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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.

617 PAPERS · PAGE 9 OF 13 · NEWEST FIRST

• RNMeta-Analysis2026A Comparison of Synthetic Osmotic Dilators and Pharmacologic Agents for Cervical Ripening in Induction of Labor: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of midwifery & women's healthSynthetic osmotic dilators match pharmacologic agents for vaginal birth rates but cause less uterine hyperstimulation and digestive symptoms. However, they require more additional procedures like artificial rupture of membranes. Overall maternal infection risk showed no significant difference.
• RNCohort2025Incidence and risk factors for nursing-related intraoperative incidents: A 5-year retrospective study at a Japanese tertiary care hospital.Japan journal of nursing science : JJNSIn 37,265 surgeries, nursing-related incidents occurred in 85 cases (0.23%). Surgeries lasting 2 hours or more and nurses with fewer than 6 years were associated with more incidents. Night shift and instrument delivery by nurse were not associated once other factors were considered.
• RNCohort2025Predictive capacity of trauma indices for hospitalization and intensive care unit admission.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S PAmong 151 trauma patients, injury-based scores ISS and NISS better predicted hospital and ICU admission than physiological scores REMS and mREMS. The physiological scores performed poorly for these outcomes.
• PTRNRCT2025Experience of heart failure patients in mobilization with virtual reality: mixed methods study.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S PAdding immersive virtual reality to early mobilization did not show a clear difference in the main breathing sensation outcome compared with mobilization alone. Patients in both groups rated the procedure positively.
• RNQualitative2026Social Representations of Bedside Milk Expression Among Mothers of Preterm Newborns in Neonatal Intensive Care Units.Journal of advanced nursingMothers described bedside milk expression as bonding and protection, but cramped space, staff shortages, procedures and shame hindered it. They said proactive nursing support and clear information helped them feel capable and continue.
• RNMeta-Analysis2025Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated With ICU Mortality in Ethiopia: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nursing openAdult ICU mortality in Ethiopia was 41.3%. Nurses should monitor for high-risk signs: low consciousness scores, mechanical ventilation, coexisting diseases, and extreme lengths of stay (under 4 days or over 2 weeks).
• RNCase Report2025The Presence of Family Members During Brainstem Testing: An Ethical Dilemma.Nursing in critical careFamily presence during brainstem testing is inconsistently offered. Witnessing may help families understand brain death, but some evidence associates it with distress and a lower organ donation consent rate. Nurses should support an informed family choice and plan staffing for emotional support.
• RNQualitative2025The Impact of Trauma-Informed Care on Patient Engagement, Experience and Barriers to Care: A Qualitative Study: Empirical Research Qualitative.Nursing openPatients described trauma-informed nursing as removing the burden of explaining their reactions, which built trust and helped them access services. Nurses advocated for them in appointments and simplified navigation, making care feel achievable.
• PTOTRNQualitative2026Recovery After Critical Illness: A Meta-Ethnography of Patient, Family and Staff Perspectives.Journal of advanced nursingCritical illness survivors described persistent weakness, pain and dependence that made them feel burdensome. Families struggled to access follow-up rehabilitation and information after discharge. Staff also reported unclear post-discharge care.
• RNOther2025Clinical validation of the terminology subset for newborns with Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter in Intensive Care.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S PA structured nursing language for neonates with PICCs was clinically validated. The final set includes 53 diagnoses and 110 interventions. This provides a standardized framework for assessing and documenting care, improving communication and consistency in the NICU.
• RNCohort2025A Data-Driven Model to Predict Delirium Based on Dynamic Patterns of Clinical Deterioration in Critically Ill Patients.Nursing in critical careIn 3600 ICU patients, sustained worsening of vital signs and blood tests was linked to delirium. Nurses should watch low diastolic blood pressure, high heart rate, high carbon dioxide, low albumin, high blood urea nitrogen or high sodium as possible delirium risk markers.
• PTOTSLPRNCohort2025Family Functioning and Parent Behavioural Changes Post-Admission to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Single-Centre Cohort Study.Nursing in critical careMost families maintained healthy functioning after PICU discharge, but caregiver distress strongly predicted poor outcomes. Nurses should screen for caregiver PTSD and mental illness during follow-up, as these affect family cohesion more than the child's clinical severity.
