Fiona Lynch - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Fiona Lynch
The production of this Position Statement was funded by the British Association of Critical Care ... more The production of this Position Statement was funded by the British Association of Critical Care Nurses. The Authors received no financial gain and have no conflict of interests.
Paediatric nursing, 2009
Nurses caring for children need to be able to understand the investigations that contribute to ho... more Nurses caring for children need to be able to understand the investigations that contribute to holistic assessment of the child. Blood gas analysis is a common investigation in critical care settings but is also used during stabilisation or preparation for transfer to critical care of children who are acutely ill. In this article the indications for arterial blood gas analysis are discussed and patient groups that may benefit from this investigation identified. The basic science behind acid-base balance and its impact on homeostasis are described. A simple guide to interpreting arterial blood gas results and the principles surrounding care of a child's arterial line are also addressed.
Nursing in critical care, Jan 28, 2015
The first independent paediatric retrieval nurse practitioners (RNP) in the UK and Europe were ap... more The first independent paediatric retrieval nurse practitioners (RNP) in the UK and Europe were appointed in 2006 in one hospital Trust. Since then, many have been appointed around the UK but the range of responsibility and scope of the role is unknown as well as possible geographical variability. The aim of this paper is to explore the role and scope of paediatric retrieval nurse practitioners in the United Kingdom (UK). A two part questionnaire was sent to all RNPs identified by the regional retrieval/transport centres. Information was sought about the role and scope of RNPs and how the role may have changed since appointment. RNPs were asked to self-assess their own ability in a variety of technical and leadership skills. The majority of respondents felt their role had expanded since appointment. RNPs reported that they would now lead the team for any critically ill infant or child where previously they were retrieving stable or high dependency patients. Other expansions of their ...
Nursing Standard, 2000
Implementing changes in a hospital setting requires a structured approach to change management. T... more Implementing changes in a hospital setting requires a structured approach to change management. This article describes the process of a project undertaken to improve record keeping in a children's hospital.
Nursing in Critical Care, 2007
Traditionally in the UK, the transportation of the critically ill child to a paediatric intensive... more Traditionally in the UK, the transportation of the critically ill child to a paediatric intensive care unit has been carried out by a medically led team of doctors and nurses. However, in countries such as the USA and Canada, appropriately trained nurse practitioners have proven to be competent in the transportation of these vulnerable children. This nurse-led team model has also been shown to be successful in the speciality of neonatal care in the UK. The impact of changes in the National Health Service (NHS) has led to an increased demand for the transportation of the child requiring paediatric intensive or high-dependency care, the lifting of restrictions on nursing practice and the reduction of doctors' hours in keeping with the European Working Time Directive. This has led to one NHS Trust in the UK developing the role of paediatric retrieval nurse practitioners (RNP): nurses who lead the retrieval team. The purpose of this article is to describe a pilot initiative to develop the role of RNPs. The comprehensive process of recruitment, training and assessment of competency will be detailed. Personal reflection on the project will also explore the pertinent nursing issues around; role impact and definition, conflict and change management, communication, legislation and personal and professional growth. Recommendations for future initiatives will also be explored.
Nursing in Critical Care, 2012
To provide nurses with an evidence-based Position Statement on the standards patients and visitor... more To provide nurses with an evidence-based Position Statement on the standards patients and visitors should expect when visiting an adult critical care unit in the 21st century in the UK. The British Association of Critical Care Nurses (BACCN) is a leading organization for critical care nursing in the UK and regularly receives enquiries about best practice regarding visiting policies. Therefore, in keeping with the BACCN's commitment to provide evidence-based guidance for nurses, a Position Statement on visiting practices in adult critical care units was commissioned. This brought together experts from the field of critical care nursing and representatives from patient and relatives' groups to review visiting practices and the literature and produce a Position Statement. An extensive search of the literature was undertaken using the following databases: Blackwell Synergy, CINAHL, Medline, Swetswise, Cochrane Data Base of Systematic Reviews, National Electronic Library for Health, Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Google Scholar. After obtaining selected articles, the references from these articles were then evaluated for their relevance to this Position Statement and were retrieved. The evidence suggests a disparity between what nurses believe is best practice and what patients and visitors actually want. Historically, visitors have been perceived as being responsible for increasing noise, taking up space, taking up nursing time, hindering nursing care and spreading infection. The evidence reviewed for this Position Statement suggests there are many benefits to patients and nurses from visitors. There was no evidence to suggest that visitors pose a direct infection risk to patients. Clear visiting policies based on evidence will negate arbitrary decisions by nurses regarding who can visit and will lessen confusion and dispel myths which can only bring benefits to patients, staff and organizations. To make nurses aware of the physical and psychological benefits of visiting to patients. Visitors bring a positive energy to patients and can act as advocates. They can supply nurses with vital information about patients which will enable the nurse to provide more individualized care. Being cognizant of the evidence will help nurses develop policies on visiting which are up to date for the 21st century.
