Critical Care Checklist - How To Prepare Yourself For This Difficult Situation

Critical care is an area of medicine that specializes in life-threatening injuries and diseases

. This normally includes life support and trauma patients. It also requires a team of medical professionals that are highly experienced and resilient. This type of intensive care medicine is carried out across the United States in many care facilities.

Critical care patients receive 24-hour treatment, observance and assessment. Patients can also be connected to various machines which help patients to breathe, and that can monitor other bodily functions. Heart and breathing monitors are used, and there are usually intravenous tubes that remain in the veins, as well as other machines to help keep the patient alive.

Critical Care Checklist - Ways to Make It Less Stressful

This is going to be a stressful time for everyone, especially the patient. Follow some of the tips from this critical care checklist to help.

Designate a Contact Person - You should assign someone in your family as the spokesperson. The critical care staff needs someone they can always reach to pass along vital information. It's a great way to give your entire family updates of your loved one.

Communication - Hand gestures can work very well for getting a yes or no answer. A simple thumbs up or thumbs down will let you know if your loved one wants something, or is in pain. If it's not possible for them to shake their head when you present the hand signs, you could get them to blink their eyes once for yes, or twice for no. Small word boards help, too. You can write words on them and point to them instead of the thumbs up or down.

Keep a Journal - It's a good idea to keep an ongoing report of what is happening while your loved one is in critical care. You can keep information about the types of treatment that were given, some of the doctor and medical staff names, and what kind of treatment has been given. This information could be valuable if the patient is released and needs further care at a later date.

Visitation Guidelines - Visiting hours are usually restricted to certain times during the day, and the number of people who can be in the room with a patient is also limited. When you are visiting a critical care patient, make sure to talk in a quiet tone.

Even if a patient is on life support, caregivers suggest that visitors carry on regular conversations with the patient. Try to share as much good news as you can, any don't bring up any bad news that might upset them. The important thing is that they keep hearing familiar voices during each day.

Reading - It's a great idea to read to the patient while they are in critical care. If you know what they used to like to read before they arrived in critical care, you can try to read that to them.

Critical Care Checklist - Conclusion

Critical care could be temporary for some seniors, or it could be their final stage before they pass away. This critical care checklist should prepare you to tackle some of the obstacles of helping your loved one while they need critical care.

by: Carrie Roberts

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