IMPROVING PATIENT OUTCOMES THROUGH CQI - VASCULAR ACCESS PLANNING

This article reports the use of the continuous quality improvement (CQ I) process to improve patient outcomes. The FADE method (focus, analyz e, develop, and execute) was used to focus on vascular access planning , analyze data concerning intravenous (IV) therapy, develop a vascular access planning algorithm, and execute implementation of the algorith m. An evaluation study revealed that patients whose vascular access pl anning was consistent with the algorithm reported fewer IVs, less diff iculty starting IVs, and less stress; waited significantly less time u ntil central venous line (CVL) placement (for those who received CVLs) ; and had significantly shorter lengths of stay.