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Critical & emergency care research

Everything we have read on critical & emergency care. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

278 PAPERS · PAGE 5 OF 6 · NEWEST FIRST

• RNOther2026Assessment of Pain Intensity Using Deep Learning Models in Non-Communicative Intensive Care Patients.Nursing in critical careThe best model classified pain the same as an intensive care specialist for 96.88% of images from non-communicative ICU patients. Nurses should use it as support, not proof, because sedation can hide pain.
• RNCase Report2026The Lived Experience of Delirium in a Critically Ill Child: A Narrative Study.Scandinavian journal of caring sciencesA critically ill child described delirium as being lost, pursued and paralysed. He described ways to orient: his mother, hearing his name, light, feeling the floor, and familiar media. This is one child's account, not evidence treatment works.
• RNCohort2026Bridging the Distance for Ischaemic Stroke Treatment in Regional Australia: A Retrospective Cohort Study.The Australian journal of rural healthOnly 13% of 305 regional stroke patients received thrombolysis and 19% underwent clot retrieval. Transferred patients had a median 401 minute onset to centre time. It describes delays, not tested treatments.
• PTRNRCT2026The Effect of Peanut Ball Use on the Labour Process and Maternal-Neonatal Outcomes in Parturient Women With High Maternal Body Mass Index: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of nursing practicePeanut ball positioning did not shorten active labour. In high-BMI women without pharmacologic analgesia, upright sitting on a peanut ball lowered end-of-active-phase pain and increased birth satisfaction.
• RNCase Report2026High-Tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication in a Burn Patient With Voicelessness: A Case Study.Nursing in critical careA motion-sensor tablet allowed a voiceless burn patient to communicate specific needs and complex sentences. Nurses reported better care and no increased workload, while the patient and family reported reduced distress and improved connection.
• RNOther2026Accuracy of Bedside Methods for Preliminary Nasoenteric Tube Tip Localization in Intensive Care: A Prospective Diagnostic Study.Nursing in critical carePalpation, ultrasound and comparing aspirate pH were better than listening or single pH strips for preliminary tube tip checks, but X-ray confirmation remained required.
• RNCohort2026Mothers' Views and Experiences of Digital Maternal Presence Intervention and Skin-to-Skin Contact for Neonatal Pain Relief: A Qualitative Study.Nursing openMothers saw skin-to-skin contact as the best pain relief, though they noted it is slow and requires staff flexibility. Digital maternal heartbeat pads were valued for maintaining a bond when the mother could not be present, despite uncertainty about their analgesic effect.
• RNCohort2026Early Sedation Intensity and Psychological Outcomes in Critically Ill Adults.Nursing in critical careSedation intensity in the first 24 h of mechanical ventilation was not associated with anxiety, depression or PTSD symptoms 3 months after ICU discharge. Agitation during ICU stay was associated with psychological impairment.
• RNPilot2026Posttraumatic Growth, Anxiety, Depression, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Intensive Care Unit Survivors.American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care NursesThe recovery clinic and usual care did not differ on growth in 60 ICU survivors; more PTSD symptoms tracked with more growth, while ventilation, older age and lower education tracked with less growth.
• RNSystematic Review2026Enjoyment in Preterm Infants: Exploring Clinical and Research Perspectives in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.Neonatal network : NNEnjoyment in preterm infants is rarely described and has no agreed direct measure. Nurses can look for calm alertness, steady heart rate and breathing, and engagement, and use skin-to-skin, scent, and care paced to cues to support connection.
• RNCohort2026Symptom Networks in Postsurgical Cancer Pain Across Recovery Stages.Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management NursesHelplessness and sleep disturbance were most connected within 3 months of surgery in cancer pain patients seen in the emergency department; pain interference was the main link later. Overall symptom patterns did not differ.
• RNSystematic Review2026Determinants of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among LGBTQ+ Populations: A Systematic Review of Empirical Evidence.Nursing openLGBTQ+ adults in 20 studies had higher cardiovascular risk linked to tobacco use, obesity, high blood pressure, HIV, trauma, discrimination and stress. Resilience and mastery were protective. Most evidence is observational and U.S.-based.
• RNCase Report2026The Effects of Nursing Care Applied in the Intensive Care Unit on a Case of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Case Report.Nursing in critical careA man with toxic epidermal necrolysis involving 100% of his skin survived while receiving ICU nursing, medication, nutrition, and specialist care. This is a case report, not evidence that any part caused survival.
