Impact of a ventilatory weaning protocol in an intensive care unit for adults

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a ventilatory weaning protocol on the weaning quality and on the outcomes of the patients. Method: A quasi-experimental quantitative study, consisting of comparing a prospective study with a retrospective study. Data was collected through a weaning log sheet applied between September and December 2015 at an intensive care unit in northern Portugal following the implementation of a weaning protocol and compared with a base-line constituted in the year preceding the implementation of the ventilatory weaning protocol. Results: The experimental group had a score mean of higher overall quality of weaning, with a reduction in the timing for initiating the weaning in 27.3% and the weaning time in 36.6%. Conclusion: The implementation of the ventilatory weaning protocol improved the overall quality of the weaning, facilitating the identification of patients with criteria to initiate the process, starting earlier, resulting in a reduction in ventilatory weaning time.