Open chest emergencies are high-risk, low-frequency events. Resternotomy procedures should be performed within 5 minutes of a suspected complication. The inability to recognize a complication can delay meeting the 5-minute metric.

Frontline intensive care unit nurses are essential in caring for critically ill patients. However, they often encounter emotionally draining situations. The COVID-19 pandemic, administrative burdens, and unfavorable working conditions exacerbate these challenges, increasing nurses' risk of chronic stress and burnout.

One way to address the projected shortfalls in the quality and quantity of the nursing workforce is by implementing a virtual nursing role in the intensive care unit. Although virtual nursing is an established model of care for advanced practice providers, there are no well-established best practices for operationalizing virtual nursing to support bedside nurses.

Spontaneous awakening and breathing trials are evidence based; however, adoption has been inconsistent.

In many intensive care units, inconsistent early goals-of-care discussions contribute to interventions that may not align with patient or family preferences. A standardized approach to identify and reduce nonbeneficial interventions and ensure that treatment aligns with patient-centered goals is lacking.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness spread through droplets. Signs range from mild to severe, and some patients need hospitalization. Vaccines to prevent measles have been accessible since the late 1960s, and the disease was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000.

Mastoiditis is a major complication of acute otitis media that, if left undiagnosed or untreated, can lead to meningitis. This case report shares the clinical course of a child with acute mastoiditis. The related discussion provides an overview of acute mastoiditis, including its presenting signs and symptoms, diagnostic testing, treatment, and outcome and prognosis.

Organizational culture and work environment are important factors in retaining staff members and achieving good patient outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing challenges for nurses and the health care organizations employing them.

Team communication is essential to delivering health care safely. Nurses in the adult intensive care unit at a large military treatment facility were not consistently present in daily patient rounds and stated that team communication could be improved. This clinical question was developed: among critical care staff members, how does a standardized daily rounding script, compared with current practice, impact interdisciplinary communication over a 36-week period?

Workplace violence has been increasing in hospitals and has been associated with employee turnover and decreased productivity and quality of care.