Paper
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
This presentation is part of : Posters
The Impact of Using Clinical Practice Guidelines on Nursing Practice Patterns and Patient Outcomes
Karen Ann Grigsby, PhD, RN, College of Nursing, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA and Bonnie Wesorick, RN, MSN, CPM Resource Center, Grand Rapids, MI, USA.
Learning Objective #1: Describe changes in nurses’ practice patterns after introduction of Clinical Practice Model's Clinical Practice Guidelines.
Learning Objective #2: Describe changes in patient morbidity and mortality after nurses begin using Clinical Practice Model's Clinical Practice Guidelines as a part of their practice.
Objective: The purpose of this study is to describe nursing practice patterns and the occurrence of complications experienced by patients hospitalized for congestive heart failure or cerebral vascular accident. Significance: Hospital nurses provide care to patients who are acutely ill, have co-morbidities, and are hospitalized for shorter lengths of stay. Nursing surveillance is related to the mortality and morbidity of patients (Institute of Medicine, 2003). Multiple demands decrease the nurses’ ability to maintain adequate surveillance of patients. The use of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) (CPMRC, 2003) to identify potential complications alerts nurses to monitor patients for developing complications and to begin intervention early, thus decreasing patient mortality and morbidity. Design: This is a descriptive study using a case study approach. Population, Sample, Setting: Two patient care units in one Midwest hospital that is introducing CPMRC’s CPG is the setting for this study. Nurses caring for adult patients admitted with diagnoses of congestive heart failure (CHF) or cerebral vascular accident (CVA) comprise the sample. Intervention and Outcome Variables: Introduction of the CPG for Congestive Heart Failure and Cerebral Vascular Accident to nurses and their use in practice is the intervention for this study. The expected outcomes are a change in nurses’ practice patterns, a decrease in patient complications, and a decrease in the number of failure to rescue incidents. Methods: Data will be collected prior to the introduction of the CPG and at the following intervals: 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. Data collection includes: 1) demographic data; 2) review of discharge summaries, patient care plans; and nursing documentation; 3) organizational reports of the number and type of patient complications and failure to rescue situations, and 4) unstructured interviews of nurses describing changes in their practice patterns after introduction of CPG. Findings: This study is in process.

Back to Posters
Back to Evidence-Based Nursing: Strategies for Improving Practice
Sigma Theta Tau International
July 21, 2004