title: Crucial information needs of ICU charge nurses in Finland and Greece.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe crucial information needs of ICU charge nurses, and to compare these needs in two countries in Europe.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ICU charge nurses are on the front line for ensuring that the activities of their units are running smoothly. They are accountable for making sure that the right tasks are performed under the right circumstances, with the right people, at the right time.
  
  
  METHODS
  An online survey based on a previous observation study regarding the ad hoc decision-making of ICU shift leaders. A total of 257 Finnish and 50 Greek ICU charge nurses participated in this study, from 17 Finnish and 16 Greece ICUs for adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our survey incorporated 122 statements divided into six dimensions (patient admission, organization and management of work, allocation of staff, allocation of material, special treatments and patient discharge) with a rating scale from 0 to 10. Analysis involved descriptive statistics. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare the answers of the two countries. Validity was verified with confirmatory factor analysis and the reliability was tested with Cronbach's α values.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most crucial information needs of ICU charge nurses concerned the overall organization and management of work. Both staff-related and individual patient-related information was needed. Information needs of Finnish and Greek charge nurses concerned similar kinds of situations in ICUs. However, there were some differences that might depend on the cultural differences between the countries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Accurate and real-time information is a prerequisite for ICU charge nurses' ad hoc decision-making during daily care management. Identification of the most crucial information is needed when tools for information management are developed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study indicated that a major portion of immediate information needs of ICU charge nurses are internationally common in similar settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. hklula@utu.fi
authors.forename: Heljä
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lundgrén-Laine
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kalafati
authors.forename: Elina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kontio
authors.forename: Tommi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kauko
authors.forename: Sanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salanterä
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D064648:Critical Care Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D019451:Information Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009745:Nursing, Supervisory