Key performance indicators in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO): protocol for a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a vital intervention for severe cardiopulmonary failure.
• ECMO is resource-intensive, requires specialized care, and exhibits significant practice variation.
• Standardized quality measures are needed to optimize ECMO application and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and assess the evidence for key performance indicators (KPIs) in ECMO.
• To identify and evaluate existing quality measures associated with ECMO in critically ill patients.
• To inform the development of standardized KPIs for ECMO to reduce practice variation.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive search of multiple databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library) and grey literature.
• Quality assessment of included studies using established tools (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, Cochrane Risk of Bias, COSMIN checklist).
• Descriptive analysis of identified KPIs, evaluating importance, acceptability, utility, feasibility, operational characteristics, EMR integration, and affordability.

Main Results:

• The review will identify and evaluate a range of KPIs relevant to ECMO care.
• Methodological quality of existing studies on ECMO KPIs will be assessed.
• KPIs will be evaluated against established criteria for national quality measurement.

Conclusions:

• This systematic review will provide a comprehensive overview of evidence-based KPIs for ECMO.
• Findings will support the standardization of ECMO practices and quality improvement initiatives.
• The identified KPIs can guide future research and clinical implementation to enhance patient care and outcomes.