• PTOTRNSurvey2026Patient and Family Perspectives of Pressure Injury Prevention and Management in Acute Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey.Journal of clinical nursingMany patients and caregivers knew pressure injuries exist, but most did not hear about their risk or receive prevention resources during hospital admission. They preferred verbal information and brochures. Not hearing about risk was linked to more self-reported pressure injuries.
• RNOther2026Optimizing heart failure care: A machine learning-based prediction of hospital length of stay for heart failure patients.Heart & lung : the journal of critical careA model predicted short, medium, and long stays for heart failure patients, but it missed many long stays. It is not ready to guide discharge planning.
• RNQualitative2026The Overwhelming Challenge of Losing One's Sense of Wholeness: A Grounded Theory Study on Women's Experiential Process of Birth Trauma.The journal of nursing research : JNRWomen described birth trauma as losing their sense of wholeness: unbearable pain, loss of dignity, ignored emotions, exposed privacy, and endless waiting. They also described never wanting another birth.
• RNOther2026Validation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Persian Version of the Nurse Intuition Patient Deterioration Scale: A Methodological Study.Nursing openNurses' intuition ratings of 250 hospitalized patients stayed consistent and stable on a Persian scale, but its high-risk cut-off was not tested against ICU transfer, cardiac arrest, or death.
• RNOther2026Intravenous Smart Pump Alarms in Everyday Hospital Use: A Real-world Descriptive Analysis.Dimensions of critical care nursing : DCCNBaxter IV pumps produced 5,129,505 alarms over 1,102,303 infusions. Most were downstream occlusion, air-in-line, infusion-complete, or upstream occlusion. 99% of starts generated a completion alarm.
• RNSystematic Review2026Comparative effectiveness of various intubation fixation devices for patients undergoing tracheal intubation in the ICU: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.International journal of nursing sciencesIn ICU patients with a breathing tube through the mouth, overall comparisons did not show clear differences in tube movement or facial pressure injuries among ways to hold the tube. Tape-and-strap fixation may reduce discomfort compared with dental pads, but evidence is limited.
• RNCohort2026Mortality among young adults in intensive care unit diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection.Revista brasileira de enfermagemIn 105 young adults treated in ICU for confirmed COVID-19, 27.6% died. Higher lactate and more vasopressor days were linked to death; organ dysfunction, sepsis, ventilation and unstable circulation also occurred more among deaths.
• RNQualitative2026Making Sense of the Final Moments: A Qualitative Study of Informal Caregivers' Perception of Good Death in the Bereavement Process.Scandinavian journal of caring sciencesFifteen bereaved relatives described a good death in the ICU as painless, peaceful, and marked by brief conscious farewells and family presence. Spiritual rituals and community support provided meaning and relief. Physical exhaustion and visiting restrictions were major burdens.
• RNRCT2026Acceptability and Fidelity of a Cognitive Rehabilitation Intervention During and After Intensive Care: A Feasibility Evaluation.Nursing in critical careICU patients and nurses rated mindfulness and brain training as relevant, but use was uneven and depended on energy, timing and support. This shows feasibility, not that the intervention improved cognition.
• RNOther2026Accuracy and Documentation of Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale Assessments in a Cardiothoracic Critical Care Unit: A Prospective, Cross-Sectional Audit.Nursing in critical careNurses' RASS sedation scores matched expert scores in 75% of cases, but only 33% of hourly documentation was complete. All inaccuracies occurred at auditor-rated negative RASS scores, and confidence did not track accuracy.
• RNSystematic Review2026Tracing the Satisfactory Care of the Chronically Ill in Emergency Departments: A Scoping Review.Scandinavian journal of caring sciencesFor adults with chronic illness, ED care was considered satisfactory when pain relief, communication, respect and follow-up were timely. Waiting, fragmented discharge and stigma undermined it. Team-based transition support may help, but effectiveness was not tested.
• RNQualitative2026Qualitative Analysis of Community Dwelling Older Adults' Advance Care Planning Interviews: Patients Want a Chance.The American journal of hospice & palliative careOlder adults facing serious illness often chose full treatment and CPR because they wanted a chance to return to normal, even after acknowledging their illness was not curable and hearing that recovery after CPR was unlikely.
