Kaye Rolls

University of Wollongong | UOW · School of Nursing, Midwifery & Indigenous Health

Social media platforms can create virtual communities, enabling healthcare professionals to network with a broad range of colleagues and facilitate knowledge exchange. In 2003, an Australian state health department established an intensive care mailing list to address the professional isolation experienced by senior intensive care nurses. This arti...

Delirium is a common neuropsychiatric syndrome that is often overlooked in clinical settings. The most accurate instrument for screening delirium has not been established. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of the 4 'A's Test (4AT), Nursing Delirium Screening Scale (Nu-DESC), and Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) in detecting delir...

Background: With the increase in life expectancy around the globe, the incidence of postoperative delirium (POD) among older people (≥65 years) is growing. Previous studies showed a wide variation in the incidence of POD, from 4% to 53%, with a lack of specific evidence about the incidence of POD by specific surgery type among older people. The ai...

Online surveys are increasingly popular in research given their cost-effectiveness and potential reach. However, low response rates remain a key contributor to bias and the overall quality of results. Having a well-designed survey, providing financial remuneration, sending personalized invitations, having regular reminders, and using more than one...

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of the labels ‘heroes’ and ‘angels’ to describe nurses (and especially critical care nurses) became prevalent. While often well intentioned, the use of these labels may not be the most positive image of nurses and the nursing profession. Critical care nurses have not previously been given the opportu...

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic significantly raised the profile and visibility of critical care nurses and nursing. One notable characteristic of the increased profile of nurses is the tendency for the media and public to use terms of reverence such as angel or hero. These labels are undoubtedly bestowed on critical care nurses with good intention...

Background Delirium is an acute change in behaviour, characterised by a fluctuating course, inattention, and disorganised thinking. For critically ill adults in the intensive care, the incidence of delirium has been reported to be at least 30% and is associated with both short-term and long-term complications, longer hospital stay, increased risk o...

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic significantly raised the profile and visibility of critical care nurses and nursing. One notable characteristic of the increased profile of nurses is the tendency for the media and public to use terms of reverence such as angel or hero. These labels are undoubtedly bestowed on critical care nurses with good intention...

Background A sedentary lifestyle and being overweight or obese are well-established cardiovascular risk factors and contribute substantially to the global burden of disease. Changing such behavior is complex and requires support. Social media interventions show promise in supporting health behavior change, but their impact is unclear. Moreover, pre...

Objectives: To determine whether delirium prevention interventions reduce the risk of falls among older hospitalised patients. Methods: A systematic search of health-care databases was undertaken. Given the frequency of small sample sized trials, a trial sequential meta-analysis was conducted to present estimate summary effects to date. A Bayesi...

Abstract Objectives Patients after traumatic injury continue to develop health care–associated infections. The aim of this review was to identify risk factors for developing hospital-acquired infection and sepsis in patients experiencing a traumatic injury. Design This is an integrative review following the framework of Whittemore and Knafl. Data...

Background Delirium is an acute change in cognition, common among older hospitalized patients, however, patients of all ages are at risk of delirium during a hospital stay. The International Federation of Delirium Societies promotes, each year, a World Delirium Awareness Day , to raise the awareness of, not just recognizing delirium in the hospital...

Background Delirium is an acute disorder of attention and cognition with the highest rates among adults receiving intensive care. An acute episode of delirium is associated with morbidity and mortality, as well as a significant psychological sequela. Importantly, an increasing body of evidence supports the benefit of nonpharmacological, nurse-led i...

Aims and objectives: To explore the nature of knowledge exchange on a multi-disciplinary Australasian intensive care virtual community of practice, 'ICUConnect'. Background: Current organisational structures and cultures constrain the social networks of healthcare professionals, limiting access to contemporary best practice knowledge. While virt...

Background Delirium is an acute change in cognition, common among older hospitalized patients, however, patients of all ages are at risk of delirium during a hospital stay. The International Federation of Delirium Societies promotes, each year, a World Delirium Awareness Day, to raise the awareness of, not just recognizing delirium in the hospital...

BACKGROUND Clinical practice variation that result in poor patient outcomes remains a pressing problem for healthcare organizations. Some evidence suggests that a key factor may be ineffective internal and professional networks that limit knowledge exchange between healthcare professionals. Virtual communities (VC) have the potential to overcome pr...

