With a “no VAP” streak of two years and running, the staff in the 16-bed ICU at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, California, continues to be vigilant. “The steps are ingrained, so now it’s about assuring that we are still paying attention to all the pieces,” says Lee Vanderpool.
Vanderpool, Vice President of Quality and Performance Improvement, Clinical Operations and Hospital Support, says that having the steps ingrained does not relieve the hospital from measuring. “We still measure everything, and if we find even a small slip, we pay attention.”
An early member of IHI’s IMPACT network, Dominican has a longstanding culture of continuous improvement. “We distinguish between delivery of care and stepping away to evaluate and change how care is delivered,” says Vanderpool. “Both jobs are essential, and we see to it that people can do both jobs well.”
Vanderpool points to daily multidisciplinary rounds as an essential element of the ICU’s success at eliminating VAP, as well as the dedicated commitment of the ICU physician intensivists. He calls the unit’s “wonderful nurses” another key factor in the success of the VAP work. “They have designed improvements in oral care, control of hyperglycemia, alcohol withdrawal management in critical care patients, and many other areas. Some come in on their days off to help. People are very excited, because they like to do things well.” Preventing VAP is something this staff seems to do particularly well.
02/05/2007
