Episode 208: From Survivor to Revolutionist- an ICU Nurse's Reflections on Both Sides of the ICU Bed

Episode 208: From Survivor to Revolutionist- an ICU Nurse’s Reflections on Both Sides of the ICU Bed

Erika Breivogel’s journey through the ICU as a patient forever changed her as a person as well as transformed the care she now gives as an ICU nurse. In this episode she inspires up with her reflections of ICU culture vs. patient reality and what moves her to keep fighting the ICU revolution. Episode Transcription

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Episode 207: Elevating ICU Culture, Practice, and Outcomes Through Verticalization Therapy

What does verticalization therapy look like at the bedside? What does it take to get the entire ICU team engaged in optimizing verticalization beds? Jessica Cafferty, OTR/L and Jennifer Babb, PT, DPT join us to share case studies and insights into verticalization therapy in their ICUs! Episode Transcription [00:00:00] This is the walking home from

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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

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