Poster Presentation
Thursday, 20 July 2006
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Thursday, 20 July 2006
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
This presentation is part of : Poster Presentations II
Preventing Aspiration Pneumonia: Dysphagia and Oral Care
Margaret A. McKenzie, BA, LPN, Acute Medicine Unit, George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA and Susan B. Childress, RN, MN, OCN, Acute Medicine Unit, George Wahlen Veterans Affairs Hospital of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Learning Objective #1: 1)name three risk factors for nosocomial pneumonia
Learning Objective #2: 2)name three interventions to reduce risk of nosocomial pneumonia
Nosocomial pneumonia (NP) affects a significant number of patients on acute care units, elevating their risk of death and disability.  Hospitals can reduce NP rates by implementing protective policies that emphasize oral care, positional protection and routine aspiration assessment. Staff nurses at the George Wahlen Veterans Affairs Hospital in Salt Lake City implemented a protocol for routine assessment and care for patients with dysphagia and other risk factors for NP.  The primary outcome of this intervention was improved documentation of oral care.  The protocol showed a positive effect on patient care with decreases in numbers of NP patients retained on the AMU.  This poster will show risk factors, interventions, findings and outcomes of a research-based protocol. The poster is designed to educate other staff nurses about the potential for implementing similar programs elsewhere.

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See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)