The parameters that cardiothoracic intensive care nurses use to assess the progress or deterioration of their patients.

Intensive care nurses spend approximately 17% of their time recording patient observations. There is little published evidence that investigates how nurses prioritize their observations within cardiothoracic intensive care. This study used a questionnaire to identify which parameters would be used by nurses working within a cardiothoracic intensive care unit to monitor the progress or deterioration of patients postoperatively. Comparison with two pieces of medical research identified a number of parameters which both nursing and medical staff saw as important in establishing the status of a patient. These were: arterial blood gases, cardiac index, central venous pressure, chest drainage, fluid balance total, heart and rhythm, pulmonary artery pressures, pulse oximetry, pupil reaction, urea and electrolytes, urine output, and ventilator observations. It is suggested that these parameters could be given priority in the development of future computerised or paper documentation.