Effects of a National Quality Improvement Collaborative on ABCDEF Bundle Implementation

Background The ABCDEF bundle (Assess, prevent, and manage pain and Delirium; Both spontaneous awakening and breathing trials; Choice of analgesia/sedation; Early mobility; and Family engagement) improves intensive care unit outcomes, but adoption into practice is poor. Objective To assess the effect of quality improvement collaborative participation on ABCDEF bundle performance. Methods This interrupted time series analysis included 20 months of bundle performance data from 15 226 adults admitted to 68 US intensive care units. Segmented regression models were used to quantify complete and individual bundle element performance changes over time and compare performance patterns before (6 months) and after (14 months) collaborative initiation. Results Complete bundle performance rates were very low at baseline (<4%) but increased to 12% by the end. Complete bundle performance increased by 2 percentage points (SE, 0.9; P = .06) immediately after collaborative initiation. Each subsequent month was associated with an increase of 0.6 percentage points (SE, 0.2; P = .04). Performance rates increased significantly immediately after initiation for pain assessment (7.6% [SE, 2.0%], P = .002), sedation assessment (9.1% [SE, 3.7%], P = .02), and family engagement (7.8% [SE, 3%], P = .02) and then increased monthly at the same speed as the trend in the baseline period. Performance rates were lowest for spontaneous awakening/breathing trials and early mobility. Conclusions Quality improvement collaborative participation resulted in clinically meaningful, but small and variable, improvements in bundle performance. Opportunities remain to improve adoption of sedation, mechanical ventilation, and early mobility practices.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Visiting Policies: A Worldwide Survey

The purpose of this study was to evaluate pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) visiting policies around the world and how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected these policies, due to concerns relating to a viral transmission. A web-based international survey was designed and disseminated through social networks, emails, or direct messages. Two hundred forty-one answers were received. From these, 26 were excluded (13 due to missing location and 13 duplicated answers), resulting in a final number of 215 answers. Europe accounted for 35% of responses (n = 77), South America 22.4% (n = 49), North America 19% (n = 41), Asia 16.5% (n = 36), Central America 2.7% (n = 6), Oceania, and Africa 2.2% each (n = 5 each). Before the pandemic, reported admission/visiting policies already varied between continents. Family time schedules remained similar to the pre-pandemic period in half of European, Central, and South American units and have changed in 60% of Asian, African, North American, and Oceanian units. Access to PICUs has been granted for patients and caregivers tested negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS COV-2) in only part of studied PICUs. Isolation precautions for the visitors were intensified at the onset of the pandemic. Changes in visiting policies were observed in most PICUs worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, with some PICUs prohibiting any visitation by families. These changes can decrease possibilities of parental participation in emotional support and reduction of sedation needs, early mobility, and shared decision-making process and impact negatively both children and parental well-being and even patients' outcomes.

Promoting Early Mobility in Patients After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: An Evidence-Based Protocol

Background Aortic stenosis is prevalent among older adults and is commonly treated with transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Both high- and low-risk patients benefit from early mobility and discharge after this procedure; however, hospital protocols to improve patient mobility and shorten hospital stays have not been systematically implemented. Objective To develop and evaluate a post–transcatheter aortic valve replacement protocol to standardize care and efficiently advance patients from the operating room to discharge. Methods A prospective pre-post design was used to evaluate the effect of the new standardized protocol on length of stay, timing of mobility, time spent in intensive care, and quality of life in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement between April 2019 and March 2020. Interventions Interventions included team-based education and integration of an evidence-based order set into the electronic health record. Education was provided to both patients and staff. Results At 6 months after implementation of the intervention, statistically significant improvements were observed in mean overall (5.26 vs 2.45 days; P = .001) and postprocedure (3.05 vs 2.16 days; P = .004) length of stay. No significant difference was found in performance on the 5-meter walk test. Quality of life improved in both groups from baseline to 30-day follow-up (P = .01). Conclusion Implementation of the post–transcatheter aortic valve replacement protocol was associated with significant improvement in overall and postprocedure length of stay and improved quality of life. Additional work is needed to examine strategies to ensure safe next-day discharge.

The effect of non-pharmacologic strategies on prevention or management of intensive care unit delirium: a systematic review

Background: Post-operative delirium is a common complication among adult patients in the intensive care unit. Current literature does not support the use of pharmacologic measures to manage this condition, and several studies explore the potential for the use of non-pharmacologic methods such as early mobility plans or environmental modifications. The aim of this systematic review is to examine and report on recently available literature evaluating the relationship between non-pharmacologic management strategies and the reduction of delirium in the intensive care unit. Methods: Six major research databases were systematically searched for articles analyzing the efficacy of non-pharmacologic delirium interventions in the past five years. Search results were restricted to adult human patients aged 18 years or older in the intensive care unit setting, excluding terminally ill subjects and withdrawal-related delirium. Following title, abstract, and full text review, 27 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria and are included in this report. Results: The 27 reviewed articles consist of 12 interventions with a single-component investigational approach, and 15 with multi-component bundled protocols. Delirium incidence was the most commonly assessed outcome followed by duration. Family visitation was the most effective individual intervention while mobility interventions were the least effective. Two of the three family studies significantly reduced delirium incidence, while one in five mobility studies did the same. Multi-component bundle approaches were the most effective of all; of the reviewed studies, eight of 11 bundles significantly improved delirium incidence and seven of eight bundles decreased the duration of delirium. Conclusions: Multi-component, bundled interventions were more effective at managing intensive care unit delirium than those utilizing an approach with a single interventional element. Although better management of this condition suggests a decrease in resource burden and improvement in patient outcomes, comparative research should be performed to identify the importance of specific bundle elements.

Multidisciplinary, early mobility approach to enhance functional independence in patients admitted to a cardiothoracic intensive care unit: a quality improvement programme

Early mobilisation following cardiac surgery is vital for improved patient outcomes, as it has a positive effect on a patient’s physical and psychological recovery following surgery. We observed that patients admitted to the cardiothoracic intensive care unit (CTICU) following cardiac surgery had only bed exercises and were confined to bed until the chest tubes were removed, which may have delayed patients achieving functional independence. Therefore, the CTICU team implemented a quality improvement (QI) project aimed at the early mobilisation of patients after cardiac surgery.A retrospective analysis was undertaken to define the current mobilisation practices in the CTICU. The multidisciplinary team identified various practice gaps and tested several changes that led to the implementation of a successful early mobility programme. The tests were carried out and reported using rapid cycle changes. A model for improvement methodology was used to run the project. The outcomes of the project were analysed using standard ‘run chart rules’ to detect changes in outcomes over time and Welch’s t-test to assess the significance of these outcomes.This project was implemented in 2015. Patient compliance with early activity and mobilisation gradually reached 95% in 2016 and was sustained over the next 3 years. After the programme was implemented, the mean hours required for initiating out-of-bed-mobilisation was reduced from 22.77 hours to 11.74 hours. Similarly, functional independence measures and intensive care unit mobility scores also showed a statistically significant (p<0.005) improvement in patient transfers out of the CTICU.Implementing an early mobility programme for post-cardiac surgery patients is both safe and feasible. This QI project allowed for early activity and mobilisation, a substantial reduction in the number of hours required for initiating out-of-bed mobilisation following cardiac surgery, and facilitated the achievement of early ambulation and functional milestones in our patients.