Skin Preparation and Electrode Replacement to Reduce Alarm Fatigue in a Community Hospital Intensive Care Unit

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 390-395
Author(s):  
Debbie Leigher ◽  
Paula Kemppainen ◽  
David M. Neyens
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Skin Preparation ◽  
Workload Management ◽  
Alarm Fatigue ◽  
Clinical Alarms ◽  
The Impact

Background Nurses in intensive care units are exposed to hundreds of alarms during a shift, and research shows that most alarms are not clinically relevant. Alarm fatigue can occur when a nurse becomes desensitized to alarms. Alarm fatigue can jeopardize patient safety, and adverse alarm events can lead to patients dying. Objective To evaluate how a process intervention affects the number of alarms during an 8-hour shift in an intensive care unit. Methods A total of 62 patients from an intensive care unit were included in the study; 32 of these patients received the intervention, which included washing the patient’s chest with soap and water and applying new electrocardiography electrodes at the start of a shift. The number of alarms, clinical diagnoses, and demographic variables were collected for each patient. A Poisson regression model was used to evaluate the impact of the intervention on the overall number of clinical alarms during the shift, with no adjustments to the alarm settings or other interventions. Results After relevant covariates are controlled for, the results suggest that patients in the intervention group presented significantly fewer alarms than did patients in the control group. Conclusions Managing clinical alarms is a main issue in terms of both patient safety and staff workload management. The results of this study demonstrate that a relatively simple process-oriented strategy can decrease the number of alarms.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Dry Hydrogen Peroxide on Reducing Environmental Microbial Bioburden Risk in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s516-s517
Author(s):  
Mario Melgar ◽  
Marylin Ramirez ◽  
Laura Matheu ◽  
Miguel Gomez ◽  
Jose Amadeo Ferrolino
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Hydrogen Peroxide ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Air Samples ◽  
Atp Levels ◽  
The Impact

Background: Environmental contamination is a known risk factor for healthcare-associated infection acquisition. Transmission of pathogens from the environment can occur from indirect or direct patient contact with the environment or via healthcare workers’ hands. Dry hydrogen peroxide (DHP) has been shown to reduce microbial contamination in the hospital setting. This novel technology allows safe delivery of hydrogen peroxide in an occupied space, using ambient air and humidity to help create DHP. This study describes the implementation of DHP as an adjunct to routine environmental cleaning and disinfection, with the goal of reducing air and surface microbial bioburden in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a pediatric oncology hospital in Guatemala. Methods: A prospective IRB-approved study was conducted. Two rooms served as controls and 2 rooms served as intervention DHP sites. Air and surface cultures (5 high-touch, 2 low-touch) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) swabs were collected from study areas for 1 week prior to deployment of the portable DHP units and at various time points for 1 month during the intervention phase. Air samples were collected using settling plates. The level of microbial burden was measured using colony-forming units (CFU) and ATP levels. A comparison between groups was carried out using Poisson regression analyses for CFU counts and linear regression analyses for log-transformed ATP levels. Results: In total, 280 surface cultures and ATP surface swabs were collected and analyzed. The overall mean microbial burden was significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group (mean, 5.50 vs 11.77; P ≤ .0001). Reductions in microbial CFU were observed across all sampling sites in the intervention group. ATP readings in both control and intervention group showed passing levels of surface cleanliness. ATP was measured in terms of relative light units (RLU). A reduction in the mean RLU levels was also noted in the intervention group compared to the control group (172.08 vs 225.83; P ≤ .006). A reduction in aerobic CFU was seen as well in the air samples in the intervention group but was not statistically significant (P = .139). The ICU census was full, and services were not affected. Conclusions: DHP was effective in reducing surface and air microbial bioburden in an occupied space. Further studies of the impact of DHP decontamination on incidence of nosocomial infections should be performed.Funding: This study was supported by Synexis.Disclosures: None

scholarly journals INVESTIGATING EFFECT OF NURSING INTERVENTIONS, BASED ON WELLS SCORE RESULTS, ON THE INCIDENCE OF DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS IN PATIENTS ADMITTED TO THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 377
Author(s):  
Morteza Habibi Moghadam ◽  
Marzieh Asadizaker ◽  
Simin Jahani ◽  
Elham Maraghi ◽  
Hakimeh Saadatifar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Deep Vein Thrombosis ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Nursing Interventions ◽  
Vein Thrombosis ◽  
Wells Score ◽  
Deep Vein ◽  
Pitting Edema