• RNCohort2026The Aggression and Violence Evaluation of Risk Tool: A Context-Specific Instrument to Assess Risk of Violence in the Emergency Department.Journal of advanced nursingIn a busy emergency department, bedside nursing observations of history of violence, drug or alcohol influence, agitation or restlessness, and imposed restrictions were associated with emergency security responses to violence. This was not tested to prevent violence.
• RNRCT2025Efficacy of Double-Pocket Fecal Catheter System Combined With Camellia Oil Application in the Prevention and Treatment of Irritant Contact Dermatitis Due to Incontinence Among Patients in the Intensive Care Unit.Advances in skin & wound careIn ICU patients at high risk for incontinence dermatitis, double-pocket fecal catheter plus camellia oil had lowest incidence, longest onset, milder cases, lower cost and faster healing than zinc oxide alone. The trial had no blinding reported and no stated primary outcome.
• RNQualitative2025Navigating Uncertainty: Family Experiences and Coping Strategies During Critical Care Hospitalisation: A Descriptive Qualitative Study.Nursing in critical careFamily members of critical care patients described waiting for updates, feeling isolated, and suppressing emotions to appear strong as sources of stress. Detailed, repeated explanations and active bedside involvement helped some cope.
• RNQualitative2026"Rolling the Boulder Up the Hill": A Qualitative Study of Parents' Experiences Providing Ongoing Care at Home for Their Child with Complex Medical Needs.The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieresParents caring for medically complex children at home described doing nursing tasks, advocacy, and round-the-clock care, often without enough support, with strain on sleep, identity, and finances. Ask what support is missing.
• RNCohort2026Validation of the French-Canadian Version of FAME, a Family Engagement Measurement Tool for the Intensive Care Unit.The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieresA French-Canadian family engagement questionnaire for ICU families showed consistent scores. Higher engagement was associated with greater family satisfaction, not anxiety or depression.
• RNMeta-Analysis2025The Effects of Family Voice Intervention on Delirium in Adult Critical Care Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nursing in critical careRecorded family voice messages in ICU patients reduced delirium incidence and duration. The effect was seen when voice messages were combined with other sensory, cognitive or sleep supports, but not when voice messages were used alone. Ventilation and ICU stay did not shorten.
• RNSystematic Review2026Patient-clinician communication in longitudinal care settings about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adult traumas: A systematic review of reviews.Patient education and counselingTrauma screening alone was not endorsed as a stand-alone intervention. Supportive communication, confidentiality, and follow-up resources were essential before asking patients about trauma.
• RNMeta-Analysis2025Comparative Efficacy of Endotracheal Tube Holders Versus Traditional Securing Methods in the Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nursing in critical careEndotracheal tube holders reduced total tube-related pressure injuries compared with tape or bandages in ICU patients, but the certainty was very low and the benefit was not clear for lip, oral or facial ulcers or dislodgement.
• RNQualitative2025'Those Were Smiling Eyes': Patients' Experiences and Perceptions of ICU Health Care During Pandemics.Nursing openTwenty-seven ICU survivors said PPE made staff anonymous, but staff eyes, gestures and writing aids preserved connection. After discharge patients reported feeling abandoned without follow-up or post-COVID support.
• RNSystematic Review2025What Evidence is Available on Rapid Response Systems Across Europe? Findings From a Scoping Review.Nursing in critical careEuropean rapid response teams vary widely in structure and activation. While some studies report reduced cardiac arrests and mortality, others show no significant difference or increased ICU transfers. There is no single standard model, and evidence of consistent patient benefit is limited by heterogeneous study designs.
• RNSystematic Review2025Post-Intensive Care Syndrome in Family: A Concept Analysis.Scandinavian journal of caring sciencesPost-intensive care syndrome in families includes emotional, physical, cognitive, and social dysfunction in any significant supporter, not just relatives. Symptoms start during ICU admission and persist months after discharge. Current tools miss this multidimensional burden.
• RNOther2025Enabling Continuous Intracranial Pressure Monitoring During MRI: A Technical Note on the Development of an MR-Safe Support Frame.Nursing in critical careA custom MR-safe support frame kept intracranial pressure monitoring and drainage connected during brain MRI. It was used in more than 50 scans with no safety issues reported.
• RNOther2025Factors associated with the diagnosis of Brain Death in hospitals in the State of Sergipe.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S PIn hospitals in Sergipe, adults suspected of brain death were more likely to have the diagnosis confirmed if they lived near the capital, and less likely if they were older or had cancer.
