Effects of a multifaceted, multidisciplinary, hospital-wide quality improvement program on weaning from mechanical ventilation.

Objective: To examine the effects of a mechanical ventilation weaning management protocol that was implemented as a hospital-wide, quality improvement program on clinical and economic outcomes.

Design: Prospective, before-and-after intervention study. Data from a preimplementation year are compared with those of the first 2 yrs after protocol implementation.