Background Patients receiving mechanical ventilation are at high risk for pneumonia due to aspiration. Published guidelines recommend elevating the head of the bed 30º to 45º, if not contraindicated, to reduce risk, but this intervention is underused. Objectives To facilitate incorporating evidence-based practice by improving positioning of patients receiving mechanical ventilation and to identify patient and nurse characteristics that predict use of the guideline. Methods A modified interrupted time-series design was used. Data were collected on 43 patients and 33 nurses 3 separate times in a 12-bed intensive care unit at a medium-sized hospital. A total of 105 observations were recorded for analysis each time. Results Mean elevations of the head of the bed increased significantly from phase 1 (27.7º) to phase 2 (31.7º) and from phase 1 to phase 3 (31.1º). Elevations were higher for tube-fed patients than for patients not given enteral tube feedings. Elevations were higher for patients with a pulmonary-related diagnosis and lower for patients with a gastrointestinal diagnosis than for patients with other diagnoses. Elevations were lower for patients with a body mass index between 25.0 and 29.9 (overweight) than for patients with other body mass index values. Nurse characteristics were not significant predictors of elevation. Conclusion A nursing clinical decision support system integrated into a patient's electronic flow sheet can increase nurses' adherence to guidelines. Pulmonary and gastrointestinal diagnoses, body mass index, and tube feeding are predictors of elevation of the head of the bed.
This article describes the development and implementation of a nursing clinical decision support system that prompts nurses to place mechanically ventilated patients in a semirecumbent position in the absence of contraindications. A literature review is provided regarding (1) ventilator-associated pneumonia and recommendations from expert panels to maintain mechanically ventilated patients in a semirecumbent position (unless contraindicated) and (2) clinical decision support systems. Use of clinical decision support systems has primarily been developed for physicians; however, there is growing interest in expanding this technology to nurses working in the clinical area. Despite recommendations from organizations such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to maintain mechanically ventilated patients in a head-elevated position, there is evidence that the practice is not adequately adhered to. Therefore, a nursing clinical decision support system (in the form of a reminder) that prompts nurses to adhere to this recommendation was designed and implemented.
Assessing usability of an electronic medical record is useful for organizations wishing to customize their electronic medical record and determine the impact on usability. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of a protocol to measure electronic medical record usability from a nursing perspective and to develop a scoring methodology. The Technical Evaluation, Testing, and Validation of the Usability of Electronic Health Records (NISTIR 7804), published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, guided protocol development. Usability was determined by measuring effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. Satisfaction was measured by the System Usability Scale, while effectiveness and efficiency were measured via performance testing by participants, who completed one of three scenarios. A protocol and scoring formula were developed and used to assess nursing usability, resulting in an overall "C" grade for the electronic medical record. Protocol implementation and the scoring/grading calculations can be replicated to assess electronic medical record usability. The three scenarios used in this protocol will be made available upon request from the primary author to promote the use of electronic medical record usability assessment. Using and expanding upon the government's recommended usability assessment guidelines, we were successful in measuring nursing electronic medical record usability and rating an electronic medical record.
The Health Information Technology and Clinical Health Act (one component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) is responsible for providing incentive payments to hospitals and eligible providers in an effort to support the adoption of electronic health records. Future penalties are planned for electronic health record noncompliance. In order to receive incentives and avoid penalties, hospitals and eligible providers must demonstrate "meaningful use" of their electronic health records. One of the meaningful-use objectives established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services involves the use of a clinical decision support rule that addresses a hospital-defined, high-priority condition. This article describes the Plan-Do-Study-Act process for creating and implementing a nursing clinical decision support system designed to improve guideline adherence for hypoglycemia management. This project identifies hypoglycemia management as the high-priority area. However, other facilities with different high-priority conditions may find the process presented in this article useful for implementing additional clinical decision support rules geared toward improving outcomes and meeting federal mandates.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.