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A Quality Improvement Project to Increase Adherence to a Pain, Agitation, and Delirium Protocol in the Intensive Care Unit.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Yan, W; Morgan, BT; Berry, P; Matthys, MK; Thompson, JA; Smallheer, BA
Published in: Dimensions of critical care nursing : DCCN
May 2019

In recent years, the incidence of delirium has grown to epidemic proportions in the intensive care setting with up to 80% of mechanically ventilated patients being affected. This can lead to adverse patient outcomes such as increased lengths of hospital stay, increased mortality rates, and increased long-term cognitive impairment.The objective of this project is to determine whether a quality improvement project can increase adherence to an existing pain, agitation, and delirium (PAD) protocol for enhanced patient outcomes.Chart audits were conducted to determine baseline compliance, use of the PAD protocol was measured, and the type of medications administered to each mechanically ventilated patient was assessed. Using the Knowledge-to-Action framework, a multidisciplinary, multidimensional educational module was then developed and implemented that included an online tutorial, point-of-care reminders, written materials, and verbal coaching. A 3-month postimplementation chart audit was conducted to determine whether increased protocol competence was achieved.Protocol use unexpectedly decreased from 74% to 41% (P < .01);however, compliance with medication recommendations did increase despite the decrease in use. Intravenous opioid use increased from 12% to 40% (P ≤ .001), whereas sedative propofol infusions decreased from 82% to 35% (P ≤ .001).The implementation of a multidimensional, multidisciplinary project was successful in increasing compliance to the clinical practice guidelines for the management of PAD in adult intensive care unit patients, despite a decrease in protocol use. This unanticipated decrease in protocol use indicates the need for additional research in this area. Future recommendations also include a review of the existing PAD protocol to determine whether revisions could be made to better suit the needs of the staff while also improving patient outcomes in the arena of delirium experienced during critical care stays.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Dimensions of critical care nursing : DCCN

DOI

EISSN

1538-8646

ISSN

0730-4625

Publication Date

May 2019

Volume

38

Issue

3

Start / End Page

174 / 181

Related Subject Headings

  • Quality Improvement
  • Psychomotor Agitation
  • Pain Management
  • Nursing
  • Intensive Care Units
  • Humans
  • Guideline Adherence
  • Delirium
  • Critical Care
  • Clinical Protocols
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Yan, W., Morgan, B. T., Berry, P., Matthys, M. K., Thompson, J. A., & Smallheer, B. A. (2019). A Quality Improvement Project to Increase Adherence to a Pain, Agitation, and Delirium Protocol in the Intensive Care Unit. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing : DCCN, 38(3), 174–181. https://doi.org/10.1097/dcc.0000000000000353
Yan, Wendy, Brett T. Morgan, Peter Berry, Mary K. Matthys, Julie A. Thompson, and Benjamin A. Smallheer. “A Quality Improvement Project to Increase Adherence to a Pain, Agitation, and Delirium Protocol in the Intensive Care Unit.Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing : DCCN 38, no. 3 (May 2019): 174–81. https://doi.org/10.1097/dcc.0000000000000353.
Yan W, Morgan BT, Berry P, Matthys MK, Thompson JA, Smallheer BA. A Quality Improvement Project to Increase Adherence to a Pain, Agitation, and Delirium Protocol in the Intensive Care Unit. Dimensions of critical care nursing : DCCN. 2019 May;38(3):174–81.
Yan, Wendy, et al. “A Quality Improvement Project to Increase Adherence to a Pain, Agitation, and Delirium Protocol in the Intensive Care Unit.Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing : DCCN, vol. 38, no. 3, May 2019, pp. 174–81. Epmc, doi:10.1097/dcc.0000000000000353.
Yan W, Morgan BT, Berry P, Matthys MK, Thompson JA, Smallheer BA. A Quality Improvement Project to Increase Adherence to a Pain, Agitation, and Delirium Protocol in the Intensive Care Unit. Dimensions of critical care nursing : DCCN. 2019 May;38(3):174–181.

Published In

Dimensions of critical care nursing : DCCN

DOI

EISSN

1538-8646

ISSN

0730-4625

Publication Date

May 2019

Volume

38

Issue

3

Start / End Page

174 / 181

Related Subject Headings

  • Quality Improvement
  • Psychomotor Agitation
  • Pain Management
  • Nursing
  • Intensive Care Units
  • Humans
  • Guideline Adherence
  • Delirium
  • Critical Care
  • Clinical Protocols