Paper
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Evidence-Based Protocol
Paulette Gallant, RNC, BSN, Nursing, R1, Nursing, R1, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME, USA
Historically, diabetes has been identified as a primary risk factor for complications following cardiac surgery. Recent studies suggest that hyperglycemia rather than diabetes is the primary offender. Continuous infusions of insulin for maintaining blood glucose levels below 150 were shown to reduce the length of hospital stay and mediastinitis in postoperative cardiac surgery patients. The hospital policy currently in practice did not reflect this latest research and was not followed consistently by nurses across units where cardiac surgery patients were receiving care. Using treatment of hyperglycemia as the context, this presentation will demonstrate the entire process in the Clinical Scholar model for identifying a practice problem, critiquing and synthesizing the internal and external evidence, creating an evidence-based protocol, and implementing and evaluating use of the protocol in practice. The challenges and support provided by an interdisciplinary approach will be highlighted.
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Sigma Theta Tau International
July 21, 2004