 Objective: Venous thromboembolism, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a common complaint in critically ill patients. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of nursing interventions, based on the Wells results, on the incidence of DVT in intensive care unit (ICU) patients.Methods: The present clinical trial was conducted on 72 ICU patients without DVT and PE who met the inclusion criteria according to Wells score in Dr. Ganjavian Hospital, Dezful in 2012. The participants were investigated and randomly divided into intervention (n=36) and control groups (n=36). The intervention group received preventive nursing measures based on the risk level determined by the Wells score, and routine therapeutic interventions were performed for the control group. Then, patients were evaluated using Wells score, D-dimer testing, and Doppler sonography on the 1st, 5th, and 10th days. Data were finally coded and entered into SPSS version 23. Data analysis was performed using Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and Mann–Whitney U tests.Results: The incidence of DVT in both groups showed that 2 patients of the control group who were identified to be at risk using the Wells score were diagnosed with DVT while none of the patients of the intervention group experienced DVT. The present study showed that 22.2% of the patients of the control group suffered from non-pitting edema, which was significantly different from the intervention group (p=0.005).Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that using the Wells score for early identification of the at-risk patients and nursing interventions based on this score’s results is helpful in the prevention of DVT. Appropriate nursing interventions were also effective in reducing the incidence of non-pitting edema in the lower extremities.

Improving Family Communications at the End of Life: Implications for Length of Stay in the Intensive Care Unit and Resource Use

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Ahrens ◽  
Valerie Yancey ◽  
Marin Kollef
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Resource Utilization ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Clinical Nurse Specialist ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Nurse Specialist ◽  
Clinical Nurse

• Background Inadequate communication persists between healthcare professionals and patients and patients’ families in intensive care units. Unwanted or ineffective treatments can occur when patients’ goals of care are unknown or not honored, increasing costs and care. Having the primary physician provide medical information and then having a physician and clinical nurse specialist team improve opportunities for patients and their families to process that information could improve the situation. This model has not been tested for its effect on patients’ outcomes and resource utilization.• Objectives To evaluate the effect of a communication team that included a physician and a clinical nurse specialist on length of stay and costs for patients near the end of life in the intensive care unit.• Methods During a 1-year period, patients judged to be at high risk for death (N = 151) were divided into 2 groups: 43 patients who were cared for by the medical director teamed with a clinical nurse specialist and 108 patients who received standard care, provided by an attending physician.• Results Compared with the control group, patients in the intervention group had significantly shorter stays in both the intensive care unit (6.1 vs 9.5 days) and the hospital (11.3 vs 16.4 days) and had lower fixed ($15 559 vs $24 080) and variable ($5087 vs $8035) costs.• Conclusions Use of a physician and a clinical nurse specialist focused on improving communication with patients and patients’ families reduced lengths of stay and resource utilization.

Cerebral Oximetry Monitoring to Maintain Normal Cerebral Oxygen Saturation during High-risk Cardiac Surgery

2016 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 826-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Deschamps ◽  
Richard Hall ◽  
Hilary Grocott ◽  
C. David Mazer ◽  
Peter T. Choi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Cardiac Surgery ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Perioperative Outcomes ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cerebral Oxygen ◽  
Cerebral Desaturation ◽  
Cerebral Saturation

Abstract Background Cerebral oxygen desaturation during cardiac surgery has been associated with adverse perioperative outcomes. Before a large multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) on the impact of preventing desaturations on perioperative outcomes, the authors undertook a randomized prospective, parallel-arm, multicenter feasibility RCT to determine whether an intervention algorithm could prevent desaturations. Methods Eight Canadian sites randomized 201 patients between April 2012 and October 2013. The primary outcome was the success rate of reversing cerebral desaturations below 10% relative to baseline in the intervention group. Anesthesiologists were blinded to the cerebral saturation values in the control group. Intensive care unit personnel were blinded to cerebral saturation values for both groups. Secondary outcomes included the area under the curve of cerebral desaturation load, enrolment rates, and a 30-day follow-up for adverse events. Results Cerebral desaturations occurred in 71 (70%) of the 102 intervention group patients and 56 (57%) of the 99 control group patients (P = 0.04). Reversal was successful in 69 (97%) of the intervention group patients. The mean cerebral desaturation load (SD) in the operating room was smaller for intervention group patients compared with control group patients (104 [217] %.min vs. 398 [869] %.min, mean difference, −294; 95% CI, −562 to −26; P = 0.03). This was also true in the intensive care unit (P = 0.02). There were no differences in adverse events between the groups. Conclusions Study sites were successful in reversal of desaturation, patient recruitment, randomization, and follow-up in cardiac surgery, supporting the feasibility of conducting a large multicenter RCT.