• RNRCT2026Dermatological Safety of Chlorhexidine-Impregnated Dressings in Paediatric Intensive Care: A Randomised Clinical Trial.Nursing in critical careSkin lesions were not clearly different overall between PICU central line dressings. Infants with chlorhexidine developed lesions much earlier. Catheter infections were lower, but that was a secondary outcome.
• RNSystematic Review2026Experiences of Care in Intensive Care Units After a Suicide Attempt From the Perspectives of Patients, Family Members and Healthcare Personnel-A Scoping Review.Nursing in critical careAfter ICU care for a suicide attempt, patients wanted emotional support, families needed private communication, and staff reported mixed empathy and irritation. The included studies were old, so this maps accounts, not proof.
• PTRNCase Report2026Case Series: Episodes of Care in an Intensive Care Garden-Does Fresh Air Matter?Nursing in critical careICU patients used a garden space for end-of-life care and rehabilitation. Relatives and staff described it as private, natural and supportive, but the report cannot show fresh air improved outcomes.
• RNMeta-Analysis2026Respiratory Support in the Emergency Department: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Worldviews on evidence-based nursingFor adults needing breathing support in the ED, high-flow nasal oxygen did not clearly reduce need to escalate care versus standard oxygen, but it increased escalation risk versus non-invasive ventilation. Mortality did not differ.
• RNSystematic Review2026Three-Stage Care Experiences and Needs of Parents With Children in NICU: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.Nursing openParents of babies in NICU described repeated strain across hospital stay, discharge, and home care: separation, unclear information, restricted visits, and communication gaps. Needs shifted from emotional contact to practical skills and ongoing support.
• RNCohort2026Missed Nursing Care in Neonatal Intensive Care Units for Infants Experiencing or at Risk of Experiencing Substance Withdrawal.Research in nursing & healthAcross 894 of 11,807 NICU shifts, infants that nurses reported as having or at risk for withdrawal were more likely to have missed nursing care, especially pain checks, airway tube checks, developmental care, and high-risk drug assessments. It does not show withdrawal caused missed care.
• RNSurvey2026Families' View on Primary Nursing in Intensive Care Units - A Cross-Sectional Study.Nursing in critical careFamilies of ICU patients rated nursing care similarly under primary nursing and standard care. Only three of 14 satisfaction items differed, and the groups were not comparable.
• RNCohort2026Experiences and Perceptions of Patient Watch, a Rural Telehealth Case Management Model, for Frequent Presenters to the Emergency Department: A Longitudinal Mixed Methods Study.The Australian journal of rural healthFrequent ED presenters made fewer ED presentations after rural telehealth case management, but without a control the reduction cannot be attributed to the programme. Participants valued monitoring and coordination; some found calls repetitive, and quality of life did not improve.
• RNSurvey2026Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in ICU Survivors After COVID-19.Nursing in critical care106 ICU survivors had high symptom burden: 56.6% reported anxiety symptoms and 53.8% depression symptoms. Female sex and memory problems were linked to anxiety; pain, memory problems and lower quality of life to depression.
• RNOther2026Growing in the Shadow of Mental Illness: Quality of Life, Health Status, Social Functioning, and Health Care Utilization Among Adults to Parents With Severe Mental Illness.Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of NursingHigher resilience and self-efficacy were associated with better quality of life in adults who grew up with a parent with severe mental illness. Resilience did not buffer the link between childhood trauma and health or social problems.
• RNCohort2026Association Between the Red Blood Cell Distribution Width-to-Albumin Ratio, Nursing Notes, and the Length of Hospital Stay in Iron Deficiency Anaemia Complicated With Congestive Heart Failure Patients.Nursing openIn patients with iron deficiency anaemia and heart failure, higher RDW-to-albumin ratio and nursing notes with more subjective language were each linked to longer hospital stay. The two were separate markers, not a proven way to decide care.
• RNOther2026Reducing Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections in the ICU: A Nurse-Led Evidence Based Quality Improvement Initiative.Nursing openA nurse-led CVC maintenance flowchart with training, bedside reminders and audits coincided with a fall in CLABSI rates. No concurrent control group, so other trends cannot be excluded.
