Brandi Vanderspank-Wright, Frances Fothergill Bourbonnais, Cynthia Toman, Christine McPherson
BACKGROUND: The early 1960s marked the opening of intensive care units (ICUs) in several hospitals across Canada. From the beginning, registered nurses constituted the largest body of health care providers in the ICU environment and they were the central provider of hands-on care to patients and families. From a historical perspective, however, a limited body of knowledge exists specific to the development of ICU nursing in Canada. PURPOSE: In this study we explored the development of ICU nursing in Canada from 1960 to 2002 using a social history approach that emphasized the creation of an historical account from the perspective of the everyday experiences of ICU nurses...
2015: Canadian Journal of Critical Care Nursing