More than 300,000 patients in the United States require mechanical ventilation as a life-saving therapy annually. Complications are not uncommon, as are increased lengths of stay, high health care costs and high likelihood of readmission. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one such complication, affecting as many as 20 percent of ICU patients who require a ventilator for more than 48 hours.
WSHA is committed to guide, support and assist hospital quality leaders in implementing effective and sustainable practices in the prevention of VAP, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has developed The Toolkit to Improve Safety for Mechanically Ventilated Patients.
The toolkit contains proven principles and care methods to assist hospital ICU staff reduce complications for patients requiring mechanical ventilation. It contains comprehensive materials that include planning, implementing and sustaining an infection prevention program for ventilated patients, as well as education and facilitation guides that can be modified to meet your organizational needs. (Tina Seery)