Interprofessional Team's Perception of Care Delivery After Implementation of a Pediatric Pain and Sedation Protocol

Area of Science:

• Pediatric critical care medicine
• Nursing and healthcare management
• Pain and sedation management

Background:

• Pain and agitation are prevalent in pediatric cardiac intensive care units (CICUs).
• Variability in assessment, communication, and treatment challenges effective pain and sedation management.
• Delirium assessment and management are critical components of care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement guidelines for pain, agitation, and delirium (PAD) assessment and treatment in a pediatric CICU.
• To evaluate the impact of these guidelines on interprofessional team perceptions of care delivery and team function.

Main Methods:

• A pre- and post-implementation survey of interprofessional team members was conducted.
• The survey assessed perceptions of analgesia, sedation, and delirium management.
• Key outcome measures included team comfort, communication, information transfer, and therapy utilization.

Main Results:

• Interprofessional team members reported increased comfort with pain and sedation management after guideline implementation.
• Improvements were noted in team communication regarding patient comfort.
• Team members perceived better information transfer during care transitions and enhanced use of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies.

Conclusions:

• Implementation of PAD guidelines was associated with perceived improvements in interprofessional team function.
• The guidelines positively impacted the team's perception of patient care delivery.
• Standardized guidelines enhance comfort management and interprofessional collaboration in pediatric CICUs.