Disciplines
Nursing
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Background: Healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) such as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are common complications patients can acquire after being hospitalized. These complications can be preventable through the implementation of appropriate methods of prevention. Objective: This study was designed to discover interventions healthcare facilities and staff can implement to help prevent the incidence of VAP. Method: Research was conducted using CINAHL, EBSCO, and PubMed. The commonly used phrases to find search results include “prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia” and “methods to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia.” Articles were excluded if they were published prior to 2017 or were not written in the English language. Results: Five articles were chosen that presented interventions that had been found to prevent incidences of VAP. These evidence-based strategies included: minimizing ventilator exposure, providing oral hygiene care and subglottic suctioning, maintaining optimal positioning and encouraging early ambulation after ventilation, ensuring adequate staffing, implementing bundle strategies, and hand hygiene. The implementation of these methods was discovered to decrease the occurrence of VAP and provide better outcomes for ventilated patients. Conclusion: There are many different evidence-based interventions that can be implemented to help reduce the incidence of VAP.
Keywords: Ventilator, ventilated patient, ventilator-associated pneumonia, VAP, treatment, prevention, methods of prevention, oral hygiene, subglottic suction, position, nurses, doctors, healthcare staff, reduced incidences of VAP, methods to prevent VAP
Academic department under which the project should be listed
WCHHS - Nursing
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Christine Emerson
Additional Faculty
Melissa Chason, Nursing, mchason@kennesaw.edu
Included in
Interventions to Prevent the Incidence of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
Background: Healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) such as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are common complications patients can acquire after being hospitalized. These complications can be preventable through the implementation of appropriate methods of prevention. Objective: This study was designed to discover interventions healthcare facilities and staff can implement to help prevent the incidence of VAP. Method: Research was conducted using CINAHL, EBSCO, and PubMed. The commonly used phrases to find search results include “prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia” and “methods to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia.” Articles were excluded if they were published prior to 2017 or were not written in the English language. Results: Five articles were chosen that presented interventions that had been found to prevent incidences of VAP. These evidence-based strategies included: minimizing ventilator exposure, providing oral hygiene care and subglottic suctioning, maintaining optimal positioning and encouraging early ambulation after ventilation, ensuring adequate staffing, implementing bundle strategies, and hand hygiene. The implementation of these methods was discovered to decrease the occurrence of VAP and provide better outcomes for ventilated patients. Conclusion: There are many different evidence-based interventions that can be implemented to help reduce the incidence of VAP.
Keywords: Ventilator, ventilated patient, ventilator-associated pneumonia, VAP, treatment, prevention, methods of prevention, oral hygiene, subglottic suction, position, nurses, doctors, healthcare staff, reduced incidences of VAP, methods to prevent VAP