Nurse titrated analgesia and sedation in intensive care increases the frequency of comfort assessment and reduces midazolam use in paediatric patients following cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND Pain and sedation protocols are suggested to improve the outcomes of patients within paediatric intensive care. However, it is not clear how protocols will influence practice within individual units. OBJECTIVES Evaluate a nurse led pain and sedation protocols impact on pain scoring and analgesic and sedative administration for post-operative cardiac patients within a paediatric intensive care unit. METHODS A retrospective chart review was performed on 100 patients admitted to a tertiary paediatric intensive care unit pre and post introduction of an analgesic and sedative protocol. Stata12 was used to perform Chi-squared or Student's t-test to compare data between the groups. RESULTS Post protocol introduction documentation of pain assessments increased (pre protocol 3/24h vs post protocol 5/24h, p=0.006). Along with a reduction in administration of midazolam (57.6mcg/kg/min pre protocol vs 24.5mcg/kg/min post protocol, p=0.0001). Children's pain scores remained unchanged despite this change, with a trend towards more scores in the optimal range in the post protocol group (5 pre protocol vs 12 post protocol, p=0.06). CONCLUSIONS Introducing a pain and sedation protocol changed bedside nurse practice in pain and sedation management. The protocol has enabled nurses to provide pain and sedation management in a consistent and timely manner and reduced the dose of midazolam required to maintain comfort according to the patients COMFORT B scores. Individual evaluation of practice change is recommended to units who implement nurse led analgesic and sedative protocols to monitor changes in practice.