Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the administration patterns of sedatives and paralytic agents for mechanically ventilated patients. Method: The participants were 18 adult patients who received mechanical ventilation therapy for more than 1 day in the MICU. Collected data were type of injected medications, administration interval, injected amount, administration purpose and patient assessment by nurses. Result: Mean age of the patients was 61 years old. Seventy-two percent were male. Only 2 drugs (midazolam and norcuron) were administered to most of subjects. The type of medication administered was less heterogeneous than in previous studies. Most of the patients received sedatives and paralytics intermittently. Six different methods were used by nurses to administer sedatives and paralytics. The mean injection frequency was 9.3 times/day for sedatives and 10.8 times/day for paralytic agents. The most common purpose for administration of the drugs was full sedation of the patient (57%). Conclusion: Since a few patients received sedatives and paralytic agents higher than usual dose and a few Patients received those drugs lower than usual dose, nurses need to use proper protocols and guidelines for sedation to avoid oversedation and undersedation.
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