Examples Of Postoperative Respiratory Failure

Postoperative Respiratory Failure Hospitalizations affect a large number of the population in the United States (US). A large number of those Americans are hospitalized due to a surgical procedure that needs to be performed. Many people may suffer from postoperative complications while in the hospital that can be extremely serious or even cause death. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has established Quality Indicators (QIs) called Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs). The PSIs are used with hospital inpatient data to reflect quality of care and patient safety, primarily focusing on potential avoidable complications. The purpose of this paper is to define the purpose of the PSIs-90 and role in healthcare today. Discuss

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ, n.d.) PSIs were developed to detect these potential complications that can occur within the inpatient setting, and serve as a tool to assess areas that require improvement of patient safety. These PSIs are captured through administrative data by the use of software that analyzes International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). There are many ways the PSI postoperative respiratory failure can help guide the care of the patient within the healthcare organization. An example of a possible nursing opportunity to provide better care is to “evaluate opportunities to reduce incidence of postoperative respiratory failure such as protocols to increase incentive spiratory use and breathing exercises” (Zrelak et al., 2011, p. 103). In addition, proper documentation and a detailed patient assessment are always vital in providing quality of care and patient

These protocols include performing preoperative and postoperative lung expansion exercises, assessing breathing patterns and most importantly performing a thorough preoperative evaluation. Lung expansion exercises such as incentive spirometry, coughing and deep breathing, chest physiotherapy and the use of CPAP mask are all important exercises that should be performed postoperatively and even in some cases preoperatively. Assessing breathing patterns can be an early indicator of imminent respiratory failure. Furthermore, performing a good preoperative evaluation can help the healthcare team become aware of any risks the patient may have and know how to prevent them or treat them (V. Horowitz, personal communication, September