• RNQualitative2025Bereaved Families' Experiences of Treatment Withdrawal and End-Of-Life Care in the Intensive Care Unit: An Exploratory-Descriptive Qualitative Study.Nursing in critical careSeven bereaved ICU families described shock, emotional strain, and coping through faith. They wanted private, regular updates, bedside presence, and simple care participation, such as bathing, rubbing cream, or holding hands.
• RNQualitative2026The Experiences of Service Providers Who Care for Homeless Pregnant or Early Parenting Women.The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieresService providers caring for homeless pregnant women described navigating punitive systems and resource gaps by extending their roles into advocacy. They found meaning in small, incremental client successes, despite facing professional stigma and ethical distress when colleagues treated clients with judgment.
• RNNarrative Review2026Procedural and Therapy Peripheral Intravenous Catheters: A Framework for Safety, Quality and Patient-Centred Care.Journal of advanced nursingA proposed bedside question sorts peripheral IV catheters into short procedural or overnight therapy use, with matching choices for site, device, disinfection, dressing, monitoring, documentation and removal.
• RNSystematic Review2026Interventions to Prevent Patient- and Visitor-Perpetrated Violence Against Nurses in the Emergency Department: A Scoping Review.Journal of advanced nursingMost ED violence interventions target nurses' skills before an incident, not the environment or the aggressor. Simulation training and risk checklists are common, but evidence on whether they actually stop assaults is inconsistent and often short-term.
• RNCohort2025Post-COVID-19 Consequences in Relatives of Severely Ill Patients: Results of the Prospective Multicenter NeNeSCo Study.Clinical nursing researchRelatives of ICU COVID survivors had more anxiety and caregiver strain than relatives of ward survivors. By 15 months, anxiety scores fell but clinically relevant anxiety stayed similar, while caregiver strain rose. Passive coping was linked to anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, and strain.
• PTRNOther2025Frailty and mobility in hospitalized older adults: an analytical cross sectional study.Revista brasileira de enfermagemFrail hospitalized older adults had much lower mobility than non-frail and prefrail patients. Prefrail and non-frail patients did not differ. This association was measured at admission, so it cannot show frailty caused the mobility loss.
• RNQualitative2026'Being an Outsider' and 'Being an Insider': A Focused Ethnography of Family Members' Visitation Experiences in an Adult ICU.Journal of advanced nursingIn a Chinese adult ICU with brief daily visits, families described being kept outside as powerless and uninformed. They made the waiting area a shared support space, using a designated visitor to bring back condition updates.
• RNSurvey2026Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a Rural Perinatal Population.Journal of midwifery & women's healthRural prenatal patients screened anonymously: 53% of 421 screens reported trauma exposure, and 13.5% screened positive for probable PTSD. Of those with probable PTSD, 63.2% were interested in treatment research.
• RNQualitative2026Understanding Healing From Psychological Birth Trauma: A Lived Experience Perspective.Journal of midwifery & women's healthPeople who had healed from traumatic birth described recovery as ongoing, nonlinear, and about making peace rather than reaching a fixed end state. They valued safe, nonjudgmental spaces to tell their stories when ready.
• RNCohort2026Clinical Performance of the Remote After-Hours Telemedicine Medical Officer of the Day (Tele-MOD) Program: A Cohort Study.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationEmergency department visits, hospitalizations, readmissions, and costs were lower after the first Tele-MOD visit in 492 VA nursing home Veterans. Most were managed in place, but this pre-post study cannot prove the program caused the reductions.
• RNCohort2025Sleep Quality, Circadian Rhythm Stability and Changes in Delirium State in Predicting Mortality Risk in Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Prospective Observational Study.Nursing in critical careICU patients with more fragmented sleep and less stable daily rhythms more often had delirium, and prolonged delirium was linked with higher six-month mortality. These are associations, not proof that improving sleep prevents delirium.
• RNCohort2025Effects of Outdoor Therapy on Delirium in Patients With Prolonged Intensive Care Unit Stays: A Single-Centre Retrospective Study.Nursing in critical careSupervised outdoor sessions in ICU patients with stays of at least 7 days were associated with lower discharge delirium scores after comparing similar patients, and more sessions were linked to lower scores. Same-day scores also dropped after the first outing.
