Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Cassandra Taylor
Abstract
Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are critically ill and faced with numerous physical and psychological stressors that often require a multidisciplinary approach to improve outcomes and relieve suffering. Patients are given sedation to tolerate invasive treatments and procedures. Using the Richmond-Agitation Sedation Score (RASS), nurses assess objective findings and the level of sedation a patient is experiencing, and titrate sedation according to an ordered RASS score. Ineffective and inaccurate use of the RASS score leads to patients being oversedated and demonstrates a lack of understanding of how to appropriately use the RASS score assessment tool. The purpose of this project study was to provide nurses with the education and understanding of how to accurately assess and document sedated patients using the RASS score. The practice-focused question addressed whether the comprehensive, evidence-based educational program would improve nurses’ knowledge of RASS score assessment and the quality of RASS score documentation. Kotter’s 8-Step model provided the framework for the project. Pre- and posttest data were collected from 42 nurses, and test results were compared for improvement in scores. Findings indicated that nurses’ knowledge was increased with the educational program tailored to the knowledge gaps in the nursing unit. Findings may have a positive impact on the community of patients cared for by this hospital, including better health outcomes, shorter stays in the ICU and hospital, and fewer long-term effects of staying in the ICU.
Recommended Citation
Beaulieu, Kara Jeanne, "Increasing Nurses’ Knowledge of Richmond-Agitation Sedation Score Assessment and Documentation Through Education" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 12266.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/12266
