Implementing a Clinical Practice Guideline on Opioid-Induced Advancing Sedation and Respiratory Depression.

Background: Opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD) is a serious adverse reaction associated with opioid administration.

Local Problem: The purpose of this quality improvement study was to evaluate the impact of implementing a clinical practice guideline for OIRD in a medical-surgical setting lacking standardized monitoring techniques and reporting criteria for patients receiving opioid analgesia.

Methods: An American Society for Pain Management Nursing protocol was implemented in 4 medical/surgical units.