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 2 or student t tests 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.