Journal of Critical Care
Volume 23, Issue 1 , Pages 118-125, March 2008

Ventilator-associated pneumonia: Improving outcomes through guideline implementation☆

  • Tasnim Sinuff, MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Critical Care, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center and Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4N 3M5
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +1 416 480 6100x7694; fax: +1 416 480 4999.
    • ,
  • John Muscedere, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7J 2V7
    • ,
  • Deborah Cook, MD, MSc

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5
    • Department Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5
    • ,
  • Peter Dodek, MD, MHSc

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine and Center for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6Z 1Y6
    • ,
  • Daren Heyland, MD, MSc

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7J 2V7
    • ,
  • for the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group

Abstract 

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is associated with increased duration of mechanical ventilation and increased risk of death for critically ill patients. Although scientific advances have the potential to improve the outcomes of critically ill patients who are at risk of or who have VAP, the translation of research knowledge on effective strategies to prevent, diagnose, and treat VAP is not uniformly applied in practice in the intensive care unit. Knowledge about VAP may be used more effectively at the bedside by a systematic process of knowledge translation through implementation of clinical practice guidelines. Unfortunately, there remain large gaps in our understanding of guideline implementation in the intensive care unit, specifically as it applies to guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of VAP.

Keywords: Ventilator, Pneumonia, Guidelines, Implementation, Critical care

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☆ Dr Sinuff is supported by a Canadian Institutes for Health Research Clinician Scientist Award. Dr Cook holds a Research Chair of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

PII: S0883-9441(08)00007-5

doi:10.1016/j.jcrc.2007.11.013

Journal of Critical Care
Volume 23, Issue 1 , Pages 118-125, March 2008

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