Month: November 2023

Episode 157: Sedation is Sleep-Deprivation

Walking Home From The ICU Episode 157: Sedation is Sleep-Deprivation

For decades, we have culturally passed on the myth that patients are sleeping while sedated into medically induced comas. We have assured ourselves and each other that sedation “prevents PTSD”. Research has proven that sedation makes true restorative sleep impossible and real recall of the reality of the ICU is protective against post-ICU PTSD. So

Learn More > from Walking Home From The ICU Episode 157: Sedation is Sleep-Deprivation

Episode 156- Nurses Are Willing, but Unsupported and Untrained in Practicing the ABCDEF Bundle

Walking Home From The ICU Episode 156: Nurses Are Willing, but Unsupported and Untrained in Practicing the ABCDEF Bundle

After decades of research and effort, why is there a persistent struggle to truly practice the ABCDEF bundle? Are antiquated sedation practices because nurses are unwilling to change, or is it because they are unsupported and untrained in the risks and realities of sedation? Even when training is provided in the classroom, what do nurses

Learn More > from Walking Home From The ICU Episode 156: Nurses Are Willing, but Unsupported and Untrained in Practicing the ABCDEF Bundle

Episode 155- F- Family Engagement and Empowerment with Lito Rama

Walking Home From The ICU Episode 155: F- Family Engagement and Empowerment with Lito Rama

How do families impact patient outcomes in the ICU? What does it really mean to engage and empower families in the ICU? Have our teams truly recovered from the strict visitation restrictions from COVID? How does an ABCDEF Bundle culture influence our visitation policies? Lito Rama, RN, MBA joins us now to share with us

Learn More > from Walking Home From The ICU Episode 155: F- Family Engagement and Empowerment with Lito Rama

As an RN in the Medical-Surgical ICU at the hospital I work at, I began my interest in ICU Liberation through an Evidence-Based Practice project.

While I was initially grabbed by what the literature has to say about over-sedation and patient outcomes, it wasn’t until I discovered Kali’s Walking Home From The ICU podcast that a culture of sedationless ICU care sounded tangible. The group I worked with on the project was both inspired, devastated, and intrigued by the stories Kali illuminates on the podcast, and we were able to bring her to our hospital for a virtual Zoom Webinar, where she presented on the practices in the Awake and Walking ICU.

This webinar was an incredible way to draw attention toward this necessary culture shift as Kali shared stories of patients awake and mobile in the ICU despite the complexity of their illness. The webinar inspired our final draft for the new practice guideline on analgesia and sedation management in the ICU, and since then we have seen intubated COVID patients playing tic tac toe on the door with staff members on the other side, taking laps around the unit, performing their own oral care using a hand mirror, and most importantly, keeping their autonomy and integrity while fighting to leave the ICU to resume the life they had before coming in.

Nora Raher, BSN, RN, MSICU
Virginia, USA

READ MORE TESTIMONIALS >

DOWNLOAD THIS VALUABLE FREE REPORT

Perception Versus Reality: Debunking The Myths About Medically-Induced Comas

By clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to this site's Privacy Policy. Your information is always kept safe.

Dayton ICU Consulting
Creating Awake and Walking ICUs
Email: info@daytonicuconsulting.com

© Copyright 2025 Dayton ICU Consulting | Privacy Policy | Website by: eVisionMedia.ca
The information associated with Dayton ICU Consulting across all media platforms is for informational/ educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace professional medical judgment and does not constitute a provider-patient relationship between you and the authors. Information contained herein may be accidentally inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated, and users are to use caution, seek medical advice from a licensed physician, and consult available resources prior to any medical decision making. The contributors for Dayton ICU Consulting, LLC are not affiliated with, nor do they speak on behalf of any medical institutions, educational facilities, or other healthcare programs.
The ABCDEF Bundle is the Society of Critical Care Medicine property. © 2025. All rights reserved.