Improving the quality of nurse-influenced patient care in the intensive care unit

Abstract

Background: Quality of care is a major focus in the intensive care unit (ICU). Aim: To describe a nurse-initiated quality improvement (QI) project that improved the care of critically ill patients in a New Zealand tertiary ICU. Design: A framework for QI was developed and implemented as part of a practice change initiative. Methods: Audit data were collected, analysed and reported across seven nurse-influenced patient care standards. The seven standards were enteral nutrition delivered within 24 h of admission, timely administration of antibiotics, sedation holds for eligible patients, early mobilization and three pressure ulcer prevention strategies. Results: Comparison of audit data collec..