Blanket Bolus: The Use of Weighted Blankets in the Intensive Care Unit

Activity Summary

Required reading for all learners: Implicit Bias impacts patient outcomes

Mechanically ventilated patients require sedating medications and can become agitated during the waking process, which may ultimately lead to increased sedation. Increased sedation leads to prolonged mechanical ventilation and length of stay. This session examines the challenges in managing patients who require ventilation, analyze a change project which used weighted blankets in an adult intensive care unit and how a change project led to innovation of an improved medical-grade weighted blanket.

Objectives

Analyze the challenges in recognizing and managing agitation in adult patients requiring mechanical ventilation.
Evaluate the effects of weighted blankets and appropriate patient populations.
Discuss components of our project, share how to enable participants to apply in their units, and describe how it has led to innovation.

Continuing Education Disclosure Statement

Criteria for Awarding Contact Hours

Learners must complete the entire activity and the associated evaluation AND read Implicit Bias impacts patient outcomes. No partial credit will be awarded.

Accreditation

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider number CEP 1036, for {contactHours} contact hours.

Disclosures

The Nurse Planner has determined that no individuals with the ability to control content of this activity have relevant relationships with ineligible companies.

Activities with pharmacotherapeutic credit are to assist the APRN in fulfilling their education requirements for licensure and certification renewals.

Refund Policy

Continuing Education Activities are nonrefundable.