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Biomedical subjects

N D McNair

Publications and source records attributed to N D McNair.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury, caused by motor vehicle accidents, falls, assaults, or sports injuries affects approximately 7 million people each year. Early and rapid management of the initial brain injury and reduction in secondary insults can lead to improved outcomes. Nursing has an integral role in the care of the patient with traumatic brain injury and can have a positive impact on the outcome for the patient and the family. Types of injuries, treatment modalities, interdisciplinary management, and expected outcomes are discussed.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1990

Epidural narcotics for postoperative pain: nursing implications.

The use of epidural narcotics is fast becoming an accepted technique for postoperative pain relief. Reduction of the patient's narcotic requirements, increased movement in bed and cooperation with postoperative exercises are the major advantages of this type of therapy for pain relief. Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of pain transmission is essential in understanding how narcotics affect the central nervous system and provide pain relief. Nurses should also be knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the procedure for catheter insertion and the narcotics that might be used for postoperative pain relief. Nursing implications for patients receiving epidural narcotics for postoperative pain relief are presented.

Analgesia, Epidural↗
PubMed1988

Determining interrater reliability of nurses' assessments of pupillary size and reaction.

Pupil changes provide vital information related to the cause and location, and at times, severity of disease processes which alter level of consciousness. Size and reactivity are sensitive to a variety of influences including local eye damage, functional state of brainstem, local systemic drugs, seizures and anoxia. Therefore, accurate measurement of pupillary size and reactivity is essential. The purposes of this study were to determine if pairs of nurses (1) achieved the same measurement of pupil sizes with and without an objective measure, and (2) selected the same descriptor for pupillary reaction to light. Sixty-eight pairs of nurses employed in adult and pediatric units of a large teaching hospital participated in the study. Interrater reliability of pupillary assessment of 136 nurses was determined. There was no significant difference in the reliability of nurses assessing pupillary size regardless of whether they used a penlight pupil gauge to measure or used observation without a pupil gauge. Agreement among the nurses on the pupillary size was high. Agreement on the pupillary reaction, however, was poor to good.

Humans↗