The use of a daily goals sheet to improve communication in the paediatric intensive care unit.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the impact of the implementation of a daily goals sheet upon nursing perception of communication in an academic, tertiary care paediatric intensive care unit (PICU).


METHODS
Prospective, longitudinal, before-and-after intervention surveys.


METHODS
University affiliated 12-bed PICU.


METHODS
Bedside nurses.


METHODS
A questionnaire was administered to PICU nurses addressing their perception of communication. Following this questionnaire, the use of a daily goals sheet was instituted. A second questionnaire was administered one year later. Mann-Whitney Rank Sum Test was used to compare differences of the graded outcome variables.


RESULTS
The primary outcome was the perception of communication taken from a nursing perspective. Eighty-five percent of nurses felt the daily goals sheet led to improved communication between physicians and nurses in the PICU. All questions related to communication demonstrated a positive influence of the goals sheet, with the perception of the PICU staff working as a team reaching statistical significance (p=0.05). The perception of the care of one surgical service being attending physician directed also significantly improved after the institution of the goals sheet (p=0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
The institution of a daily goals sheet led to an improvement in nursing perception of communication. Future studies are required to determine if this change in process has a demonstrable effect on health care outcomes of critically ill children, or whether this tool can have the same beneficial effects in other academic and non-academic PICUs.
Phipps
Lorri M
LM
Department of Paediatrics, Division of Paediatric Critical Care Medicine (LMP, NJT), Penn State Children's Hospital, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
Thomas
Neal J
NJ
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001296:Audiovisual Aids; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D003422:Critical Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009737:Nursing Records; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D010414:Pennsylvania; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration