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Effect of practice guidelines on therapeutic bed use
Ostomy/Wound Management
|August 1, 1997
Summary
Implementing practice guidelines for therapeutic beds did not significantly alter patient usage time or total cost. However, the practice guideline group showed lower mean time and cost per patient, indicating their utility in standardizing nursing care.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Nursing Practice
- Clinical Economics
Background:
- Therapeutic beds offer clinical benefits but can incur significant costs if not used judiciously.
- Directing the use of specialized equipment is crucial for cost-effective healthcare delivery.
- Evaluating the impact of standardized protocols on resource utilization is essential in acute care settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of implementing practice guidelines on the utilization and cost of therapeutic beds in an acute care hospital.
- To compare the usage time and associated costs of therapeutic beds before and after guideline implementation.
- To assess the role of practice guidelines in standardizing nursing care for patients requiring therapeutic beds.
Main Methods:
- A research utilization project was conducted in six patient care units (five general, one intensive care) of a 300-bed acute care hospital.
- Therapeutic bed usage time and cost per patient were measured over four-month periods in 1994 (pre-guideline) and 1995 (post-guideline).
- Statistical comparison of usage time and cost between the pre- and post-implementation groups was performed.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant differences were found in the overall time patients spent on therapeutic beds or the total cost of these beds between the two groups.
- The mean time on therapeutic beds per patient was lower in the group that followed the practice guidelines.
- The mean cost per patient for therapeutic bed usage was also reduced in the practice guideline group.
Conclusions:
- Practice guidelines, while not yielding significant overall differences in this study, serve as a valuable tool for establishing standardized nursing practice.
- Guidelines can help optimize the use of expensive resources like therapeutic beds, leading to potential cost efficiencies.
- The implementation of practice guidelines is a beneficial strategy for enhancing nursing care standards in acute care environments.