Background Clinical practice variation that results in poor patient outcomes remains a pressing problem for health care organizations. Some evidence suggests that a key factor may be ineffective internal and professional networks that limit knowledge exchange among health care professionals. Virtual communities have the potential to overcome profes...

Objective To examine anti-microbial prescribing practices associated with ventilator-associated pneumonia from data gathered during an audit of practice and outcomes in intensive care units (ICUs) in a previously published study. Results The patient sample of 169 was 65% male with an average age of 59.7 years, a mean APACHE II score of 20.6, and a...

Background: Prevailing health care structures and cultures restrict intraprofessional communication, inhibiting knowledge dissemination and impacting the translation of research into practice. Virtual communities may facilitate professional networking and knowledge sharing in and between health care disciplines. Objectives: This study aimed to r...

Background: Many current challenges of evidence-based practice are related to ineffective social networks among health care professionals. Opportunities exist for multidisciplinary virtual communities to transcend professional and organizational boundaries and facilitate important knowledge transfer. Although health care professionals have been us...

Objectives: With disagreements on diagnostic criteria for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) hampering efforts to monitor incidence and implement preventative strategies, the study objectives were to develop a checklist for clinical surveillance of VAP, and conduct an audit in Australian/New Zealand intensive care units (ICUs) using the checklis...

Introduction: Over the past three decades, non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has emerged as a core therapy in the management of acute respiratory failure both inside and outside intensive care. The aim of this study was develop a guideline for inpatient adults in public hospitals. Aim: The aim of the guideline group was to develop a list of recommend...

BACKGROUND • Tracheal suctioning is fundamental to airway management for the adult critically ill intubated patient. • Both open suction systems (OSS) and closed suction systems (CSS) are used. • In 2007 ICCMU published suction guidelines for open and closed suction systems. • The purpose of this review was to update the 2007 ICCMU guidelines for b...

Oropharyngeal colonisation has been identified as a factor contributing to ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We sought to develop a clinical practice guideline for providing oral hygiene in the critically ill. Following a systematic literature review a prospectively derived consensus development conference was...

Ventilator associated pneumonia remains an important concern in the intensive care unit (ICU). An increasing body of evidence shows that mortality and morbidity can be reduced by implementing a range of preventive strategies, including optimizing oral hygiene. The aim of this feasibility study was to test two oral hygiene strategies on the effects...

Group learning and networking are integral to contemporary views of organisational and knowledge management, and learning. Current healthcare structures however create practice silos that promote professional isolation and limit the flow and uptake of knowledge. Computer mediated communication (CMC) technologies transcend time and geography, enabli...

There are a number of practice areas highlighted in the literature as important for the care of critically ill patients. However, the current implementation of evidence into clinical practice for these areas is largely unknown. The development of clinical practice guidelines can translate the current evidence into useful tools to guide clinicians i...

Background: Clinical practices or procedures based on the best available evidence are an essential resource within an intensive care unit (ICU). Maintaining the currency of a local clinical practice manual is challenging however, particularly in relation to the time required, other workload pressures and the availability of staff with relevant ski...

The Intensive Care Collaborative project was established with the specific aim of developing recommendations for clinical practice that are underpinned by the best available evidence to support the objective of improving the standard of care delivered in NSW Intensive Care Units. The eyecare clinical practice guideline for intensive care patients w...

This paper describes the initial establishment of the Intensive Care Coordination and Monitoring Unit (ICCMU), and reports on the implementation of a state-based intensive care Listserv, ICUConnect, for staff in ICUs in New South Wales, Australia. The aim of the Listserv was to decrease professional isolation in smaller and less resourced ICUs by d...

Oropharyngeal colonization with pathogenic organisms contributes to the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia in intensive care units. Although considered basic and potentially nonessential nursing care, oral hygiene has been proposed as a key intervention for reducing ventilator-associated pneumonia. Nevertheless, evidence from randomized...

Abstract Unplanned extubation (UEX) is considered a significant risk for a ventilated patient and the method of endotracheal tube (ETT) stabilisation plays a significant role in prevention of this and other complications of endotracheal intubation within an intensive care unit (ICU) environment. As part of a larger project, a group of senior inten...