Use of a 'Covid Bundle' to Improve Patient Care During Wave 2 in a Busy DGH
Author(s)
Quirie, C
Olley, R
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2022
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The early stage of wave 2 in SJH was a very busy and rapidly evolving situation for the medical team. Dexamethasone and remdesivir had recently been introduced into clinical practice following RECOVERY trial results. High clinical demand, and a rapid turn-over of junior medical staff in the COVID wards meant unfamiliarity with the treatment. My COVID Bundle was designed as a support tool for medical staff in safely managing patients who tested positive for COVID-19 to: 1. Improve easy to see documentation of target oxygen saturations in patients with COVID-19 disease 2. Improve the monitoring of blood sugars when patients ...
View more >The early stage of wave 2 in SJH was a very busy and rapidly evolving situation for the medical team. Dexamethasone and remdesivir had recently been introduced into clinical practice following RECOVERY trial results. High clinical demand, and a rapid turn-over of junior medical staff in the COVID wards meant unfamiliarity with the treatment. My COVID Bundle was designed as a support tool for medical staff in safely managing patients who tested positive for COVID-19 to: 1. Improve easy to see documentation of target oxygen saturations in patients with COVID-19 disease 2. Improve the monitoring of blood sugars when patients were started on dexamethasone for COVID-19 disease Thirty covid positive patients were included in the initial baseline data collection from the medical wards. Of these, only four (13.3%) had clear documentation of target oxygen saturations. Fifteen were commenced on dexamethasone, of which seven (46.7%) had appropriate monitoring of their blood sugars. A series of interventions were then implemented. Initially I created a ‘COVID Bundle’ for patient’s bedside notes which prompted staff on 1) target oxygen saturations, 2) escalation status, 3) resuscitation status, 4) checking BMswhen on dexamethasone. I then updated and combined my COVID Bundle with a COVID treatment poster, which was placed in all ‘red’ patient notes. I had several rounds of data collection during the series of interventions. The clear documentation of target oxygen saturations increased from 13.3% to 100%, while appropriate monitoring of BMsincreased from 46.7% to 93.3%. The management of COVID-19 is an ever evolving area, which can be difficult for both medical and nursing staff to keep up with in an ever busy working environment. This small scale QIP shows that the ‘COVID Bundle’ is a useful aid for staff in the safe management of patients with COVID-19.
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View more >The early stage of wave 2 in SJH was a very busy and rapidly evolving situation for the medical team. Dexamethasone and remdesivir had recently been introduced into clinical practice following RECOVERY trial results. High clinical demand, and a rapid turn-over of junior medical staff in the COVID wards meant unfamiliarity with the treatment. My COVID Bundle was designed as a support tool for medical staff in safely managing patients who tested positive for COVID-19 to: 1. Improve easy to see documentation of target oxygen saturations in patients with COVID-19 disease 2. Improve the monitoring of blood sugars when patients were started on dexamethasone for COVID-19 disease Thirty covid positive patients were included in the initial baseline data collection from the medical wards. Of these, only four (13.3%) had clear documentation of target oxygen saturations. Fifteen were commenced on dexamethasone, of which seven (46.7%) had appropriate monitoring of their blood sugars. A series of interventions were then implemented. Initially I created a ‘COVID Bundle’ for patient’s bedside notes which prompted staff on 1) target oxygen saturations, 2) escalation status, 3) resuscitation status, 4) checking BMswhen on dexamethasone. I then updated and combined my COVID Bundle with a COVID treatment poster, which was placed in all ‘red’ patient notes. I had several rounds of data collection during the series of interventions. The clear documentation of target oxygen saturations increased from 13.3% to 100%, while appropriate monitoring of BMsincreased from 46.7% to 93.3%. The management of COVID-19 is an ever evolving area, which can be difficult for both medical and nursing staff to keep up with in an ever busy working environment. This small scale QIP shows that the ‘COVID Bundle’ is a useful aid for staff in the safe management of patients with COVID-19.
View less >
Conference Title
Age and Ageing
Volume
51
Issue
Supplement_2
Subject
Clinical sciences
Patient safety
Public health
Health services and systems
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Science & Technology