CSI Summary
Available only to registered AACN.org users.
Project Topic:
Aspiration prevention
Hospital Unit(s):5 West Cardiothoracic ICU
CSI Participants:
- Ashely Madrid, BSN, RN, CCRN-CSC
- Alicia Norman, BSN, RN, CCRN
- Fernando Rivera, BSN, RN
- Rhoy Tabafunda, BSN, RN, CCRN
Project Goals/Objectives:
- Decrease the incidence of aspiration 40%
- Increase nursing compliance to 90% in utilizing the Yale Swallow Protocol within one year
Project Outcomes:
- Decreased incidence of aspiration 3 cases or 40%
- This project outcome resulted in a potential annual fiscal impact of $136,000.
Project Overview:
In fiscal year 2022, the 5 West Cardiothoracic ICU reported 15 cases of aspiration pneumonia. To prevent aspiration, our hospital utilizes the Yale Swallow Protocol as a screening tool for patients diagnosed with stroke and newly extubated patients.
Based on our pre-implementation survey, we determined that the 5 West staff were not consistently using the Yale Swallow Protocol. The CSI team educated our core staff, some float pool staff, and some registry staff about the Yale Swallow Protocol, including where to find it in the electronic health record. We created a golf game poster to highlight staff who completed the Yale Swallow Protocol and a lung tree to spotlight the number of days without an aspiration.
Permission to Reuse Materials
The materials associated with this AACN Clinical Scene Investigator (CSI) Academy project are the property of the participating hospital noted above, not AACN. Requests to use content contained in the CSI team’s summary, presentation or toolkit should be directed to the hospital. We suggest reaching out to the hospital’s Communications, Marketing or Nursing Education department for assistance.
Disclaimer
The AACN CSI Academy program supports change projects based on quality improvement methods. Although CSI teams seek to ensure linkage between their project and clinical/fiscal outcomes, data cannot be solely attributed to the project and are estimations of impact.