Reducing Inpatient Length of Stay Using a Multicollaborative Protocol for Management of Non-Intensive Care Unit Asthmatics.

Maximizing clinical efficiency through the reduction in inpatient length of stay (LOS) using standardized protocols has been a major objective among hospital administrators, most notably in the context of recent healthcare reimbursement changes at statewide levels. The objective of our project was to determine whether a synchronous change in an inpatient asthma protocol that relied on a respiratory therapist (RT)-driven bronchodilator weaning algorithm and bronchodilator therapy given through a metered dose inhaler (MDI) plus valved holding chamber (VHC) could impact clinical and financial outcomes. A pre-post study assessed patients aged 2-21 years of age admitted with a primary diagnosis of status asthmaticus.

Patient safety rounds in a pediatric tertiary care center.

Background: Patient safety rounds were implemented in a pediatric tertiary care setting. Completed patient safety issues from three years of pediatric patient safety rounds and nine months of pediatric surgical safety rounds were analyzed. Completed issues were categorized into both Modified Vincent and University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) categorization schemes to compare and contrast their attributes.

Transition from a traditional code team to a medical emergency team and categorization of cardiopulmonary arrests in a children's center.

Objectives: To study the effect of an intervention on prevention of respiratory arrest and cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) and to characterize ward CPAs by preceding signs and symptoms and initial cardiac rhythm.

Design: A before-and-after interventional trial (12 months preintervention and 12 months postintervention).

Setting: A tertiary care, academic children's hospital.