• RNOther2026Improving Parents' Emotional Well-Being in NICU: A Scoping Review.Nursing in critical careFamily-centred NICU programmes that let parents care for their baby daily were reported to lower parental stress and improve bonding; massage, music and apps were also reported to help, but three studies showed no benefit.
• RNOther2025Overall Experiences and Perceptions of Racism of Parents of Non-Hispanic Black Children With Diabetes.The science of diabetes self-management and careParents of non-Hispanic Black children with diabetes described feeling judged by providers, some not being offered insulin pumps, and watching for bias in clinics. They asked for respectful communication, non-Hispanic Black role models, and better access to diabetes technology.
• RNQualitative2025Elderly Medical Patients' Experience of an Acute Readmission to the Emergency Department-An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.Scandinavian journal of caring sciencesOlder adults readmitted to an emergency department felt trapped by fragmented care. They needed a clear explanation, someone who believed them, and support from family or one trusted clinician. Missing these made them doubt symptoms and lose trust.
• RNCohort2025Adherence to the acceleration of total postoperative recovery protocol and perioperative complications in cancer patients.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S PIn 229 ICU patients after cancer surgery, 157 had complications and 27 died. Adherence to fluid limits, early refeeding, and nausea prevention was associated with fewer complications; age and immediate postoperative SOFA were linked to death.
• RNSystematic Review2025Experiences and Perceptions of Hospital to Home Transitional Care for Parents of Premature Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.Nursing openParents of preterm infants moving from NICU to home felt relieved but unsafe without hospital monitoring. Many lacked confidence in feeding and care; parents reported feeling more prepared when they had hands-on NICU involvement and continued support.
• RNCase-Control2025Factors associated with the occurrence of COVID-19 in the pediatric population in hospital settings: a case-control study.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S PAmong hospitalized children, emergency or intensive care admission, corticosteroid use, runny nose and comorbidities were linked to a positive COVID-19 test. These associations did not prove cause.
• RNPilot2026Family-Centred Care Rounds in a Neonatal Intensive Care Setting: An Implementation Sciences Feasibility Study.Nursing in critical careFamily-centred rounds were run in a NICU, but parental participation was low and variable. Overall collaboration, parental stress, and satisfaction did not improve; coordination and feeling involved did.
• RNCohort2026Acute Stress and Need for Psychological Follow-Up Care in Parents of Children Treated at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.Nursing in critical careBefore discharge, no parent, child, or treatment factor tested in the final model was linked to acute stress disorder, although 63.5% of parents met its criteria. Parents at PTSD risk reported needing follow-up care eight times more often.
• RNSurvey2026The Differential Impact of Emotional Support on Social Problem-Solving and Mental Health Among Latina Immigrant Survivors of Adverse Childhood Experiences.Research in nursing & healthAmong Latina immigrant women with childhood trauma, emotional support was associated with better problem-solving for some trauma profiles and lower depression and anxiety for others, but it did not buffer all symptoms equally.
• RNSystematic Review2025Transition experiences of patients and families upon discharge from intensive care: a scoping review.Revista latino-americana de enfermagemAdult patients and families described ICU-to-inpatient transfer as stressful and poorly explained. Across 30 studies, gaps in information and communication appeared at assessment, planning, execution and follow-up. Nurses should expect unmet needs and give clear information.
• RNCohort2025Trajectories of cumulative fluid balance and the association with pressure injuries in ICU patients.International journal of nursing sciencesICU patients whose cumulative fluid balance rose rapidly over the first 7 days had more pressure injuries, even after accounting for severity and ICU treatments. Treat rapid accumulation as a skin-risk signal in nursing care, but this does not prove that changing fluids prevents injuries.
• RNOther2025Trajectory and determinants of family resilience in caregivers of preterm infants: A mixed-methods study.International journal of nursing sciencesFamily resilience in caregivers of preterm infants followed a V-shaped pattern, dropping to its lowest point at three months before recovering by six months. Resilience was linked to coping style, family functioning, and social support, not to the infant's gestational age or birth weight.
• RNOther2025Prevalence of skin injuries related to medical adhesives in Brazilian hospitals: a multicenter study.Revista brasileira de enfermagemIn adult ICU patients, 33 of 108 had skin injury from medical adhesives. More adhesives and peripheral venous access fixation were linked to injury. Maceration and dermatitis were the most frequently identified types.