Preventing Unplanned Perioperative Hypothermia in Children.
Unplanned perioperative hypothermia is a common surgical risk. Unplanned hypothermia is defined as a body temperature below 36° C (96.8° F) during any phase of the perioperative period. Perioperative nurses at a Midwestern tertiary pediatric hospital developed an evidence-based clinical practice guideline (CPG) designed to maintain normothermia for the pediatric surgical population. This CPG outlined standard thermoregulation nursing interventions and required the consistent use of a temporal artery thermometer. A test of this CPG before full implementation established a baseline incidence of unplanned hypothermia at 16.3% (n = 80). The purpose of this study was to measure the rate of perioperative hypothermia in children after implementing the evidence-based CPG. The study results demonstrated that the CPG, guiding research-based nursing practice, consistently prevented unplanned hypothermia. The incidence rate of unplanned perioperative hypothermia after CPG implementation was 1.84% (n = 1,196).
Susan E
SE
Beedle
Amy
A
Phillips
Shirley
S
Wiggins
Leeza
L
Struwe
D001831:Body Temperature; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015994:Incidence; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D059035:Perioperative Period
clinical practice guideline; pediatric; perianesthesia nursing; thermoregulation; unplanned hypothermia