In this issue of Critical Care Nursing Clinics, guest editors Kenneth Oja and Mary Beth Flynn Makic bring their considerable expertise to the topic of Challenging Conventions: Evidence-Based Updates to Traditional Practices. Top experts challenge long-standing nursing practices in critical care that persist despite a lack of supporting evidence or, in some cases, in direct contradiction to it. Readers will learn why certain traditional interventions remain commonplace, what current evidence suggests as best practice, and how shifting toward evidence-based care improves patient outcomes. By re-evaluating familiar routines through a critical lens, this issue empowers clinicians to reflect on their own practice, embrace updates supported by science, and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement in critical care settings. Contains 12 relevant, practice-oriented topics including acute delirium management; chlorhexidine gluconate oral care and prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia; peripheral intravenous management: vessel health; fluid restriction in heart failure; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on challenging conventions: evidence-based updates to traditional practices, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.
