Prewarming in a pediatric hospital: process improvement through interprofessional collaboration

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Technology Adoption

Background:

• Maintaining normothermia is crucial for pediatric patient safety.
• Current active warming methods may have compliance challenges.
• Optimizing prewarming practices can reduce perioperative hypothermia risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a new forced-air warming gown on prewarming compliance.
• To evaluate patient and staff satisfaction with a novel warming product.
• To identify facilitators for implementing practice changes in a pediatric hospital.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement project was conducted at a pediatric specialty hospital.
• An alternative active warming product (Bair Paws warming gowns) replaced the existing one (Bair Hugger blankets).
• Compliance rates and user satisfaction were monitored before and after the product change.

Main Results:

• Compliance with active prewarming recommendations nearly doubled after switching to the new warming gowns.
• Both patients and healthcare staff reported a preference for the new warming gowns.
• The implementation required significant interprofessional collaboration and problem-solving.

Conclusions:

• Switching to Bair Paws warming gowns significantly improved compliance with prewarming protocols.
• Interprofessional collaboration is essential for successful implementation of healthcare quality improvement initiatives.
• User-centered product selection can enhance patient and staff satisfaction and adherence to best practices.