Page 129 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

96 n CRITICAL CARE nURSInG RESEARCH

The first specialty organization was their nursing practice, driven by the needs
formed by nurses working in coronary care, of patients and their families. Guided by
C originally named the American Association these expectations, the AACn research pri-
of Cardiovascular nurses, was formed in orities for the year 2010–2011 are broad yet
1969 (Lynaugh & Fairman, 1992). As electro- concrete:
cardiographic monitoring became a routine
tool in the care of many patients and critical • Effective and appropriate use of technol-
care broadened to include the care of patients ogy to achieve optimal patient assessment,
other than postanesthesia and those with management, and/or outcomes
cardiac disease, the name was changed to • Creation of healing and humane environ-
the American Association of Critical-Care ments
nurses (AACn). Today, AACn is the largest • Processes and systems that foster the opti-
specialty nursing organization in the world, mal contribution of critical care nurses
with more than 80,000 nurses in the United • Effective approaches to symptom man-
States and 45 other countries (retrieved agement
August 16, 2010, from http://www.aacn.org). • Prevention and management of compli-
The organization has had a major role in cations (AACn, 2010).
encouraging research through its own small
grants program, through joint funding ini- nurse researchers often rely on their
tiatives with corporations. AACn publishes specialty organization to highlight future
American Journal of Critical Care, a scientific research needs and identify gaps in the lit-
research journal, and Critical Care Nurse, a erature. Interdisciplinary, systematic reviews
clinical journal featuring research. AACn of the scientific literature are now consid-
also publishes evidence-based resources for ered essential to shine a light on important
the clinical practitioner, including standards areas of research that deserve more attention
of care, defined as “authoritative statements or require greater rigor in methodological
that describe the level of care or perfor- design. During the past decade, the nursing
mance common to the profession of nursing discipline has shifted away from the concept
by which the quality of nursing practice can of simple research utilization to evidence-
be judged” (retrieved August 16, 2010, from based nursing (EBn; Ackley, Ladwig, Swan,
http://www.aacn.org/wd/practice/content/ & Tucker, 2008). Compared with its precursor,
standards.pcms?menu=practice). EBn emphasizes the complexity of variables
other nursing journals publishing crit- to consider before application to practice;
ical care research include Heart and Lung, leveling and grading of scientific evidence,
Nursing Research, and Biological Research for patient preference, staffing requirements,
Nursing. nurse researchers have increas- cost-effectiveness, clinician’s experience, and
ingly published in medical research jour- environmental factors are all considered in
nals, such as Critical Care Medicine, published a systematic review of the literature and in
by the Society of Critical Care Medicine. the decision-making process for application
The International Society of Critical Care to practice.
Medicine is the largest multiprofessional The leadership roles and resources
organization of critical care practitioners. within the critical care environment as well
AACn is committed in its vision and as the overall organizational climate of the
mission to the promotion of a “culture of institution influence the degree to which
inquiry” so that optimally no gap exists staff nurses are able to make effective use of
between research and practice. The research research findings for the implementation of
vision encourages critical care nurses to EBn (Halm, 2010). In a systematic review of
actively question the scientific base for the literature on the effect of leadership on