Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

• Committee Chair Name & Credentials:
  Misty Evans DNP, CPNP-AC, BMTCN
• Committee Member Name & Credentials:
  Ty Williams, DNP, RN, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, CNE DNP, RN, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, CNE

DNP Project Abstract

Implementation of Delirium Monitoring in Pediatric Acute Care Cardiology

Purpose
Implement and increase delirium monitoring by nurses in the Pediatric Cardiac Acute Care Unit (PCARD) to a goal of 70% from September 2022 to December 2022.

Methods
Implemented quality improvement project for delirium monitoring in PCARD at a non-profit, urban children’s hospital in Nashville, Tennessee from September 2022 through December 2022. The results were displayed in a control chart.

The initial education for nurses and providers occurred prior to implementation. The second round of education for nurses is documented on the control chart.

Results
Pre-education and post-education surveys were sent to nursing staff and nurse practitioners. On the pre-education survey, 100% of participants correctly identified pediatric patients can develop delirium and there are different types.

The highest rate of delirium assessments performed in a 24-hour period was two (55%), which is the goal. After the second round of education, delirium assessment documentation dramatically surpassed our goal of 70%.

Implications for Practice
This quality improvement project is the first step in evaluating pediatric delirium outside of the critical care period. The next step is to verify the accuracy of nursing delirium monitoring in order to evaluate prevalence and events that occur around delirium in this population.