scholarly journals Reducing errors in the administration of medication with infusion pumps in the intensive care department: A lean approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 205031211882262
Author(s):  
Alexander F van der Sluijs ◽  
Eline R van Slobbe-Bijlsma ◽  
Astrid Goossens ◽  
Alexander PJ Vlaar ◽  
Dave A Dongelmans
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Medication Errors ◽  
Infusion Pump ◽  
Baseline Measurement ◽  
Infusion Pumps ◽  
Improvement Measures ◽  
The Impact

Background: Medication errors occur frequently and may potentially harm patients. Administering medication with infusion pumps carries specific risks, which lead to incidents that affect patient safety. Objective: Since previous attempts to reduce medication errors with infusion pumps failed in our intensive care unit, we chose the Lean approach to accomplish a 50% reduction of administration errors in 6 months. Besides improving quality of care and patient safety, we wanted to determine the effectiveness of Lean in healthcare. Methods: We conducted a before-and-after observational study. After baseline measurement, a value stream map (a detailed process description, used in Lean) was made to identify important underlying causes of medication errors. These causes were discussed with intensive care unit staff during frequent stand-up sessions, resulting in small improvement cycles and bottom-up defined improvement measures. Pre-intervention and post-intervention measurements were performed to determine the impact of the improvement measures. Infusion pump syringes and related administration errors were measured during unannounced sequential audits. Results: Including the baseline measurement, 1748 syringes were examined. The percentage of errors concerning the administration of medication by infusion pumps decreased from 17.7% (95% confidence interval, 13.7–22.4; 55 errors in 310 syringes) to 2.3% (95% confidence interval, 1–4.6; 7 errors in 307 syringes) in 18 months (p < 0.0001). Conclusion and Relevance: The Lean approach proved to be helpful in reducing errors in the administration of medication with infusion pumps in a high complex intensive care environment.

Impact of Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis Algorithm Study

2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 810-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian J Coursol ◽  
Sabrina E Sanzari
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Stress Ulcer ◽  
Treatment Algorithm ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Ulcer Prophylaxis ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND: In the intensive care unit at Royal Victoria Hospital, we noted that drugs prescribed for stress ulcer prophylaxis were not always indicated or optimal. Accordingly, we implemented an algorithm for stress ulcer prophylaxis to guide the medical team in their decisions. The agents selected for the algorithm were intravenous famotidine and omeprazole suspension or tablets, depending on the available administration route. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a treatment algorithm on the appropriateness of prescriptions for stress ulcer prophylaxis. METHODS: A quasi-experimental—type evaluative study was conducted based on a pre-/post-intervention design without a concurrent control group. A total of 555 complete admissions met the selection criteria; 303 patients formed the pre-intervention group, and 252 made up the post-intervention group (exposed to the treatment algorithm). RESULTS: After implementation of the algorithm, the proportion of inappropriate prophylaxis was decreased (95.7% vs 88.2%; p = 0.033). The number of days of inappropriate prophylaxis was also reduced significantly (p = 0.013), as was the cost per patient (p = 0.003) for all admissions. However, no difference was observed when the subgroup of patients who received prophylaxis alone was studied (p = 0.098 and p = 0.918). The presence of bleeding was similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Introduction by pharmacists of a treatment algorithm for stress ulcer prophylaxis in intensive care units allows a reduction of inappropriate prescriptions and thus a reduction in the cost of drugs. The use of omeprazole suspension seems to be an alternative to intravenous histamine2-inhibitors; however, a large-scale study is necessary to confirm the efficacy and safety of proton-pump inhibitors administered by an enteral tube.

scholarly journals EFFECTIVENESS OF SUCTION ABOVE CUFF ENDOTRACHEAL TUBE (SACETT) IN PREVENTING VENTILATOR ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA IN CRITICAL PATIENTS IN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 380-389
Author(s):  
Arfiyan Sukmadi ◽  
Rr Sri Endang Pujiastuti ◽  
Aris Santjaka ◽  
Supriyadi Supriyadi
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Endotracheal Tube ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Ventilator Associated Pneumonia ◽  
Mechanical Ventilator ◽  
Control Group Design ◽  
Bacterial Development ◽  
Critical Patients

Background: The mechanical ventilator is an indispensable breathing tool in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). But the mechanical ventilator is associated with the risk of Ventilator Associated Penumonia (VAP). VAP occurs due to poor hygiene of the endotracheal tube (ETT). ETT hygiene should be maintained to inhibit bacterial development in the lungs using suction above cuff endotracheal tube (SACETT) to prevent VAP.Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of SACETT in preventing Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) in critical patients in the ICU.Methods: This was a quasy experimental study with posttest only with control group design with 15 samples in intervention group (SACETT and Chlorhexidine 0.2%) and 15 in control group (ETT, Open Suction, and Chlorhexidine 0.2%) with purposive technique sampling. The Simplified Clnical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS) was used to measure VAP.Results: This study illustrates that there was no VAP incidence in the intervention group, and as much as 13.3% VAP in the control group. SACETT was more effective in preventing VAP than in standard ETT on day 4 (p = 0.001).Conclusion: SACETT is more effective in preventing VAP than standard ETT in the fourth day in patients with neurological, cardiovascular, urinary, digestive, and immune system disorders.