Nursing in Critical Care, 2007
European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 2007
The production of this Position Statement was funded by the British Association of Critical Care ... more The production of this Position Statement was funded by the British Association of Critical Care Nurses. The Authors received no financial gain and have no conflict of interests.
Paediatric nursing, 2009
Nurses caring for children need to be able to understand the investigations that contribute to ho... more Nurses caring for children need to be able to understand the investigations that contribute to holistic assessment of the child. Blood gas analysis is a common investigation in critical care settings but is also used during stabilisation or preparation for transfer to critical care of children who are acutely ill. In this article the indications for arterial blood gas analysis are discussed and patient groups that may benefit from this investigation identified. The basic science behind acid-base balance and its impact on homeostasis are described. A simple guide to interpreting arterial blood gas results and the principles surrounding care of a child's arterial line are also addressed.
Nursing in critical care, Jan 28, 2015
The first independent paediatric retrieval nurse practitioners (RNP) in the UK and Europe were ap... more The first independent paediatric retrieval nurse practitioners (RNP) in the UK and Europe were appointed in 2006 in one hospital Trust. Since then, many have been appointed around the UK but the range of responsibility and scope of the role is unknown as well as possible geographical variability. The aim of this paper is to explore the role and scope of paediatric retrieval nurse practitioners in the United Kingdom (UK). A two part questionnaire was sent to all RNPs identified by the regional retrieval/transport centres. Information was sought about the role and scope of RNPs and how the role may have changed since appointment. RNPs were asked to self-assess their own ability in a variety of technical and leadership skills. The majority of respondents felt their role had expanded since appointment. RNPs reported that they would now lead the team for any critically ill infant or child where previously they were retrieving stable or high dependency patients. Other expansions of their ...
Nursing Standard, 2000
Implementing changes in a hospital setting requires a structured approach to change management. T... more Implementing changes in a hospital setting requires a structured approach to change management. This article describes the process of a project undertaken to improve record keeping in a children's hospital.
Nursing in Critical Care, 2007
Traditionally in the UK, the transportation of the critically ill child to a paediatric intensive... more Traditionally in the UK, the transportation of the critically ill child to a paediatric intensive care unit has been carried out by a medically led team of doctors and nurses. However, in countries such as the USA and Canada, appropriately trained nurse practitioners have proven to be competent in the transportation of these vulnerable children. This nurse-led team model has also been shown to be successful in the speciality of neonatal care in the UK. The impact of changes in the National Health Service (NHS) has led to an increased demand for the transportation of the child requiring paediatric intensive or high-dependency care, the lifting of restrictions on nursing practice and the reduction of doctors' hours in keeping with the European Working Time Directive. This has led to one NHS Trust in the UK developing the role of paediatric retrieval nurse practitioners (RNP): nurses who lead the retrieval team. The purpose of this article is to describe a pilot initiative to develop the role of RNPs. The comprehensive process of recruitment, training and assessment of competency will be detailed. Personal reflection on the project will also explore the pertinent nursing issues around; role impact and definition, conflict and change management, communication, legislation and personal and professional growth. Recommendations for future initiatives will also be explored.
Nursing in Critical Care, 2012
To provide nurses with an evidence-based Position Statement on the standards patients and visitor... more To provide nurses with an evidence-based Position Statement on the standards patients and visitors should expect when visiting an adult critical care unit in the 21st century in the UK. The British Association of Critical Care Nurses (BACCN) is a leading organization for critical care nursing in the UK and regularly receives enquiries about best practice regarding visiting policies. Therefore, in keeping with the BACCN's commitment to provide evidence-based guidance for nurses, a Position Statement on visiting practices in adult critical care units was commissioned. This brought together experts from the field of critical care nursing and representatives from patient and relatives' groups to review visiting practices and the literature and produce a Position Statement. An extensive search of the literature was undertaken using the following databases: Blackwell Synergy, CINAHL, Medline, Swetswise, Cochrane Data Base of Systematic Reviews, National Electronic Library for Health, Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Google Scholar. After obtaining selected articles, the references from these articles were then evaluated for their relevance to this Position Statement and were retrieved. The evidence suggests a disparity between what nurses believe is best practice and what patients and visitors actually want. Historically, visitors have been perceived as being responsible for increasing noise, taking up space, taking up nursing time, hindering nursing care and spreading infection. The evidence reviewed for this Position Statement suggests there are many benefits to patients and nurses from visitors. There was no evidence to suggest that visitors pose a direct infection risk to patients. Clear visiting policies based on evidence will negate arbitrary decisions by nurses regarding who can visit and will lessen confusion and dispel myths which can only bring benefits to patients, staff and organizations. To make nurses aware of the physical and psychological benefits of visiting to patients. Visitors bring a positive energy to patients and can act as advocates. They can supply nurses with vital information about patients which will enable the nurse to provide more individualized care. Being cognizant of the evidence will help nurses develop policies on visiting which are up to date for the 21st century.
Nursing in Critical Care, 2007
European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 2007