Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Document Type

Major Paper

School

School of Nursing

Department

Nursing

Date of Original Version

2019

Abstract

In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018) estimated there were 157,500 cases of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). Of those, ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) had declined with increased efforts aimed at prevention, while nonventilator pneumonia (NV-HAP) did not have such prevention interventions and escalated, with approximately 2300 cases and 5600 respectively reported in one state (Baker & Quinn, 2018). The 2012 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample reported only 4 million people were at risk for VAP, while approximately 35 million more people were at risk for NV-HAP in the United States. The purpose of this project was to evaluate surgical unit registered nurses’ knowledge related to incentive spirometer (IS) in the prevention of NV-HAP postoperatively. The design of this quality improvement, program development project included a pretest, an evidence-based educational intervention specific to IS and a posttest administered to a small sample of RNs, guided by the Logic Model Framework. The results indicated that RNs’ perspectives on patients’ use of IS can be influenced following an educational session related to IS; however, the results showed a decrease in agreement reflecting the new knowledge of the nurses of the present evidence as it relates to incentive spirometry. These results also supported previous research findings and contribute to a body of knowledge validating nurses’ need for endorsed guidelines on appropriate usage of IS to prevent postoperative pneumonia. The Advanced Practice Nurse has a unique role that can directly impact the prevention of postoperative pneumonia.

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