scholarly journals Comparing Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nursing Support in Mothers With ‎Newborn Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and Mothers of Healthy Neonates ‎

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyedeh Najmeh Hosseini ◽  
Arash Ghodousi ◽  
Narges Sadeghi ◽  
Somayeh Abbasi
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Abstinence Syndrome ◽  
Nursing Support ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Background: The experience of having neonates in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a psychological crisis. It might cause many emotional problems for parents. Entire parental support is among the duties of the healthcare team. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the nursing support received by the mothers with Newborn Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and the mothers of other neonates admitted to the NICU. Methods: The present cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study was conducted in the selected hospitals in Kerman Province, Iran. In total, 62 mothers with NAS and 61 non-addicted mothers with neonates admitted to the NICU were selected through convenience sampling method. The inclusion criteria were neonates under the care of parents, neonate admitted to the NICU for at least 24 hours, opiate dependence in the case group mothers, and no substance dependence in the control group mothers. The amount of nursing support for mothers having neonates with NAS was compared with that of the control mothers. The study groups were homogenized in terms of the study variables (neonate age, gender, and the duration of hospitalization). The required data were collected by the Nurse-Parent Support Tool (NPST) and analyzed in SPSS. Results: The study results revealed that among the neonates of 123 mothers, 75(60.97%) were boys, and 58(39.02%) were girls. The majority of neonates in both groups were breastfed. The mean±SD age of the mothers in the case and control group were 31.93±7.25 and 28.99±4.36 years, respectively. The nursing support level was desirable in both groups, and no significant difference was found in this regard (P>0.05). Furthermore, the level of nursing support in emotional, information-communication, self-esteem, and quality caregiving support dimensions was desirable in both groups. Conclusion: The obtained results revealed that nurses’ support was desirable in both groups. The prevalence of maternal addiction and the impact of this social harm on neonates who were admitted are essential. Furthermore, families having neonates with NAS need more support from the healthcare staff and nurses, in comparison with healthy parents; thus, the importance of this issue should be addressed in training and briefing courses for nurses.

scholarly journals The Effect of Abdominal Massage on Enteral Complications in Geriatric Patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 237796082096377
Author(s):  
Onur Çetinkaya ◽  
Özlem Ovayolu ◽  
Nimet Ovayolu
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Geriatric Patients ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Residual Volume ◽  
Gastric Residual Volume ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Abdominal Massage ◽  
Positive Effect

Introduction and Purpose Geriatric patients, who are fed by nasogastric tube (NG), may suffer from complications. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of abdominal massage on Gastric residual volume (GRV), distension, vomiting, and defecation in geriatric patients, who were hospitalized in intensive care unit and fed by NG. Methods The quasi-experimental study was conducted in intensive care units. The researcher applied abdominal massage to patients in the intervention group (n = 30) twice a day for 15–20 minutes before feeding. The data of the study were collected by using a questionnaire and a parameter questionnaire. Results GRV decreased significantly in the intervention group and increased significantly in the control group ( p < 0.05). The frequency of defecation significantly increased in intervention group ( p < 0.05). It was found that there was no positive effect of abdominal massage on vomiting ( p > 0.05). Conclusion It was observed that while abdominal massage reduced high GRV and distension incidence, it increased the incidence of defecation.

Alarm Fatigue

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Sendelbach ◽  
Marjorie Funk
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Regulatory Agencies ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Skin Preparation ◽  
Alarm Fatigue ◽  
Number Of False Alarms ◽  
Clinical Alarms ◽  
National Patient ◽  
Sensory Overload ◽  
Excessive Number

Research has demonstrated that 72% to 99% of clinical alarms are false. The high number of false alarms has led to alarm fatigue. Alarm fatigue is sensory overload when clinicians are exposed to an excessive number of alarms, which can result in desensitization to alarms and missed alarms. Patient deaths have been attributed to alarm fatigue. Patient safety and regulatory agencies have focused on the issue of alarm fatigue, and it is a 2014 Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal. Quality improvement projects have demonstrated that strategies such as daily electrocardiogram electrode changes, proper skin preparation, education, and customization of alarm parameters have been able to decrease the number of false alarms. These and other strategies need to be tested in rigorous clinical trials to determine whether they reduce alarm burden without compromising patient safety.

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