients hospitalized in the intensive care units were randomly divided into interventional and control groups, respectively. In the interventional group, the family members were allowed to be present at the bedside from the second till the sixth day.The participant's level of anxiety was assessed in the second and the sixth day of patient's hospitalization using hospital anxiety and depression scale. Oral information about the equipment and the regulations and, a daily information card consisting of treatment and care activities, vital signs and patient's level of consciousness was delivered to the participants and their questions were answered.

Results: In the the sixth day, there was a significant difference between the mean anxiety scores in the intervention (11±3.22) and control group (7.05±3.44) (P<0.05). Also, the frequncey of anxiety in the interventional group (56%) was significantly higher than the control group with 15% (P<0.05). The odds ratio for anxiety in sons/daughters was lower than other family members in the sixth day (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Providing information, presence at the bedside and participation in the care of their patient increase the anxiety of family members in the first week of patient hospitalization in the intensive care unit.

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Background and Objective: Writing about emotions and emotional disturbances, improve the performance of an autonomous system, immune system and physical and mental health. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of narrative writing on stress intensity of attendants’ patients hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs).
Methods: This single blind clinical study was done on 106 attendants’ of adult patients hospitalized in ICUs of Babol city in northern Iran. The patients' attendants were divided into two groups of 53 controls and intervention. Data were collected using stress (DASS21) questionnaire. Intervention was writing narration about feelings, thoughts and experiences related to the hospitalized patient and ICU in a notebook as daily for seven days in the intervention group.
Results: The mean and standard deviation of overall stress intensity following intervention were significantly reduced in the intervention group in comparison with controls (P<0.05) (22.64±7.89 versus 17.15± 8.2). There was significant relationship between intervention and control groups in three areas of stress, anxiety and depression (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Narrative writing reduces the severity of stress in attendants’ patients in ICUs.