Toward a zero VAP rate: personal and team approaches in the ICU

In a fast-paced setting like the intensive care unit (ICU), nurses must have appropriate tools and resources in order to implement appropriate and timely interventions. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a costly and potentially fatal outcome for ICU patients that requires timely interventions. Even with established guidelines and care protocols, nurses do not always incorporate best practice interventions into their daily plan of care. Despite the plethora of information and guidelines about how to apply interventions in order to save lives, managers of ICUs are challenged to involve the bedside nurse and other ICU team members to apply these bundles of interventions in a proactive, rather than reactive, manner in order to prevent complications of care. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the success of 2 different methods utilized to improve patient care in the ICU. The first method is a personal process improvement model, and the second method is a team approach model. Both methods were utilized in order to implement interventions in a timely and complete manner to prevent VAP and its related problem, hospital-associated pneumonia, in the ICU setting. Success with these 2 methods has spurred an interest in other patient care initiatives.