Effect of end-of-life care education on perceived self-efficacy of the pediatric respiratory therapist.

Background: End-of-life care (EoLC) is difficult for respiratory therapists (RTs), causing struggles with providing EoLC and grief during and after the death. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine if EoLC education can increase RTs' perception of knowledge of EoLC, respiratory therapy as a valuable EoLC service, comfort providing EoLC, and knowledge of ways to deal with grief. Methods: One hundred and thirty pediatric RTs completed a 1 h EoLC education session. Afterwards, a single-centre descriptive survey was administered to the 60 volunteers out of the 130 attendees. To determine RTs' self-rated change in knowledge of EoLC, perception of respiratory therapy as a valuable EoLC service, comfort with EoLC, and knowledge of ways to cope with grief. Statistical analysis included percent change. Results: Overall, 96% of surveyed RTs agree they had an increase in knowledge, perception of RT services, comfort with providing care, and coping. Only 4% felt that this course had little benefit overall but still perceived value in RT EoLC and increased knowledge of long- and short-term ways to deal with grief. Conclusion: Education on EoLC practices increased pediatric RTs' perception of knowledge, perceived value of respiratory therapy in EoLC, comfort with EoLC, and knowledge of coping resources.

Reducing Mask-Related Pressure Injuries in Pediatric Patients During Noninvasive Ventilation by Targeting Patient Mask Leak: A Quality Improvement Initiative.

PURPOSE: To compare outcomes following implementation of patient mask leak range of 25 to 55 liters per minute (lpm) to guide strap tension of sleep masks during noninvasive ventilation against baseline data with no patient mask leak range on number of noninvasive mask-related pressure injuries (PIs). PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: All noninvasively ventilated pediatric acute care patients admitted to general wards and intensive care units between February 1, 2018, and February 1, 2019, in a quaternary hospital in the southwest United States. APPROACH: Using the Plan Do Study Act model, we employed an intervention to examine the rate of PIs per noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) days and patient-days before and after implementation of patient mask leak parameters between 25 and 55 lpm to guide mask strap tension. Since patients are at an increased risk of sleep mask-related PIs only when on NIPPV, we sought to describe that as number or PIs per number of days at risk, described as NIPPV days, and patient days which is the traditional denominator for wounds and hospital-acquired conditions. OUTCOMES: Preintervention, 6 out of 115 subjects (5.2 %) incurred PI at a rate of 0.51 per 100 NIPPV days or 0.26 per 1000 patient-days. Of the 1932 NIPPV days since education was completed, only 1 subject out of 87 (1.1%) incurred a high-stage PI (0.05/100 NIPPV days-a 96.79% reduction or 0.05/1000 patient-days-a 92.86% reduction). Upon reaching more than 90% compliance with patient mask leak range in December 2018, 1221 NIPPV days resulted in 0 noninvasive mask-related PIs. Greater than 90% compliance with a patient mask leak of 25 to 55 lpm allowed us to successfully achieve our hospital's operating plan goal of 0.15 of 1000 patient-days within this group. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Maintaining a patient mask leak range between 25 and 55 lpm should be considered as part of proper fit for pediatric patients using NIPPV with a mask. Additional work is needed to assess this leak range in more children and in studies conducted at multiple sites.

A Comparison of the Braden Q and the Braden QD Scale to Assess Pediatric Risk for Pressure Injuries During Noninvasive Ventilation.

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) masks are implicated in 59% of respiratory device-related pressure injuries in hospitalized children. Historically, the Braden Q scale was not adequate in identifying risk for pressure injury associated with devices and, therefore, was modified to the Braden QD scale. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Braden QD scoring tool is better able to identify pediatric patients receiving NIV who are at risk for the development of pressure injury as compared to the previously used Braden Q scale. METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review of all pediatric subjects with NIV mask-related pressure injury. Demographics and Braden Q/Braden QD scores were extracted from the electronic health record at admission, at 48 h prior to pressure injury, at 24 h before injury, and at resolution. The scores were dichotomized into "no risk" or "at risk" score ranges on the basis of each scale's scoring parameters. The McNemar test was used to assess whether Braden Q and Braden QD have the same level of classification. RESULTS: Forty-five unique subjects, ages 1 m - 23 y with NIV mask-related pressure injury were identified (24 [53.3%] female; 21 [46.7%] male). Braden QD had a significant correlation with mask-related pressure injury at admission (P < .001), at 48 h prior to injury (P < .001), at 24 h prior to injury (P < .001), at time of injury (P < .001), and at resolution of the pressure injury (P < .001). The Braden Q score did not identify pressure injury at admission, at identification of pressure injury, nor at 24 h or 48 h prior to injury. CONCLUSIONS: No significant differences were found among groups in relationship to age or gender. 85% of the subjects identified as "at risk" with the Braden QD scale developed pressure injury; conversely, virtually all of the subjects with pressure injury were identified as "no risk" with the Braden Q scale.

Noninvasive Ventilation Device-Related Pressure Injury in a Children's Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) contributes to the development of pressure injury in a significant number of hospitalized patients. Pressure injuries contribute to increased length of hospital stay, pain, infection, and disfigurement. This study examined the relationship between NIV use and pressure injuries in hospitalized subjects. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients on NIV at a tertiary-care children's hospital over a 2-y period. We studied the relationship between the characteristics of NIV use and measures of pressure injury severity. RESULTS: A total of 255 subjects, mean ± SD age 11.3 ± 5.8 y with 343 episodes of NIV use were evaluated, 7.2% (25/343) of which were associated with pressure injury. In univariate analysis, the presence of pressure injury was associated with older age (P = .01), maximum leak (P = .01), 95th percentile leak (P = .01), the log duration of time on NIV until pressure injury formation (P = .01), and maximum inspiratory positive airway pressure level (P = .01). Maximum leak remained statistically significant after multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: After multivariate analysis, only high mask leak was significantly associated with developing a pressure injury. Identifying risk factors that correlate with NIV device-related hospital acquired pressure injuries in children can direct procedures to prevent pressure injury in hospitalized children at high risk.