Comparison of staff and family perceptions of causes of noise pollution in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and suggested intervention strategies.

Noise and excessive, unwanted sound in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is common and has a major impact on patients' sleep and recovery. Previous research has focused mostly on absolute noise levels or included only staff as respondents to acknowledge the causes of noise and to plan for its reduction. Thus far, the suggested interventions have not ameliorated noise, and it continues to serve as a barrier to recovery. In addition to surveying PICU providers through internet-based software, patients' families were evaluated through in-person interviews utilizing a pretested instrument over 3 months. Families of patients admitted for more than 24 h were considered eligible for evaluation. Participants were asked to rank causes of noise from 1 to 8, with eight being highest, and identified potential interventions as effective or ineffective. In total, 50 families from 251 admissions and 65 staff completed the survey. Medical alarms were rated highest (mean ± standard deviation [SD], 4.9 ± 2.1 [2.8-7.0]), followed by noise from medical equipment (mean ± SD, 4.7 ± 2.1 [2.5-6.8]). This response was consistent among PICU providers and families. Suggested interventions to reduce noise included keeping a patient's room door closed, considered effective by 93% of respondents (98% of staff; 88% of families), and designated quiet times, considered effective by 82% (80% of staff; 84% of families). Keeping the patient's door closed was the most effective strategy among survey respondents. Most families and staff considered medical alarms an important contributor to noise level. Because decreasing the volume of alarms such that it cannot be heard is inappropriate, alternative strategies to alert staff of changes in vital signs should be explored.

Identifying hospitalized pediatric patients for early discharge planning: a feasibility study.

A screening tool utilized by nurses at a critical point in the discharge planning process has the potential to improve caregiver decisions and enhance communication. The Early Screen for Discharge Planning-Child version (ESDP-C) identifies pediatric patients early in their hospital stay who will benefit from early engagement of a discharge planner. This study used a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent comparison group design to evaluate the impact of the ESDP-C on important outcomes related to discharge planning. Findings from the study provide preliminary evidence that the integration of the ESDP-C into the pediatric discharge planning process may be clinically useful.

Improving Mobility Practices of Critically Ill Children.

INTRODUCTION: This quality improvement project aimed to improve mobility practices in a pediatric intensive care unit. METHOD: Three interventions were implemented: a staff-developed mobility progression guideline (including patient mobility phase identification using animal images), physical therapy (PT), and occupational therapy (OT) referrals for all patients with expected hospitalizations of more than 3 days, and the use of activity goal posters. The frequency of mobility activities performed, the number of PT and OT referrals and nurses' confidence in mobilizing patients were compared before and after project implementation. RESULTS: Improvements occurred in the median number of daily mobility activities per patient encounter (1.5-4.0), number of PT and OT referrals (43% and 61% increase, respectively), and nurses' confidence in mobilizing patients (69% of clinical nurses agreed their confidence in mobilizing patients improved after protocol implementation). DISCUSSION: Implementation of an interprofessional mobility quality improvement project improved mobility practices in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Overcoming Barriers to Delirium Screening in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND: Delirium is associated with poor outcomes in adults but is less extensively studied in children. OBJECTIVES: To describe a quality improvement initiative to implement delirium assessment in a pediatric intensive care unit and to identify barriers to delirium screening completion. METHODS: A survey identified perceived barriers to delirium assessment. Failure modes and effects analysis characterized factors likely to impede assessment. A randomized case-control study evaluated factors affecting assessment by comparing patients always assessed with patients never assessed. RESULTS: Delirium assessment was completed in 57% of opportunities over 1 year, with 2% positive screen results. Education improved screening completion by 20%. Barriers to assessment identified by survey (n = 25) included remembering to complete assessments, documentation outside workflow, and "busy patient." Factors with high risk prediction numbers were lack of time and paper charting. Patients always assessed had more severe illness (median Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 score, 0.90 vs 0.36; P < .001), more developmental disabilities (moderate to severe pediatric cerebral performance category score, 54% vs 32%; P = .007), and admission during lower pediatric intensive care unit census (median [interquartile range], 10 [9-12] vs 12 [10-13]; P < .001) than did those never assessed (each group, n = 80). Patients receiving mechanical ventilation were less likely to be assessed (41.0% vs 51.2%, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Successful implementation of pediatric delirium screening may be associated with early use of quality improvement tools to identify assessment barriers, comprehensive education, monitoring system with feedback, multidisciplinary team involvement, and incorporation into nursing workflow models.

Introducing Essential Oils into Pediatric and Other Practices at an Academic Medical Center.

Aromatherapy is an integrative intervention that uses essential oils to address symptom management, potentially as a first-line intervention or as a complement to other medical treatments. Aromatherapy is gaining widespread acceptance and increased scientific evidence of efficacy. Integrative and holistic nursing care uses integrative therapies such as aromatherapy and the principle of moving from a less invasive intervention to a more invasive intervention according to patient needs, symptoms, and preferences. Aromatherapy is often provided as a minimally invasive, independent, and integrative nursing intervention. This article describes the process used to introduce essential oils into practices at a large Midwestern academic medical center.

Developing and testing a discharge planning decision support tool for hospitalized pediatric patients.

PURPOSE: To develop and test a decision support tool that identifies patients who would benefit from early consult with discharge planners. DESIGN AND METHODS: A predictive, correlational design was used with parents/guardians of children (1 month to 18 years; N = 197). Data were collected by interviews and record reviews. Expert consensus determined referral to discharge planning. RESULTS: Mean age was 8.7 years; mean length of stay was 7.5 days. Forty percent (n = 79) were identified for early referral. The variable "substantial post-acute care needs" had the strongest association with expert consensus (internally validated AUC = 0.79). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Findings from this study provide preliminary evidence for a decision support tool to improve the discharge planning process by reducing individual decision-making variability through systematic matching of patient needs to service delivery.