Acute Care Newsroom

Benefits of early mobility in the ICU

Hospitalized patients who spend an extended period in bed can suffer a variety of unintended consequences, including loss of muscle strength at a rate of 20 percent per week of immobility. By advocating for physical activity, early mobility aids in preventing muscle wasting and maintaining joint range of motion while boosting cardiovascular function.

2024 ANA Innovation Award Winners

Engaging Communities to Combat Social Determinants of Health and Racial Disparities

School safety: The importance of effective staff communication

In today's unpredictable environment, the safety of students and staff has never been more critical. With increasing concerns about school shootings, natural disasters and other emergencies, the focus on school safety has intensified significantly. Proactive measures including reliable school crisis communications tools are needed to help safeguard and support the educational environment.

Abstract: Quality Improvement Initiative Incorporates iBed Technology into Fall Prevention Bundle of Care

This clinical outcome story addresses the pressing concern of accidental falls in acute care settings, attributing them to multifaceted factors such as patient physiology, staff behavior and hospital environment. This piece discusses how regular safety audits were employed to bolster compliance with fall prevention strategies and foster a culture of safety.

The importance of manufacturer maintenance plans for medical equipment

In today's fast-paced medical environment, ensuring the reliability and performance of hospital equipment is paramount. One key decision facing many hospitals is choosing between original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and third-party Independent Service Organizations for their medical equipment maintenance needs.

Caregiver: Temple University, Intensive Care Unit

The streets of north Philadelphia are no strangers to poverty and violence. Inside Temple University Hospital’s Level 1 Surgical ICU, a dedicated team of nurses see it all. Driven by empathy, compassion, grit and determination, these exceptional caregivers face trauma after trauma head on – advocating for their patients and strengthening their community, one patient at a time. Through their shared experiences of tremendous grief, miraculous recoveries, and everything in between, this unit has become a family and forged unbreakable bonds.

Caregiver: Klisa Hargrove-Loper

“Klisa is love. She’s love wrapped up in one person.” That’s how AtlantiCare nurse Marisol Ramos describes her dear friend and colleague, Klisa Hargrove-Loper, DNP, CRNA, APN. As her family and friends can attest, caregiving is engrained into everything Klisa is and everything she does. She’s a CRNA in an out-patient surgery center and trauma unit – the “eyes and ears of the OR.” She’s a mom. A wife. A mentor. A friend. And when she lost her mother to breast cancer in the middle of the pandemic, she took her pain and channeled it into something truly inspiring.

Caregiver: Pam Mizerany

When Pam Mizerany, RN, learned that one of her best friends and fellow nurse at Tampa General Hospital, Debbie, was in dire need of a life-saving kidney, she immediately raised her hand to help. Fortunately for Debbie, the pair of friends were a perfect match. Hear more about Pam and her selfless act, and the deep bond that exists between them that allowed both to continue doing what they love: caring for their patients.

Caregiver: James Bamber

In March 2020, COVID-19 arrived in Baton Rouge, LA. Ochsner Medical Center ICU nurse James Bamber and his wife Katie Bamber – also a nurse and in her third trimester with the couple’s fourth child – knew they had to do something drastic to keep their patients and family safe from the virus. Together, they made a decision that would leave an indelible mark on their family: James would move in with his sister until their son was born, and – for the first time in their marriage – he wouldn’t be able to be present for the birth. As James told us, “It’s a small sacrifice to make compared to what our patients and their families are going through.” Thank you, James and Katie Bamber, for your selflessness and sacrifice, sense of purpose and your perspective. The world is a brighter place with caring and compassionate nurses like you in it.

Caregiver: Judy Gay

Although on paper Judy Gay, NP, retired from a decades-long career in nursing in 2019, she’s never stopped visiting and advocating for the chronically ill children who were under her care at Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital, Navicent Health in Macon, GA. Dr. Edward Clark, one of the doctors Judy worked closely with for many years,  said it best: “Judy is the wonder woman of pediatrics.” We couldn’t agree more. Thank you, Judy, for all that you’ve done and all that you’ll continue to do for these children and their families.