title: Implementing a clinical practice guideline for the treatment of bronchiolitis in a high-risk Hispanic pediatric population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bronchiolitis is the leading cause of hospitalization among infants and young children. Because of its frequency, a clinical practice guideline for bronchiolitis was implemented in this population in an effort to decrease costs and the number of diagnostic evaluations performed and medications used without increasing length of stay or transfers to the pediatric intensive care unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review of 322 pediatric admissions to a rural community hospital was conducted (169 before guideline implementation and 153 after guideline implementation), and data were categorically stratified into three groups for comparison purposes. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, with a p value < .05 defining significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the project period, patients with a mean age of 9.6 months were admitted to the hospital with bronchiolitis. Statistically significant decreases in cost per day and decreases in use of antibiotics and chest radiographs were achieved without increasing length of stay or pediatric intensive care unit transfers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This project demonstrated feasibility in implementing an evidence-based clinical practice guideline in a rural hospital to improve patient outcomes.
authors.forename: Dora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zamora-Flores
authors.forename: Nancy H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Busen
authors.forename: Randall
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smout
authors.forename: Otto
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Velasquez
mesh_terms: D001988:Bronchiolitis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D058996:Quality Improvement; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Bronchiolitis; RSV; clinical practice guidelines; high-risk populations; implementation