Preventing Unplanned Perioperative Hypothermia in Children. (31st January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Beedle, Susan E.; Phillips, Amy; Wiggins, Shirley; Struwe, Leeza
• Is Part Of: AORN journal. Volume 105:Number 2(2017.Feb.)
• Page Start: 170
• Page End: 183
• Publication Date: 2017-01-31
• Subjects: unplanned hypothermia -- pediatric -- thermoregulation -- perianesthesia nursing -- clinical practice guideline; Operating room nursing -- Periodicals; Soins infirmiers en salle d'opération -- Périodiques; Nursing -- Periodicals; Operating Room Nursing -- Periodicals; Perioperative Nursing -- Periodicals; Societies, Nursing -- Periodicals; 617.917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aorn.2016.12.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0001-2092

Abstract

Abstract: 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).