title: The effectiveness of respiratory care protocols.
abstract: The principles underlying evidence-based practice are that treatments are effective and can offer benefit to patients. At the same time, optimal practice also avoids offering treatments for which evidence of efficacy is not available. In this regard, the goal of respiratory care protocols is to optimize the allocation of respiratory care services by prescribing to each patient treatments likely to confer benefit and avoiding those that do not. As reviewed in this paper, currently available evidence suggests that protocols (1). help minimize unnecessary arterial blood sampling, placement of arterial catheters, and bronchopulmonary hygiene therapies, (2). help optimize the process of weaning patients from mechanical ventilation, (3). help minimize waste of oxygen, (4). allocate respiratory care services better than does physician-directed care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland OH 44195, USA. stollej@ccf.org.
authors.forename: James K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Stoller
mesh_terms: D002985:Clinical Protocols; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000379:methods*; D012138:Respiratory Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D015300:Ventilator Weaning