Date of Conferral
2015
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Dr. Allison Terry
Abstract
A Policy Guide to Decrease the Use of Continuous Passive Motion Machines
by
Rosa M. Cooper
MSN, Walden University, 2009
BSN, Immaculata University, 2007
Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Walden University
August 2015
This project was conducted at a post-acute rehabilitation hospital that served post-acute orthopedic, stroke, brain injury, cardiac, and skilled nursing patients. On the orthopedic unit, there were 5 practicing physicians, 3 of whom consistently used continuous passive motion (CPM) therapy on total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and 2 of whom did not. As a result of discussions with physicians who did and did not utilize CPM therapy, a practice problem was identified that CPM use may not be consistent with current literature and practice evidence. Scholarly literary reviews were done on current CPM evidence- based research. Observational data were collected on patients' ambulatory function, knee range of motion, and pain durance. This information was then presented by the interdisciplinary team (IDT), which consisted of the physical therapist, occupational therapist, and nurses. The physicians input along with the observational data obtained by the IDT all supported the hypothesis that CPM usage did not promote faster healing nor added a benefit to patient outcomes. A project to revise the existing CPM policy and develop a guide decreasing CPM usage was implemented and guided by the theories of organization change and a total quality management model. The purpose of this quality assurance project is to promote a cost-effective practice change that would be beneficial to the TKA population as it relates to care and treatment. As the increase in TKA continues to rise in the United States due to such co-morbidities as obesity causing an increase in disabilities, implementing the best practice as it relates to patient outcomes brings about a positive social change.
Recommended Citation
Cooper, Rosa M., "A Policy Guide to Decrease the Use of Continuous Passive Motion Machines" (2015). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 1437.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1437