• RNQualitative2026Noticing and responding to end-of-life suffering in the PICU: A co-designed conceptual framework for nursing practice.Intensive & critical care nursingBereaved parents and pediatric intensive care clinicians described signs of end-of-life suffering that nurses could notice, such as burden, baseline changes, pain, restlessness, lost parent role, and disconnect, and responses like partnering, comfort, and resources.
• RNSurvey2026Parenting Stress, Parenting Self-Efficacy and Dyadic Coping in Parents of Preterm Infants in China: A Dyadic Analysis.Nursing openAt discharge, parents of preterm infants reported stress associated with lower parenting confidence. Mothers' positive couple coping was associated with confidence, but fathers' stress did not show the same pathway.
• RNCohort2026Individual and Interactive Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Household Income on Adolescent Depression and Anxiety Symptoms.Research in nursing & healthParental mental illness, substance use, incarceration, or intimate partner violence in early childhood was associated with more adolescent depression and anxiety. Maltreatment experiences were not. Low household income was associated with depression, not anxiety.
• RNQualitative2026The Development, Acceptability and Suitability of an Information and Well-Being Booklet for Family Members of Intensive Care Unit Patients.Nursing in critical careFive ICU family members found a new booklet helpful for explaining equipment, delirium, ward moves and home recovery. They valued simple language, permission to ask questions and reassurance that nurses could explain things.
• RNPilot2026Integrating Music Therapy and Nursing for Neonatal Procedural Support Using a Pacifier Activated Lullaby Device.The American journal of nursingPain scores were lower during five minutes of pacifier-activated music after ROP exams: average 4.92 at exam end, then 0.76, 0.6, and 0.21 in 25 neonates, but usual holding, positioning, and swaddling continued.
• RNQualitative2026The Development of Parental Knowledge of Their Child in NNU and PICU: An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Parents' Experiences.Nursing in critical careParents of children admitted to neonatal and paediatric intensive care described knowing their child as changing over time. Some said staff dismissed that knowledge, even when warnings about equipment or deterioration were important.
• RNQualitative2026Coping with COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit admission.Revista brasileira de enfermagemSurvivors of COVID-19 intensive care described lasting fatigue, breathlessness, memory problems, anxiety and depression. They valued nurses' comforting words, touch, listening and monitoring, and said the experience made them cherish health, family and simple daily moments.
• RNOther2026The effectiveness of the diazo reaction in the determination of tip-end position after blind insertion of the nasoenteric tube by ICU nurses: A prospective comparative study.International journal of nursing sciencesFor ICU patients with blindly placed nasoenteric tubes, a bedside diazo test on aspirated fluid agreed with X-ray position in 92.3% of cases. It was the best bedside method tested, but X-ray still confirms final position.
• RNSystematic Review2026Best Evidence Summary for the Management of Frailty in Elderly Patients in Emergency Department-Integrative Review.Nursing openNurse-led frailty screening, assessment, medication review, exercise, nutrition, and discharge planning is recommended for older adults in emergency departments, based on 13 studies.
• RNOther2026Support Needs of Family Caregivers During Tracheostomy Transitions: A Mixed-Methods Study.Nursing openFamily caregivers of tracheostomized patients leaving intensive care reported high support needs, especially for hands-on care skills, transfer information, and communication with staff. Rural, inexperienced, and direct-to-home caregivers needed more.
• RNCohort2026Relationship Between Nursing Diagnoses, Mortality and Length of Stay in the ICU: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Nursing in critical careNursing diagnoses at ICU admission were not independently associated with length of stay. Each additional diagnosis, after adjustment for age, sex and severity, was associated with 13.6% higher odds of death and more nursing workload.
• RNOther2026A Cross-Sectional Study of Prescribed Sleep Medication Use and Its Clinical and Demographic Factors Among Young People Receiving Mental Health Crisis Interventions in Sydney, Australia.Journal of child and adolescent psychiatric nursing : official publication of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses, IncAmong 201 young people in a Sydney mental health crisis service, 42 (20.9%) used prescribed sleep medication, mostly melatonin. A stay of 42 days or longer, trauma-related diagnoses and multiple medications were linked with higher sleep medication use.
• RNQualitative2026Communication of incidental findings in the ED: Patient perspectives.Patient education and counselingED patients wanted incidental findings communicated by a knowledgeable, empathetic clinician, in plain terms, with clear next steps and written discharge materials. They had not necessarily received a finding.