Barriers and Enablers to Implementing the Children's Hospital Early Warning Score: A Pre- and Post-Implementation Qualitative Descriptive Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify and compare barriers and enablers to the implementation of the Children's Hospital Early Warning Score (CHEWS) on a pediatric inpatient unit pre- and post-implementation. DESIGN AND METHODS: A qualitative descriptive design, guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework, was used to conduct semi-structured focus groups and individual interviews with nurses on a pediatric inpatient unit to identify barriers and enablers in the pre- and post- CHEWS implementation phases. Data were analyzed using a directed content analysis approach followed by inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Two pre-implementation focus groups (N = 15) and 8 post-implementation individual interviews with nurses were conducted. We identified pre- and post- CHEWS implementation barriers related to clinical decision making, interprofessional relationships, the unit context, and negative emotions, and enablers related to quality of care and patient safety. The identified barriers and enablers to implementation were categorized within 13 TDF domains. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings illustrate a range of barriers and enablers to CHEWS implementation during the pre- and post-implementation phases. Tailored strategies are needed to overcome barriers related to nurses' perceptions of CHEWS impeding clinical decision-making and interprofessional collaboration. By addressing the identified barriers, we can leverage nurses' motivations for using CHEWS to improve the quality of patient care and enhance patient safety. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The barriers and enablers identified in this study can be used to select implementation strategies to support the use of early warning systems in pediatric nursing practice.

Does overnight birth influence treatment or outcome in congenital diaphragmatic hernia?

We examined the effect of overnight birth on treatment and outcome (including initial cardiorespiratory stabilization) in newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). CDH births between May 2005 and May 2008 were abstracted from a national CDH database. Overnight birth was defined as occurring between 8 PM and 8 AM. Patient characteristics, treatment, and outcomes were compared between birth time groups, including the subset of infants in whom a prenatal diagnosis of CDH had been made. Of 132 cases evaluated, 106 (80%) survived. Forty-nine babies (37%) were born overnight. Eighty-five infants (64%) with a prenatal diagnosis were evenly distributed between the birth time cohorts. Survival to discharge, surgical management, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of hospital stay were comparable between the risk-matched (SNAP-II score) birth time groups. Overnight birth did predict a lower rate of cesarean section deliveries (P = 0.03). Escalation of ventilator mode, inability to achieve/maintain blood gas targets, development of pneumothorax, and need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were all considered "stabilization failures." Overnight birth predicted a failure to maintain or improve pH to within target range (P = 0.008). Overnight birth did not adversely affect outcome in this birth time comparison of newborns with CDH.

Long-term bowel function and quality of life in children with Hirschsprung's disease.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Little is known about the quality of life (QOL) of children with Hirschsprung's disease (HD) as they grow older. The purpose of this study was to measure the QOL and bowel function of these children as they mature. METHODS: All children who were surgically treated for HD at British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada between 1986 and 2003 were invited to participate. Each family was sent 3 previously validated questionnaires exploring current QOL and bowel function. RESULTS: Fifty-one families participated (49%), with children between the ages of 3 and 21 years. Fecal continence improved significantly with age (P = .04) and was the strongest predictor of QOL scores of all variables in our study. There was no statistically significant difference in QOL scores between children with HD and healthy children, although a clinically relevant impairment in QOL may be present, especially in psychosocial scores. CONCLUSIONS: Fecal continence is an important predictor of overall QOL in children surgically treated for HD. Although continence tends to improve with age, a number of older children still have ongoing continence problems, and they seem to be a group at risk for impaired QOL. Our study indicates that interventions for children with incontinence may offer gains in QOL as well as bowel function.