Differences in European critical care nursing practice: a pilot study

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if there are differences in nursing practice between critical care units across Europe, if these practices are related to the perceived level of incorporation of evidence into nursing practice and/or to regional differences. Nurses attending the nursing session of the bi-annual conference of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine were asked to fill out a two page questionnaire which addressed five areas of practice: physical care, pain management, monitoring, weaning and ethical issues. Some differences were found between regions although there were no differences in the perception of whether these protocols were evidence-based.